This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. Patty Wiens is the Bike Mayor of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. We met Patty on our trip to Edmonton for the Winter Cycling Congress back in February and were really struck with her energy and drive as an advocate for people who ride bikes in her city. We talked with Patty about how she became a Bike Mayor and how people in Winnipeg are organizing to create better streets for people in a very car-centric place. She also told us about how the community has been protesting against recent traffic violence in the city, including one case in which an Indigenous woman named Tammy Bateman was struck and killed by police driving through a city park. Thanks to Ali Lemer for editing this episode. If you aren't yet a Patreon subscriber of The War on Cars, maybe now is the time! Subscribe for $3, $5, or $10 per month. We’ll send you stickers and you’ll have access to ad-free episodes and bonus conversations like this one. We really appreciate the support, and we couldn’t produce the podcast without you. TheWarOnCars.org

Zoning is an invisible force that dictates how and where we can build housing, offices, factories, parks and more. It dictates how we access such places and can reinforce car dependency, often in ways that burden the communities that can least afford it, reinforce segregation, and exacerbate climate change and other environmental harms. In her new book, Key to the City: How Zoning Shapes our World, author Sara Bronin argues that zoning does not have to lead to negative outcomes, and that if we understand its power, we can use zoning to build the kinds of communities everyone deserves. Bronin dives into the history of zoning and tells the stories of the many activists and planners in cities such as Hartford, Baltimore and Minneapolis who have learned to harness zoning for good. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon for ad-free versions of regular episodes and access to exclusive bonus content. Plus, we’ll send you stickers. *** LINKS: Pick up Key to the City by Sara Bronin and books by other podcast guests at Bookshop.org. Learn more about Sara Bronin. Get official podcast merch in our store.  This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. During the recent US Open Tennis Championships in New York City, top-seeded American player Jessica Pegula got some attention when she posted an Instagram reel showing her taking the subway from Manhattan to the event venue in Queens. “I don't like taking a car, and I like trains,” she said. “So I always try and take the train.” We can relate. Pegula’s post inspired us to have a discussion about other sports stars who, at least occasionally, like to skip the luxury SUV or Lamborghini in favor of non-car modes (LeBron!)—and why we should care about it.  (As for Pegula, opting for the subway obviously didn’t hurt her tournament one bit—she made it to the final, her first time to do so in a Grand Slam!) If you aren't yet a Patreon subscriber of The War on Cars, maybe now is the time! Subscribe for $3, $5, or $10 per month. We’ll send you stickers and you’ll have access to ad-free episodes and bonus conversations like this one. We really appreciate the support, and we couldn’t produce the podcast without you.

There’s been a lot of talk this election season about Project 2025, the initiative from the Heritage Foundation to prepare for a potential second Trump administration. Understandably, much of the conversation about Project 2025 has been about the stakes for abortion access, rights for LGBTQ+ people, protections for civil servants, the Department of Education, Social Security and much more. But there’s also a 10-page chapter about the Department of Transportation, written by a former Trump administration official, that outlines a lot of ideas and plans that could spell doom for many vital progressive transportation projects, change how funding is distributed, and deeply harm the nation's ability to address climate change. Kevin DeGood, the director of Infrastructure Policy at the Center for American Progress, joins us to walk through what’s in this document and what’s at stake for transportation in this election. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon to receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content, stickers, and more! *** This episode was sponsored by Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount codes. * * * *   LINKS: VOTE! Find out if you’re registered and look up when, where, and how you can vote at Vote.org. Learn more about Kevin DeGood and the Center for American Progress. Project 2025 author: “Bike Lanes Don’t Make Cycling Safe”. Really? Subscribe to our new YouTube channel. Follow The War on Cars on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and Mastodon. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! * * * * *   Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our official store. Purchase books from podcast guests and support independent booksellers at our official Bookshop.org page. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

Why do Americans spend lots of money to visit walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly European cities, only to come back to the U.S. and oppose all those things where they live? Rick Steves has some thoughts. Countless people know and love the popular travel writer for his guidebooks and long-running television programs, which encourage people to explore Europe’s “backdoor” destinations—those off-the-beaten-path locations that have just as much or more to offer than its more touristy cities and sights. Rick takes a thoughtful and philosophical approach to travel and believes it offers people important lessons for becoming better global citizens. He is also an activist and philanthropist who believes in the power of local advocacy; he has funded affordable housing in his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, and is pursuing a one-man effort to turn a downtown roundabout into an Italian-style piazza.  Please note: This episode was recorded before Rick announced his recent cancer diagnosis. We wish him all the best and many more years of inspiring people to explore the world. * * * * *  ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive ad-free versions of regular episodes and exclusive bonus content. Plus, we’ll send you stickers.*** This episode was produced with support from Pinhead Locks and Cleverhood. Listen for the latest discount codes. * * * * *   LINKS Learn more about all things Rick Steves. Pick up a copy of Rick’s book Travel as a Political Act and the 40th edition of his travel guide Europe Through the Back Door as well as books by other podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page. “When he’s not traveling around Europe, writing about Europe or running his multimillion-dollar European tour company, the prolific TV host and author likes to squeeze in some local activism.” (Washington Post) Rick Steves Wants to Set You Free (New York Times) The Future in our Hands, the Norwegian movement Rick mentions in the episode. * * * * *   Buy official podcast merch in our store. Follow The War on Cars on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky and Mastodon. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Justin Fernandez at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.  In June, Doug attended Velo-city, an annual cycling summit hosted by the European Cyclists' Federation that brings the bike world together. This year's conference was held in the Belgian city of Ghent. While there, Doug wandered the exhibition floor talking with people from all over the world — including elected officials, city planners, advocates, industry representatives, academics and bike-curious regular citizens — about why it was important for them to attend Velo-city and what lessons and knowledge they hoped to take home. As you'll hear in this bonus episode, the fight to make cities safer, more sustainable and more equitable truly is a global effort. Thanks to the European Cyclists' Federation for having The War on Cars at Velo-City and to Ali Lemer for editing this episode. TheWarOnCars.org  

Episode 133: Listener Origin Stories (Patreon bonus re-release) We’re taking a short break to work on our forthcoming book and some of our upcoming fall shows. We’ll be back with new free episodes in early September. In the meantime, please enjoy this re-release of our Patreon bonus episode from December 26, 2023. You can get all of our Patreon bonus episodes and more subscriber-only content – plus stickers! – by signing up to support us at www.patreon.com/thewaroncarspod. (A new Patreon-exclusive bonus episode will be released in two weeks.) * * * * *   Last November we told you our origin stories. Everything from early driving lessons to our experience living in car-dependent places has informed our journey to becoming radicalized, so to speak, into The War on Cars. Now it's your turn! We put out the call to our Patreon supporters for their origin stories, and — wow! — did you deliver. We heard from people all over the world about how they began to see the problems with car dominance, with stories ranging from gradual realizations to sudden epiphanies. Plus, we heard from a few friends and former guests of the podcast.  (Not all heroes wear capes, but one you'll hear from at the top of the show most certainly does.) Honestly, we were so impressed and inspired by everyone's stories. We often tell people that we have the smartest and most engaged audience in podcasting and this episode is undeniable proof of that. Thank you for all you do in your neck of the woods to fight for safety, sustainability, equity, and more. * * * * *   Thank you to Bull Moose Soft Goods and Cleverhood for their support. For the latest discount codes, listen to the episode. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and you'll be tipped off to listener participation episodes like this one, and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content, stickers, and more! *** * * * * *   Pick up podcast tees and other merch in our official The War on Cars store. Purchase books from podcast guests and support independent booksellers at our official Bookshop.org page. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. This month’s exclusive Patreon bonus episode is an interview with Holden Ringer, who recently finished walking more than 4,000 miles across the country from the starting point of LaPush, Washington. Holden is a 26-year-old originally from Dallas, Texas, and he used his odyssey to fundraise for the organization America Walks, as well as to raise awareness about active transportation and meet with fellow-minded advocates along the way. As he says, “Advocacy is built into the activity.” Not long after he reached the Atlantic Ocean in May, we sat in New York’s Bryant Park and talked about what he saw and learned during his year-plus odyssey on America’s roads, pushing a stroller he named Smiley.

