Sneakernets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sneakernet) like this have been a faster and more efficient way to transfer large amounts of data for a long time. It's even more effective over short distances, such as bike couriering to a nearby office or walking to your lounge room.
I wish I could remember who said it, and I think it was an IETF thing from the 70s or 80s, but there is a funny and famous phase about this sort of thing:
"Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of back up tapes."