NOTE: This is part two of a two-part episode. To hear both parts right now and without ads, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. In part two of our deep dive on John Forester and his 1976 book Effective Cycling, we take a look at the paltry data and research underpinning the alleged safety benefits of vehicular cycling and the long-term impact Forester had on cycling for transportation in the United States. Even though cities such as New York started building protected bicycle lanes in earnest in the late 2000s and early 2010s — and even though quality bike infrastructure has existed in places such as Davis, California for decades — John Forester's legacy continued well into the 21st century, with federal guides such as AASHTO's "Green Book" discouraging or even prohibiting things such as parking-protected bikeways until as recently as 2018. On top of that, many of Forester's disciples held positions atop major advocacy organizations and city bike planning departments for years, and used their influence to prevent the construction of protected bike lanes. In a lot of ways, we're still pedaling in the world John Forester created. This episode was sponsored by Bull Moose Softgoods and Cleverhood.  Listen to the episode for the latest discount codes. LINKS/SOURCES Read Peter Flax in conversation with John Forester, via Bicycling Magazine. Northeastern University's Peter Furth takes on John Forester. STUDY: "Risk of injury for bicycling on cycle tracks versus in the street," by Lusk, Furth, et. al. PAPER: "A Historical Perspective on the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities and the Impact of the Vehicular Cycling Movement," Schultheiss, Sanders, and Toole, 2018 AASHTO’s Draft Bikeway Guide Includes Protected Bike Lanes and More, Streetsblog 2016 Key Design Guide to Finally Include Protected Bike Lanes, Streetsblog 2018 'Death Of A ‘Dinosaur:’ Anti-Cycleway Campaigner John Forester Dies, Aged 90, by Carlton Reid in Forbes Read Bike Boom: The Unexpected Resurgence of Cycling, by Carlton Reid. Read Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road, by James Longhurst. How the former Dallas bicycle coordinator held back cycling infrastructure for years, via the Texas Observer. Dallas' Former Bike Czar Tells Newbie Riders to Go Play in Traffic, via the Dallas Observer Access John Forester's website via the Wayback Machine. If you're a glutton for punishment, pick up a copy of John Forester's Effective Cycling. Grab some merch in our official store! This episode was edited by Yessenia Moreno. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. https://thewaroncars.org/

NOTE: This is part one of a two-part episode. To hear both parts right now and without ads, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." That quote is the core philosophy of John Forester, the father of vehicular cycling. Forester, who died in 2020, was a major figure in the the world of cycling advocacy and transportation policy, and his influence shaped street design and bicycle safety in the United States for decades. We take a deep dive into Forester's 1976 book, Effective Cycling. Part guidebook, part encyclopedia, part polemic, Effective Cycling explains why cyclists should not be afraid to ride not just in traffic, but as traffic. Throughout the book, Forester dismisses anyone who might be afraid of taking the lane with fast-moving cars and trucks as suffering from what he calls the "cyclist inferiority complex" and asserts that only a strict adherence to the principles of vehicular cycling can keep everyone safe. Who was John Forester? What is vehicular cycling? Why are we talking about a book that was published almost fifty years ago? It's all here in this mega episode. This episode was sponsored by Cleverhood and Pinhead Locks. Listen for the latest discount codes. LINKS/SOURCES Read Peter Flax in conversation with John Forester, via Bicycling Magazine. Northeastern University's Peter Furth takes on John Forester. STUDY: "Risk of injury for bicycling on cycle tracks versus in the street," by Lusk, Furth, et. al. PAPER: "A Historical Perspective on the AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities and the Impact of the Vehicular Cycling Movement," Schultheiss, Sanders, and Toole, 2018 AASHTO’s Draft Bikeway Guide Includes Protected Bike Lanes and More, Streetsblog 2016 Key Design Guide to Finally Include Protected Bike Lanes, Streetsblog 2018 'Death Of A ‘Dinosaur:’ Anti-Cycleway Campaigner John Forester Dies, Aged 90, by Carlton Reid in Forbes Read Bike Boom: The Unexpected Resurgence of Cycling, by Carlton Reid. Read Bike Battles: A History of Sharing the American Road, by James Longhurst. How the former Dallas bicycle coordinator held back cycling infrastructure for years, via the Texas Observer. Dallas' Former Bike Czar Tells Newbie Riders to Go Play in Traffic, via the Dallas Observer Access John Forester's website via the Wayback Machine. If you're a glutton for punishment, pick up a copy of John Forester's Effective Cycling. Grab some merch in our official store! This episode was edited by Yessenia Moreno. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. https://thewaroncars.org/

Cyprine Odada is the Executive Director of Critical Mass Nairobi and an urban planner specializing in active mobility. Ever since founding the Kenyan capital’s chapter of Critical Mass, the largest gathering of non-competitive cyclists in Africa, Cyprine has helped get more people on bikes from different neighborhoods, ages, and social and economic groups, changing the perception of who rides a bike in Nairobi and building more political support for bike infrastructure in a city where cars dominate. By focusing on the joy of cycling and the way in which the bicycle can connect people and create community, Cyprine is doing what she can to transform Nairobi into a cycling city, inspiring other African cities along the way. This episode was recorded on the floor of the Velo-city Conference in Ghent in June 2024. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon.*** LINKS: Watch Cyprine Odada’s presentation at TedX in 2020 Learn more about Critical Mass Nairobi Follow Critical Mass Nairobi on Instagram Learn more about the Velo-city conference Grab some merch in our official podcast store. This episode was produced and edited by Doug Gordon. https://thewaroncars.org/  

Because it has the word “engineering” right in there, the field of traffic engineering is something most people assume is governed by science and rational rules. But a new book, written by a traffic engineer himself, argues that is not the case at all. In Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion That Science Underlies Our Transportation System, Wes Marshall — a professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado Denver — says that the idea that the design of our transportation system is based on science couldn't be further from the truth. By examining a century's worth of history, studies, old professional journals and current standards, Marshall argues that his colleagues need to do some deep soul searching about the rules they follow so that they no longer design a system that kills tens of thousands of people per year. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. *** This episode was sponsored by Cleverhood and Bullmoose Softgoods. Listen for the latest discount codes. Pick up a copy of Killed by a Traffic Engineer and books by all of our podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page. Grab some merch in our official store! This episode was edited by Yessenia Moreno. It was recorded by Josh Marshall at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio.  https://thewaroncars.org/  

Why don’t more women ride bicycles in London? The advocacy group London Cycling Campaign wanted to know, and so they asked. What they discovered was disturbing: Among more than a thousand women surveyed, nine out of ten said they experienced verbal abuse and aggression while biking. Ninety-three percent said drivers had used vehicles to intimidate them. One in five said they had given up riding permanently or temporarily after they had been harassed. And when women reported incidents of aggression to the police? The cops almost never followed up. We spoke with the London Cycling Campaign’s Kate Bartlett about what women face on the road and what advocates are doing to make cycling safer and more accessible for all. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. *** This episode was sponsored by Pinhead Locks and Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount codes. LINKS: Check out the London Cycling Campaign’s initiative to get more women out and riding freely. Merch! Pick up The War on Cars t-shirts, stickers and more in our store. Purchase books from podcast guests and support independent booksellers at our official Bookshop.org page. thewaroncars.org    

In this emergency episode, we discuss New York State Governor Kathy Hochul's 11th-hour decision to "indefinitely suspend" congestion pricing, the program that would have charged drivers to enter Manhattan below 60th Street. Her move, announced in a prerecorded video on Wednesday, June 5th, came mere weeks before congestion pricing was set to launch, jeopardizing what was set to be a major funding source for transit and a revolutionary plan to reduce traffic in a way never seen before in the United States. Why did Hochul do this? Is it bad politics or atrociously bad politics? What does this mean for the future of the New York City subway system, commuter rail, accessibility, the environment, the economy and even democracy itself? More importantly, we discuss what you can do if you live or work in the New York metropolitan area and want to see Hochul's flip flop reversed. We also discuss what effect this could have on cities across the U.S. that might be considering a congestion pricing program of their own. WARNING: We swear a lot in this one. To support everything we do at The War on Cars please become a Patreon subscriber. You'll receive access to exclusive bonus episodes, ad-free versions of regular episodes, free stickers and more. We depend on listener support, so thanks! HELP SAVE CONGESTION PRICING: Contact Governor Kathy Hochul and tell her to implement congestion pricing as planned: 1-518-474-8390 Local advocacy organizations have their own calls to action and can help you contact elected officials: Riders Alliance Transportation Alternatives Tri-State Transportation Campaign SHOW NOTES: House Democrats pressured Hochul to tank congestion pricing. (Politico) Noto a whole lotta teachers drive into Manhattan. (Hellgate NYC) Read Aaron's take on Representative Hakeem Jeffries and congestion pricing from 2008. (Streetsblog) Hear our original thoughts on congestion pricing back in episode 111 with Diana Lind. This episode was recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio by Josh Wilcox. It was edited by Doug Gordon. thewaroncars.org  

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. For this month's exclusive Patreon bonus episode, we take a look at three states that have attempted to ban everything from bus rapid transit to taxing driving by vehicle miles traveled. While most of these initiatives have failed, one of these states successfully banned bus wraps, but not because bus wraps make it harder to see out of bus windows. What is going on? We take a look at recent news from Indiana, Arizona and Florida. thewaroncars.org  

An unlikely cycling revolution is happening in one of the coldest big cities on the planet: Edmonton, Alberta. Despite freezing temps, lots of sprawl, big trucks and an economy built on pulling oil out of the Albertan tar sands, the Western Canadian city is in the midst of a four-year, $100 million CAD investment in active transportation that will connect far-flung neighborhoods with a network of safe, high-quality, protected bike lanes. Many of these bike lanes will even get priority over roads for cars when it comes to snow removal. We traveled to the home of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers to attend the Winter Cycling Congress, where we talked with the people pushing for this transformation, including the city’s former mayor, Don Iveson. Plus, hear our appearance on drive-time radio in the heart of oil country. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. *** This episode was sponsored by Bullmoose Soft Goods and Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount codes. LINKS: Tom Babin of Shifter says Edmonton is “the most exciting bike city in North America.” Learn more about Edmonton’s former mayor, Don Iveson and City Councillor Michael Janz. Check out The Winter Cycling Federation and listen to Sarah’s dispatch from the 2020 Winter Cycling Congress in Finland. Read all about the Edmonton Bike Plan. Learn more about “Oil Country Urbanism” from Oh The Urbanity! and check out About Here on YouTube. Lorne Gunter of the Edmonton Sun thinks charging drivers to park is a “war on cars.” Buy toques, t-shirts, stickers and more in The War on Cars merch store. Save 10% with code BIKEMONTH. Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Doug Gordon and Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

The United States has built a transportation system centered around automobiles. But one-third of the nation’s population can’t drive, whether because of disability, age, financial hardship, immigration status, or any of a host of other factors. Those tens of millions of people are often invisible to planners and elected officials, and that’s why Anna Letitia Zivarts, herself a low-vision nondriver and a longtime activist for better transportation choices, has written a new book titled When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency (Island Press). We talked with Anna about how, by designing our transportation future for those who can’t or don’t feel comfortable driving, we could build a system that works better for everyone and that would be more equitable, safer, and more environmentally sustainable. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. *** This episode was sponsored by Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount code. LINKS: Buy Anna Zivarts’s book, When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency, at The War On Cars Bookshop store or from your local bookseller. You can follow Anna on X. Buy t-shirts, stickers, hats and more in The War on Cars merch store. It's Bike Month so save 10% with code BIKEMONTH. Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear.  TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.*** We were getting ready to record our "Cybertrash" episode with Ed Niedermeyer last month when Ed happened to bring to our attention to this "deeply weird" ten minute-long extended car ad. It's a promotional video for Dodge's new, "Next-Gen Charger," the electric-powered version of the very same "muscle cars" that Doug confronted at the New York International Auto Show in Episode 85 and Aaron rode along with back in Episodes 92 and 96. The move from gas-guzzling, window-rattling, V8 engines to electric motors has clearly plunged Dodge into an identity crisis. They spent decades building their brand on obnoxiously loud and dangerously sociopathic gas guzzlers. How will they ever convince their loutish loyal customers to switch over to (supposedly) clean, quiet, big government-mandated electric cars? In this video we get an answer to that question. Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis is going to try to sell his muscle e-cars with rightwing dog whistles and a Make Dodge Great Again pitch. But he barely even sounds like he has convinced himself. A lot like Elon Musk's Cybertruck marketing, the Dodge promo video is simultaneously super weird and extremely revealing about what American car culture is really all about. We had some extra time with Ed in the studio so we had to talk about it with him. And we put that together for as a Patreon bonus. If you aren't yet a Patreon subscriber of The War on Cars, maybe now is the time! Subscribe for $3, $5, or $10 per month. We’ll send you stickers and you’ll have access to ad-free episodes and bonus conversations like this one. We really appreciate the support. We couldn’t produce the podcast without you. 

Elon Musk’s gigantic, stainless steel, 1980s sci fi movie–inspired Cybertruck is starting to show up on city streets. Perhaps you’ve had the misfortune of seeing one rolling through your neighborhood. If not, you’ve almost certainly seen some of the vehicle’s many truly epic fails on the Internet. The Cybertruck might not work very well, but it still appears to be wildly popular. More than two million people have deposited $250 to get in line for the opportunity to buy one. Journalist Ed Niedermeyer is the author of “Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors.” In this episode, Ed joins us to analyze the Cybertruck as a cultural text and also just to revel in its overwhelming absurdity. What is the Cybertruck? And what does its apparent popularity say about who we are and where we are headed collectively? This is the Cybertruck launch event we’ve all been waiting for.  This episode was sponsored by Sheyd Bags and Cleverhood.  *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. *** LINKS: Buy Edward Niedermeyer’s book, Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors from your friendly neighborhood bookshop. You can follow Ed Niedermeyer on Bluesky and Threads. The Cybertruck fails are being collected and shared on r/CyberStuck on Reddit. This week’s big one? Cybertruck accelerator pedals are falling off. This, by journalist Victoria Scott is a good read: A Cultural Critique of the Tesla Cybertruck in Road & Track. If the audio clips in this episode weren’t enough, you can watch Elon Musk’s bizarre performance at the New York Times DealBook Summit. Buy t-shirts, stickers, hats and more in The War on Cars merch store. Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Yessenia Moreno. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

In the 20th century, planners and policymakers smashed Interstate highways through the middle of every major city in the United States. In the 21st century, we understand the many ways that urban freeways were economic, environmental, and racial justice disasters. And yet, incredibly, the State of Texas is planning to spend over $64 billion in the next few years to widen highways through the middle of its three largest cities, Houston, Dallas and Austin. Journalist Megan Kimble has been reporting on the Texas freeway fight for years now. Her new book -- published today -- is  City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways. In it, she tells the stories of the communities in the path of TxDOT’s bulldozers and the brave Texans fighting against long odds to save their homes, neighborhoods, and cities from a seemingly implacable foe. What if, instead of expanding the aging and outmoded urban freeways dividing our cities, we tore them down?  *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. *** LINKS: Megan Kimble’s new book is City Limits: Infrastructure, Inequality, and the Future of America's Highways. It is excellent! Find it in The War on Cars store on Bookshop.org or get it from your neighborhood bookseller.  Buy t-shirts, stickers, hats and more in The War on Cars merch store. Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org

It has never been more expensive to insure a car in the United States. Today, the average annual premium for full coverage is more than $2,500, up from more than $1,700 just a few years ago. There are a lot of reasons for this—including the high price of cars, supply chain issues, and the rising frequency and severity of crashes—but no matter how you add it up it’s a huge problem in a country where driving is a ticket to full participation in society.  Despite this, what if we told you that car insurance is still way too cheap? That’s something most people don’t understand until they or someone they love is directly affected by traffic violence. Today, mandatory state minimum coverage requirements have not kept up with the rising cost of car crashes, something all of us subsidize whether we drive or not—and that crash victims often pay for with life and limb. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** LINKS: Learn more about Michelle DuBarry and her advocacy for a Made Whole Doctrine in Oregon. Why Car Insurance in America is Actually Too Cheap, by Daniel Knowles in The Economist. Buy a copy of Carmageddon: How Cars Make Life Worse and What To Do About It by Daniel Knowles and get books by previous podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page. Steve Vaccaro: “New York City’s best-known lawyer advocate for bicyclist and pedestrian rights.” Auto Insurance Spike Hampers the Inflation Fight (New York Times) NHTSA: Traffic Crashes Cost American $340 Billion in 2019 Buy t-shirts, stickers, hats and more in The War on Cars merch store.  Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was written, produced and edited by Doug Gordon. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear.   TheWarOnCars.org  

In January, we held our third annual live show at Caveat on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. We were so thrilled to be in the same room as so many listeners and friends of the podcast. We were also happy to welcome Bernie Wagenblast, the voice of the New York City subway system, to The War on Cars. Bernie’s voice is instantly recognizable to millions of people — even if they don’t necessarily know who she is. Bernie’s personal story and the way she’s using her platform are also inspiring legions of New Yorkers and people around the world, and we were so glad she could join us on stage for some conversation and fun. Plus, don’t miss a pro-car comedian interrupting our show and Bernie reading our Letterman-inspired Top 10 list of transportation announcements we’d like to hear. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: The Voice of the Subway Speaks for Herself, at Last. (New York Times) Bernie Wagenblast, the voice of the NYC subway, finding her true voice after sharing her transition. (CBS News) Charlie Dektar on “How to Make New York City More Car-Friendly” (The New Yorker) Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Buy books from podcast guests at our Bookshop.org page Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded live at Caveat in Manhattan on January 31st, 2024. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.*** In this bonus episode, we continue the conversation we had in Episode 120 about the car ads from Super Bowl LVIII. These two didn't air during the big game, but one is a bit on an antidote to the excess of the typical U.S. automobile commercial while the other is part of a series that ran during NFL postseason games and lots of other big televised events. The first, from a famous Dutch beer company, shows the world as we'd like it to be. The second, courtesy of Korean automaker Hyundai, shows the world where it might be headed.  

In what’s become an annual tradition, we take a critical look at the car ads that aired during the Super Bowl and consider what they say about driving, culture, consumerism, and the United States… which is all the same thing, right? The big story this year is not so much which car companies chose to spend $7 million for 30 seconds of air time but which chose not to and why. (There were zero ads from the Big Three U.S. automakers; that’s the first time that’s happened in 23 years.) Still, there were still some notable commercials featuring beloved movie stars, reckless driving, and stories that tugged at our heart strings. It’s all here in episode CXX of the podcast. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content, merch discounts, stickers, and more.*** LINKS: Watch all the 2024 Super Bowl commercials. (USA Today) None of the Big Three U.S. automakers ran a Super Bowl ad this year. (Detroit Free Press)  Pick up official War on Cars merch at our store. Buy books by podcast guests at our Bookshop.org page.  Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Yessenia Moreno. Our special Big Game theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear and Michael Hearst. https://thewaroncars.org/    

Did you ever see a car advertisement that you thought was so ridiculously irresponsible it should be banned? Well, the people at Adfree Cities, an advocacy group based in the United Kingdom, did, and they decided to do something about it. They went up against Toyota over an ad for the Toyota Hilux SUV that shows drivers ripping through sensitive natural areas and cities—and they won, getting the ad taken off the airwaves and the streets. We talked with two members of the organization, Veronica Wignall and James Ward, about how they’re tackling the auto industry’s most egregious marketing campaigns, as well as their larger mission to create “happier, healthier cities free from the pressures of corporate outdoor advertising.” ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: Check out Adfree Cities and their partner organization, Badvertising. See the Toyota Hilux ad that UK regulators deemed “had not been prepared with a sense of responsibility to society.” It’s not too late to register for the Winter Cycling Congress, February 22 – 24 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It will be freezing and we will be there! Get your merch at The War on Cars store. Find us on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Facebook. Follow and please review us on Apple Podcasts. This episode was produced by Sarah Goodyear. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

This is a preview of a special bonus episode for Patreon supporters of The War on Cars!   In the last episode of the podcast we spent some time with Baruch, Shawon, and their battery-swapping startup company, PopWheels. When I started working on that episode, I figured I was going to learn a lot about e-bikes, batteries, and the delivery app business. And I did. But over the course of more than a half dozen interviews and conversations between May and December 2023, I also learned a lot about Bangladeshi politics, immigration, and life in New York City as an e-bike delivery worker.   One of my favorite interviews for this episode took place on a crisp, sunny, Tuesday morning last October. I biked out to East New York, Brooklyn to meet Shawon and his friend Fokhrul, a Bangladeshi delivery worker who uses PopWheels battery-swapping network. (Shawon and Fokhrul asked me not to use their last names because they have asylum-seeker cases working their way through the legal system). We found a park bench and spent the morning talking about the political oppression they faced in Bangladesh, their arduous, months-long journey to the United States, and what their lives are like here in New York City. It was super interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. But, as often happens with these things, only tiny bits of this conversation made it into Episode 118. So, for this special bonus episode I wanted to share more of my interview with Shawon and Fokhrul with you. I also had some fun additional bits and pieces of tape with Baruch that never made it into the last episode. So, you'll find some of that woven in here too. I hope you enjoy hanging with Shawon, Fokhrul and Baruch as much as I did.   You can join us as a Patreon supporter to listen to the whole thing. -- Aaron

Baruch Herzfeld is the CEO and co-founder of PopWheels, where he is working to develop New York City’s first e-bike battery-swapping network. PopWheels aims to solve the growing problem of e-bike battery fires. The company believes that giving e-mobility users a quick, convenient, and safe way to recharge their batteries is absolutely essential to pushing gas-burning cars and trucks out of cities once and for all. But Baruch’s really big idea is this: He is betting that the light, clean, electric transportation fleet of the future is already up and running on the streets of New York City. And it isn’t being brought to us by Big Tech, Big Auto or Elon Musk, it is being driven by tens of thousands of immigrant e-bike delivery workers. What if there is a high-tech urban mobility revolution happening right under our noses, but we can’t see it because the people who are bringing it to our city are mostly invisible to us? ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** See The War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on NYC on Wednesday, January 31st. In-person tickets are sold out but you can still catch the livestream!  LINKS: Baruch Herzfeld’s battery-swapping company, PopWheels: Stop Charging, Start Swapping Mayor Adams Launches Lithium-ion Battery-Charging Pilot for Delivery Workers to Safely Charge in Public, NYC.gov, December 5, 2023 When will NYC do something about e-bike fire deaths? Nicole Gelinas for the New York Post, November 19, 2023 F.D.N.Y. Commissioner Blames E-Commerce Giants in Deadly Battery Fires, by Michael Rothfeld for the New York Times, November 13, 2023 E-bike charging stations coming to NYCHA in wake of deadly lithium-ion battery fires, New York Daily News, June 25, 2023  Opinion: E-bike Battery Regulation Isn’t Anti-immigrant or Anti-worker. It’s Common Sense. By Baruch Herzfeld in City Limits, November 14, 2022 Brooklyn’s Bicycle Man Uses Two Wheels To Bring Hasids and Hipsters Together, by Nathaniel Popper for The Forward, August 29, 2009 ***** Register for the Winter Cycling Congress, February 22 – 24 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It will be freezing and we will be there! Get your merch at The War on Cars store.  Find us on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky, Mastodon and Facebook.  Follow and please review us on Apple Podcasts. This episode was reported, produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org!

Happy New Year! We’re kicking off 2024 by bringing you our conversation with David Zipper, one of the hardest-working analysts on the transportation scene today. You may be familiar with David from his writing at Bloomberg CityLab, Slate and Fast Company, where he relentlessly covers road safety, climate change, and the future of micromobility.  We talked with David about the excesses of the auto industry, our road fatality crisis, the absurd way speed limits are determined on American streets, and whether we might ever be able to swap out our bloated SUVs for electric golf carts. Or if that’s too much to ask, will cities at least start charging people more for driving massive glacier melters? LINKS: You can find out all about David Zipper’s work, along with links to his writing, at his website. See David on NBCDFW’s excellent series about why Dallas is such a deadly place to drive. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. See The War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on NYC on Wednesday, January 31st. Tickets are going fast! Register for the Winter Cycling Congress, February 22 - 24 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We will be there! Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

Last month the three hosts told their origin stories, or how they first became aware of the problems associated with cars and automobile dependency. Our stories included everything from lessons learned during early driving lessons to our individual experiences living in car-dependent places. The response to that episode was so great that we put out the call to our Patreon supporters to tell us their origin stories. We heard from people from all over the world — including a few friends and former guests of the podcast — who all wanted to share how they were radicalized into The War on Cars. ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

Since 1964, the Hess Corporation has released a toy truck for the holiday season, an annual tradition that’s highly anticipated by children and collectors alike. Models have included gas tankers, fire trucks, motorcycles, RVs, race cars, and even a Space Shuttle, almost all in the fossil fuel company’s iconic green-and-white color scheme.  But this year, perhaps reflecting the times, the Hess Corporation has released a Police Truck and Cruiser, “a specialized law enforcement response team that will inspire and unleash the inner hero in everyone.” We’re not sure what kind of trouble is brewing in Santa’s workshop, but the truck looks like what would arrive in response to a terrorist attack. Meanwhile, the cruiser, the smaller truck-within-the-truck, is an “armored-response vehicle” that gives off big Cybertruck vibes… if the Cybertruck included a battering ram and could actually work off-road. We discuss the 2023 Hess Truck and what it says about the state of the world. Plus, since we're not the target audience for this toy or its marketing, we hear a kid explain what makes the Hess Truck fun and cool. **This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.** 2023 Hess Truck ad. (YouTube) Learn more about the Hess Truck (Hess) They Hess Truck's Back And It's Worse Than Ever (Steve DaSilva, Jalopnik) TheWarOnCars.org

In his new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, independent conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb writes about how roads and cars are wreaking havoc on nature across the globe. He reports back about the people trying to save everything from butterflies to deer to wallabies to salamanders from the destructive power of motordom. Plus, he helps us analyze a couple of egregious ads that show how humans use roads to assert our dominion over the natural world…to our own eventual detriment. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers. This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: Pick up Ben Goldfarb’s Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet at our official Bookshop.org page. See The War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on NYC on Wednesday, January 31st. Tickets are going fast! Register for the Winter Cycling Congress, February 22-24 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We will be there! Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declared it’s time to end what he calls “the war on motorists.” First, the Conservative Party leader announced he was delaying the UK’s commitment to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars. He followed that with what he called his “plan for motorists,” which would severely restrict local efforts to implement low-traffic neighborhoods, 20 mph speed limits, bus-only lanes, and other policies intended to benefit people walking, cycling, and taking transit. Finally, he scrapped a major portion of HS2, a high-speed rail line linking some of the UK’s biggest cities. So… what the hell is happening in the UK? With similar setbacks in Berlin, Madrid, New York and elsewhere, is this part of a broader global backsliding? Are we losing the The War on Cars or is the prime minister just grasping at culture-war straws? The Guardian’s Peter Walker returns to the podcast to help us figure it all out. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. SHOW NOTES: “Sunak ‘backs drivers,’ announces scaling back of HS2, and delays the UK’s ban on gas-powered vehicles by five years. (Peter Walker & colleagues, The Guardian) Rishi Sunak says he’s “slamming the brakes on the war on motorists.” (The Sun) King Charles III makes his first “King’s Speech.” (YouTube) British Transport Secretary Mark Harper on “sinister” 15-minute-city plans. (The Independent) Hear Peter Walker discuss his book, The Miracle Pill, on this Patreon bonus episode of The War on Cars. Pick up Peter Walker’s How Cycling Can Save the World at our official Bookshop.org page. See The War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on NYC on Wednesday, January 31st. Tickets are going fast! Register for the Winter Cycling Congress, February 22-24 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We will be there! Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Find us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, Facebook and Threads. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org

Have you ever found yourself wondering, how did Aaron, Doug and Sarah get mobilized into the war on cars? What made them this way? If so, you’re in luck. In this bonus episode, exclusively for Patreon supporters, we dive deep into our own pasts and reveal how our personal experiences with cars drove us to activism, research, writing…and ultimately, The War on Cars podcast as you know it today. You’ll learn how Doug dealt with a soul-crushing commute in Atlanta and how Sarah drove recklessly on the California coast. You’ll also hear the words of wisdom Aaron’s father imparted during their first driving lesson. ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

Since he was elected mayor in 2020, John Bauters has gained an international reputation for his work to transform transportation and housing in the tiny city of Emeryville, which is wedged between Oakland and Berkeley on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Emeryville, population 13,000, is only one square mile in area. But it’s home to some big employers, including Pixar, and several big box stores. It also has I-80 blasting through it, and it is a major hub for Amtrak, regional rail, and freight rail. It’s a challenging environment in which to create a green city with a great active transportation network. But that’s exactly what Bauters has been working toward for his whole term. We visited with him, rode some of the great bike and park network that Emeryville has been building, and talked about the kind of political will that’s necessary to make real change. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: Follow John Bauters on X, if you’re still there. Really. It’s worth it. Ride along with Mayor Bauters and Streetfilms through the streets of Emeryville. (YouTube) ‘Why the mayor of tiny Emeryville matters’ (The Real Deal) Register for the Winter Cycling Congress, February 22-24 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. We will be there! Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Find us on Mastodon, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and whatever godforsaken new social media platform pops up next.  Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org  

In his new book, Dark PR: How Corporate Disinformation Harms Our Health and the Environment, Grant Ennis — a lecturer at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia — identifies the "nine devious frames" that corporations such as automobile manufacturers and road builders use to advance their interests, manipulate the public and maintain a status quo that harms human health and the environment. Dark PR is a thought-provoking book that shines a light on the tactics used by major industries to lock in an unhealthy, unsafe and unsustainable status quo. Ennis offers some food for thought for safe streets advocates as we try to improve our world and fight back against these powerful interests.   Special thanks to Cleverhood for their support. For the latest discount code on the best rain gear for cycling and walking, listen to the episode.   ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free episodes, exclusive bonus content, stickers, and more.***   LINKS:   Buy Dark PR as well as titles by other podcast guests at our Bookshop.org page.   Watch "Human Traffic Signals," a PSA from Buick of Shanghai.   Here's GM's vision of driving in 1976... as imagined in 1956.   The European Automobile Manufacturers Association thinks the solutions to traffic safety are pretty complex. Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Find us on Mastodon, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Follow and review The War on Cars on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us!  TheWarOnCars.org

This year, 2023, marks the hundredth anniversary since chemical engineer Thomas Midgley, Jr. made the discoveries that led to the invention of leaded gasoline. Of all the many harms that the automobile has caused the environment and humanity over the last century, the effects of leaded gasoline have to be pretty close to the top of the list. Science and industry were well aware of the dangers of lead in the 1920s. But adding small amounts of it to motor fuel made internal combustion engines work better, and that made it possible to turn the automobile into a viable mass market product. As a result, pretty much every American born between 1960 and 1980 was, to some extent, poisoned by lead. In this episode, best-selling author Steven Johnson joins Aaron Naparstek to talk about Midgley, his legacy, and what his story can teach us about our technological inventions and their future consequences.   ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: “The Man Who Broke the World” by Steven Johnson for the New York Times Magazine, March 15, 2023.  Find more of Steven Johnson’s work on his website. Subscribe to Steven’s newsletter, Adjacent Possible. Find all thirteen of Steven’s books here. War on Cars fans will enjoy The Ghost Map -- it’s a page-turner of a mystery/thriller about urban planning and epidemiology. You can buy Steven’s books at our Bookshop.org store.  Interested in digging deeper into the history of leaded gasoline? Check out Toxic Truth by Lydia Denworth.  Buy official War on Cars merch at our store.  Find us on Mastodon, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and whatever godforsaken new social media platform pops up next.  Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org

In this bonus episode just for Patreon supporters of The War on Cars, we do a quick news roundup before getting to the thing that matters most: WINNING. Last month we reached out to our liteners and asked them to send us their wins, from policy and infrastructure victories to cultural changes they helped usher in, even at just the individual level. Let's face it: it's a tough world out there so celebrating victories big and small is really important. Thanks to all of you, we are making progress in The War on Cars one parking space at a time. ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

After 16 years of slogging its way through municipal, state and federal government and every imaginable form of public process, congestion pricing is finally on its way to New York City. If all goes as planned, then anyone who wants to cram a car or truck into Lower Manhattan south of 60th Street is going to have to pay somewhere between $9 and $23 per day starting next spring. And all of that money will go toward supporting and improving New York’s transit system. There are still lots of details to iron out and we should never underestimate New York’s ability to blow it when it comes to transportation policy. But Diana Lind of the Penn Institute for Urban Research thinks congestion pricing is a big deal that will fundamentally reshape the relationship between the car and the city, not just in New York but all across North America. “The next 20 years,” Lind writes, “will be the beginning of the end of the private car in cities.” ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free episodes, exclusive bonus content, stickers, and more.*** This episode was produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: Read Diana Lind’s essay, “Why New York's Congestion Pricing Plan Matters” and subscribe to her newsletter, The New Urban Order.   How Might Congestion Pricing Actually Work in New York? (New York Times) We’re Another Step Closer to Congestion Pricing (Alissa Walker in Curbed) New York City Is About to Screw Up Congestion Pricing (Aaron Gordon in Vice) N.J. Gov. Candidate Steve Fulop: Stop Fighting Congestion Pricing — Expand It Instead! (Streetsblog) Revenge of the Free Riders (Aaron Naparstek for Streetsblog way back in 2008) Buy official War on Cars merch at our store. Find us on Mastodon, Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, or whatever godforsaken new social media platform pops up next. Follow and review us on  Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org

While working on Episode 110, Back to School with the Bike Bus, we spoke with Sam Balto, a phys ed teacher in Portland, Oregon, who goes by @CoachBalto and who's become one of the most visible advocates in the global movement for active transportation for kids. We used some of his comments in that episode, but our conversation was so juicy we knew we wanted to share it in full. Sam does a great job of explaining why bike buses are so much fun and so good for kids, and why you might find yourself tearing up when you watch his videos: "We want our children to thrive. And the bike bus movement is sort of the first story of children thriving since the pandemic." Maybe you'll be inspired to start a bike bus or walking school bus where you live! ***This is a preview of a Patreon bonus episode. To hear the full episode and for complete access to all our exclusive bonus content become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

If you’ve never heard of a bike bus—or a bicibús, as it’s known in the Catalonian capital of Barcelona—it’s a beautifully simple idea. Kids and parents ride their bikes to school along a pre-planned route, picking up classmates along the way, just the way a school bus would. Except because it’s bikes, it’s way, way more fun. Sarah and Doug rode along with bike buses in Barcelona and suburban Montclair, New Jersey, to see how it works, and we talked with organizer Sam Balto in Portland, Oregon, to find out why kids who ride with bike buses get to school feeling happy and energized.   ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code.  

In her new book, Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities, Veronica O. Davis — the Director of Transportation and Drainage Operations for the city of Houston, Texas — takes a hard look at the ways in which planning a world for cars has harmed communities and how that affects anyone working to change things today. How do you repair a system that continues to divide communities? In a world where "equity" can sometimes just be a buzzword, what does equity truly look like if we can achieve it? Davis tells her own "transportation story," asks readers to think about their own, and urges transportation professionals to consider past injustices and do the hard work that results in more than an idea and a catchphrase. She also has a lot of advice for how to approach community engagement and the different types of "stakeholders" who can make or break a street improvement project. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: Buy Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities, and books by other guests of The War on Cars at our official page on Bookshop.org. Learn more about Veronica O. Davis. Pick up some official podcast merch at our store. Find us on Mastodon, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Threads, and whatever godforsaken new social media platform pops up next.  Follow and review The War on Cars on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! TheWarOnCars.org

The rising problem of mopeds and motorcycles in New York City bike lanes is impossible to ignore but the solutions are anything but simple. Recently, journalist and friend of the podcast Aaron Gordon wrote an essay for his newsletter titled "Biking in New York City Has Gotten Worse," in which he laments the change that's happened in recent years of larger and faster motorized vehicles using the city's bike lanes. We're not talking pedal-assist e-bikes and cargo bikes or even the Arrow e-bikes that have long been preferred by New York's delivery workers. We're talking full-on mopeds and motorcycles—electric and gas-powered alike—many of which are unlicensed and, even if they did have the proper registration, generally do not belong in bike lanes. In this coversation, we talk about how and why this problem has grown, largely due to the major food-delivery app companies which wash their hands of any responsibility for providing their workers, all of whom are categorized not as employees but as contractors, with fair wages, benefits, and even street-legal vehicles. Can government force the app companies to step up? What should people who advocate for safe streets and bike infrastructure do? It's complicated. ***This is a preview of a Patreon bonus episode. To hear the full episode and for complete access to all our exclusive bonus content become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

***This is a bonus episode that was previously only available to Patreon supporters of The War on Cars. If you want to hear more bonus episodes like this, please enlist today! We'll taking a very short summer break and will be back with a new episode next week.*** Have you ever wondered what the reporters who cover the auto industry think about oversized SUVs and pickups and whether the fever for these gas-guzzling, space-hogging, planet-heating and people-killing monstrosities will ever break? Bob Sorokanich has some opinions. Bob Sorokanich was the Editor-In-Chief of Jalopnik the news site about cars, the auto industry and transportation in general. He was also the longstanding Deputy Editor of Road & Track, one of the most historic and important auto magazines in the U.S., if not the world.  In this expansive conversation, Bob talks about the changing face of automotive journalism and what it's like being a city resident, cyclist and public transit rider who also loves cars. We heard about what he drives, his thoughts on what it will take to win the war on cars, and why even the most died-in-the-wool car enthusiasts hate the kind of driving they typically experience today. LINKS: According to Bob: Public Transit Is a Car Enthusiast's Best Friend  Doug's piece for Jalopnik: What I Mean When I Say 'Ban Cars'  Pick up official podcast merch at The War on Cars store. Check out our list of recommended books at Bookshop.org. TheWarOnCars.org

This special episode of The War on Cars was recorded live before a sold-out audience at Caveat on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and was styled after a community board meeting... except instead of people yelling at each other about parking spaces and bike lanes, a fantastic time was had by all.   ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

In his groundbreaking book, Traffication: How Cars Destroy Nature and What We Can Do About It, scientist and researcher Paul Donald synthesizes dozens of studies to help us understand what cars and roads do to living things. Paul makes the case that cars ruin more than cities—they also ruin the countryside by fragmenting habitat and creating a neverending barrage of threats and stressors for animals of all kinds. The danger posed by the car to nature, he suggests, is existential. We talked with Paul Donald about his book, why he coined the term “traffication” and what he thinks we can do about it. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and stickers.*** This episode is produced with support from Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest Cleverhood discount code. LINKS: Pick up a copy of Traffication: How Cars Destroy Nature and What We Can Do About It  as well as books by other guests of The War on Cars at our official Bookshop.org page. Buy official War on Cars merch at our store. Have you seen the new “Make Love Not Cars” t-shirts? Find us on Mastodon, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Threads, and whatever godforsaken new social media platform pops up next.  Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org  

This is a special presentation of the first episode of Freeway Exit, a six-part series produced by award-winning reporter Andrew Bowen of KPBS Public Media in San Diego, California. Freeway Exit reveals the mostly forgotten history of how Southern California’s urban freeway network was built. It tells the story of the citizens and public servants who fought these projects and how decades after that network was finished, some communities are still working to heal the wounds that freeways left behind. While Freeway Exit focuses specifically on the urban highways of Southern California, the story that Andrew tells is universal: Freeways aren’t free. We pay for them in all kinds of ways — with our tax dollars, our time, our environment and our health. In the 20th century we planned, designed, and built highways through the middle of our cities. In the 21st century we can and must plan, design, and build something else better in their place. Find all six episodes of Freeway Exit right here or wherever you get your podcasts. Meet reporter Andrew Bowen of KPBS. You can also find him on Mastodon and Twitter.  * * * * * Enlist in The War on Cars as a Patreon supporter! You’ll get ad-free episodes, access to exclusive bonus content, and we’ll send you free stickers. Buy some official War on Cars merch at our store. Have you seen the new “Make Love Not Cars” t-shirts? Subscribe to our newsletter, The Traffic Report, on Substack. Find us on Mastodon, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Threads, and whatever godforsaken new social media platform pops up next.  Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts.  TheWarOnCars.org

Have you ever been walking across the street when a driver turned into your path and almost hit you? Or riding your bike when a hostile horn-honker laid into you for delaying them to the next red light by a few seconds? If you spend any amount of time on a city’s streets outside of the protective shell of a two-ton automobile, you’ve probably had frustrating, frightening, and infuriating experiences like these. How did you respond? Did you lash out verbally, or give them the finger? Mutter under your breath and walk away? Did you dare lay hands on their precious vehicle? Or did you do the sensible thing and buy a ten-pack of War on Cars stickers to slap up around your neighborhood? In this episode, Doug, Sarah and Aaron share their own experiences of close calls they’ve had with cars, plus strategies for coping. And we hear tips and stories from listeners as well. This episode is produced with support from Rad Power Bikes. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and you'll be tipped off to listener participation episodes like this one, you'll receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content, stickers, and more! *** * * * * *   Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our official store. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org

Have you ever wondered what the reporters who cover the auto industry think about oversized SUVs and pickups and whether the fever for these gas-guzzling, space-hogging, planet-heating and people-killing monstrosities will ever break? Bob Sorokanich has some opinions.   Bob Sorokanich was the Editor-In-Chief of Jalopnik, the news site about cars, the auto industry and transportation in general. He was also the Deputy Editor of Road & Track, one of the most historic and important auto magazines in the U.S., if not the world. In this expansive conversation, Bob talks about the changing face of automotive journalism and why most people — even the most died-in-the-wool car enthusiasts — hate the kind of driving they typically experience today.   ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

You may know the actor Nick Offerman as the gruff city parks director Ron Swanson on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation or from his turn as the survivalist Bill on the HBO series The Last of Us, but he also has a lot to say about how people get around, share public space, and relate to nature. In his book Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside, Nick takes a wry and philosophical approach to our stewardship of Planet Earth, the value of working with one’s hands, and the many problems with the massive agricultural systems on which we all depend. Nick Offerman joins The War on Cars to talk about his experience biking for transportation in New York City and Los Angeles, his views on masculinity and conspicuous consumption, and why the best way to explore an unfamiliar city is at the speed of a good walk. This episode is produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest 15% discount code. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content and stickers!*** LINKS: Visit Nick Offerman's official site and follow him on Twitter. Read Nick Offerman’s Call of the Candy-Ass in Outside Online. Support independent booksellers and buy Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside as well as books by other guests of The War on Cars at our official Bookshop.org page. Read Pastoral Song by James Rebanks. (Published in the UK as English Pastoral.) Watch the film Sacred Cow, narrated by Nick Offerman. And read the book! * * * * *   Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our official store. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded by Felix Levine. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

In episode 103, we looked at depictions of cyclists in movies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and TV shows such as Arrested Development and asked, "Why Does Hollywood Hate Bikes?" Our co-host Sarah Goodyear unfortunately missed that discussion, so in this exclusive bonus just for patrons of The War on Cars she brings some recent pop culture specimens to examine: the NBC sitcom American Auto and the BBC soap The Split. We also respond to listener comments about some of the movies and television shows we missed last time out — including Stranger Things, The Goonies, and Breaking Away — and follow up on some new bike-related developments on the feel-good show Ted Lasso. In this teaser, Sarah offers some thoughts on American Auto starring Ana Gasteyer. ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***  

All car trips begin and end with a place to park, making a parking space “nothing less than the link between driving and life itself.” In his new book, Paved Paradise, Henry Grabar, a staff writer at Slate, argues that the need to accommodate the short- and long-term storage of countless big metal boxes on wheels is a determinative force in the design of cities, the shape of buildings, the cost of housing and even the health of our planet. Deeply reported, highly entertaining and filled with colorful stories and characters from the worlds of affordable housing development, government and even organized crime, Paved Paradise is a refreshing look at a subject that explains the world. This episode is produced with support from Harvard University Graduate School of Design Executive Education and Radpower Bikes. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content and stickers.*** LINKS: Buy Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar and other books by podcast guests at The War on Cars Bookshop.org page. Follow Henry Grabar on Twitter. Read more from Henry at Slate. Pick up official podcast tees, sticker packs and other merch in our official store. Attend Micromobility Europe in Amsterdam in June or Micromobility America in San Francisco in October and save 20% on tickets by using the links.  This episode was edited by Doug Gordon. It was recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio by Josh Wilcox. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org

Weird things happen when you're an investigative reporter trying to cover an international oil giant like ExxonMobil. Your plane tickets are mysteriously canceled, your hotel room gets broken into, and the local reporter that you've hired is offered a lucrative job to work on something else. In this special bonus episode for War on Cars Patreon subscribers, investigative journalist and podcaster Amy Westervelt tells us what it was like to report and produce the new season of her podcast, Drilled. It's called "Light Sweet Crude." In it, she takes us to the tiny South American nation Guyana where, in 2015, ExxonMobil discovered one of the world’s largest off-shore oil reserves. Seemingly overnight, Guyana began transforming from an international environmental leader and model of sustainable development to one of the world's fastest growing petrostates. ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

In Huntsville, Alabama, it’s illegal to play ball on any street, alley, or sidewalk. In Lewiston, Maine, pedestrians must keep to the right half of the crosswalk while crossing the street. And in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, bicyclists are strictly prohibited from any kind of “fancy riding.” If these laws sound vague, arbitrary, and difficult to enforce, well, that might just be the point. In a groundbreaking new report, urban planner Charles Brown painstakingly identifies the vast array of transportation-related laws that are used almost exclusively to limit the mobility and freedom of Black Americans while providing no real benefit to public safety. Brown gives this repressive policy regime a name. He calls it: Arrested Mobility. This episode is produced with support from Harvard University Graduate School of Design Executive Education and Cleverhood. *** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content and stickers! *** LINKS: Follow Charles Brown on Twitter. Read the report: Arrested Mobility: Barriers to Walking, Biking, and E-Scooter Use in Black Communities in the United States. Subscribe and listen to the Arrested Mobility podcast Equitable Cities is an urban planning, public policy, and research firm working at the intersection of transportation, health, and equity.  How Bike/Walk Laws ‘Arrest’ the Mobility of Black Americans (Streetsblog) * * * * * Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our official store. Buy books from podcast guests and find other great recommendations at our Bookshop.org page. Attend Micromobility Europe in Amsterdam in June or Micromobility America in San Francisco in October and save 20% on tickets by using the links.  This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio by Josh Wilcox. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Patreon supporters who want to listen to this ad-free version of the episode on Apple Podcasts or another podcast app should check out these instructions on how to find and use your private RSS audio link from Patreon. You can also use the Patreon app or listen in your browser. TheWarOnCars.org

On our last episode, we mentioned the brief cameo that a Brompton folding bicycle had on season 2 of Ted Lasso and why that bicycle model in particular was a very deliberate choice meant to convey something special about the character who rides it, Dr. Sharon Fieldstone.   For this bonus episode just for Patreon supporters, we talk with Brompton's Managing Director, Will Butler-Adams, about the chance meeting that brought him to the iconic British bicycle company, where the bike industry fits into safe streets advocacy, his thoughts on building cities for people and why his company's iconic and quirky machine is the "Swiss Army knife of bikes."   ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

Chances are, if a character rides a bicycle in a movie or TV show that character is a huge loser. From The 40-Year-Old Virgin to Arrested Development, bicycles are frequently used to represent immaturity, otherness and misfortune. Thankfully, things are changing — at least a little. Witness the Citibike-riding women of Broad City or Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, the sports psychologist who counsels the cast of Ted Lasso after commuting to work on her Brompton folding bike. Journalist Nitish Pahwa of Slate joins us to discuss the ways in which Hollywood and other parts of our entertainment-industrial complex use bicycles and cars to signify power and status. This episode is produced with support from Rad Power Bikes and Cleverhood. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our regular episodes, special bonus content and stickers!*** LINKS: “Americans Are Ready to Embrace Bicycles, but There’s One Thing Standing in Their Way” (Nitish Pahwa in Slate) Follow Nitish on Twitter and Mastodon. Pick up official podcast tees, stickers and other merch in our official store. Buy books from podcast guests and find other great recommendations at our Bookshop.org page. Attend Micromobility Europe in Amsterdam in June or Micromobility America in San Francisco in October and save 20% on tickets by using the links.  This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio by Josh Wilcox. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

What if we told you that some of the biggest, most exciting, and potentially transformative victories in The War on Cars are being fought and won these days by people working on affordable housing? In this special Patreon-only episode of the podcast we are talking to one of those people -- Matt Lewis, communications director of California YIMBY. In the last few years, California YIMBY has launched an impressive barrage of legislation aimed at making housing more affordable by challenging the mid-20th century “California Dream” of single-family, automobile-dependent, suburban sprawl. Housing, transportation, climate, equity and inclusivity... For YIMBYs it’s all the same issue. ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***

“15-minute cities” are having a moment, and not exactly in a good way. How did a mundane urban planning concept turn into the latest grist for the culture-war mill? Why does the idea of making it easier to walk to school or the grocery store have some people afraid that they won’t be able to leave their homes for more than 15 minutes? And why do some think this is all a plot by the World Economic Forum to force people to “own nothing and be happy”? We break down this conspiracy theory and ask if we can ever get back to reality. This episode is produced with support from Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content and stickers!*** Friends of The War on Cars receive 20% off tickets to Micromobility Europe, the world's largest conference for small electric vehicles, June 8 & 9th in Amsterdam. Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our official store. Buy books by podcast guests and check out our book recommendations at our official Bookshop.org page. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org

EPISODE 101: FEMINIST CITY WITH LESLIE KERN Cities have almost always been designed by men, prioritizing men’s needs as defined by the traditional male-female binary. But as scholar and author Leslie Kern writes in her  book, Feminist City: Claiming Space in a Man-Made World, a truly feminist city could be, “an ongoing experiment in living differently, living better, and living more justly in an urban world.” Sarah talks with Dr. Kern about  how gender influences the way we move through our streets, and how adopting a feminist perspective could make our cities more humane and livable for everyone, regardless of gender identity.  This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, special bonus content and free stickers!*** LINKS: Find out more about Dr. Leslie Kern’s work. Buy Feminist City and other books by podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page. Pick up official  The War on Cars merch in our store.  This episode was produced and edited by Sarah Goodyear. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. TheWarOnCars.org  

It's our annual Super Bowl roundup, where we analyze the car ads that ran during the Big Game and ask what they say about driving and, more importantly, U.S. culture. This year's ads included Will Ferrell cruising through a post-zombie-apocalyptic Las Vegas in a shiny GMC EV, a heroic "Binky Dad" who drives a KIA Telluride like no one would ever drive one in real life, and a parody ad that we thought won the night — and said a lot about how male fragility and big trucks are interconnected.   ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***  

This marks the 100th episode of The War on Cars, and we’re feeling pretty good about it! In our centenary edition, we go all the way back to Episode 1 and ask what we got right, what we got wrong—and what the heck has been happening since we launched back in September of 2018. Then we hear from listeners around the world about what The War on Cars means to them. Here’s to the next hundred! This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of all our regular episodes, exclusive bonus content and free stickers!*** LINKS: Take a stroll down memory lane with us and listen back to Episode 1: Why the World Needs a War on Cars. Here’s listener Alex Dyer’s project to break car culture. Buy The War on Cars merch in our store and books by podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer and recorded by Walter Nordquist of the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org  

What does the recent culture-war freakout over gas stoves have in common with efforts to maybe, possibly, just a little, pretty please, slightly reduce the many harms of automobiles, especially large SUVs? And of all the thing he could have chosen in his (pretty lame, if you ask us) attempt to bait climate activist Greta Thunberg on Twitter, why did Andrew Tate use his luxury car collection — and a picture of him filling one of them up — to signify his conspicuous fossil fuel consumption?   ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this and all of our bonus content.***  

Is it acceptable to harm another person? To steal someone’s private property? To bend health and safety rules just to save a few minutes or make more money? According to a new study, it might depend on whether or not a car is involved. Dr. Ian Walker, a professor of environmental psychology at Swansea University in Wales, joins us for a fascinating discussion about the unconscious biases we all share in favor of cars, how those assumptions shape our streets, and how they prevent the kind of change needed to make them safer. It’s a phenomenon he and his co-authors call “motonormativity.” This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of all our episodes, exclusive bonus content and free stickers!*** LINKS: Read the full study: Motonormativity: How Social Norms Hide a Major Public Health Hazard. Learn more about Dr. Ian Walker. How closely do drivers pass cyclists? According to Dr. Walker’s research, it depends. What if people behaved in grocery stores the way they do behind the wheel of a car? (PSA via Norway’s State Road Administration) Buy The War on Cars merch in our store and books by podcast guests at our official Bookshop.org page. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer and recorded by Josh Wilcox of the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org

Parking is at the heart of every fight about how we build our cities and towns, with effects that go far beyond transportation. Minimum parking requirements  — laws that dictate how many parking spaces are required for various types of buildings and businesses — make housing more expensive, raise the price of goods and services and exacerbate sprawl, making congestion and the climate crisis much, much worse. Thankfully, a movement is afoot to end parking minimums, inspired by the work of Donald Shoup. Shoup, the Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA’s Department of Urban Planning, is the author of the 2005 book The High Cost of Free Parking. It’s an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand the problems with parking. Professor Shoup — aka the Shoup Dogg — joins us for a spirited conversation about how to win what he calls “the war on parking subsidies.” This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of all new episodes, Patreon-only bonus content and free stickers! Buy The War on Cars merch in our store. LINKS: Learn all about Donald Shoup at ShoupDogg.com. Read The High Cost of Free Parking. Join The Parking Reform Network and end parking requirements where you live. Donald Shoup gets animated on Adam Ruins Everything. This episode was produced by Doug Gordon, edited by Ali Lemer, and recorded by Josh Wilcox of the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org

In Part 1, Welcome to Muscle Car City, we met Denys da Menace, a young New York City guy who does “donuts” and "burnouts" in a souped-up Dodge Charger as part of the Brooklyn Hemi Boyz car club. Then in Part 2, We Are in the Movie, we rode along in what was supposed to be the biggest, loudest, craziest car meet of the summer. Now Sarah, Doug, and Aaron are going to break it down and talk about it. Why did muscle-car culture become so big during the first two years of the pandemic? How do car club members afford to keep their expensive hobby going? And why are we allowing automakers to put these products on public streets while encouraging young men to use them as dangerously as possible? In Part 3, we’re Deconstructing Muscle Car City. * * * * * * * * This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content and we’ll send you stickers too. LINKS: 'Menacing' Dodge Charger Hellcat Redeye goes 203 mph, will start at $80K (Detroit Free Press)  Dodge’s idiotic Chief Donut Maker reality TV-style marketing campaign featuring professional wrestler, Bill Goldberg (Dodge) Welcome to the Royal Posh Auto Spa, where Aaron interviewed muscle car owner, Carlos.  2022 Hess Flatbed Truck with Hot Rods! (YouTube) This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek, edited by Ali Lemer, and recorded by Josh Wilcox of the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org

***Happy holidays! This is a rerelease of our interview with Jessie Singer, the author of There Are No Accidents, which originally came out in February 2022 as Episode 80. It's one of our favorite episodes from 2022. We'll be back with new episodes in January.*** What do we mean when we say something is an “accident”? When a motorist kills a pedestrian or cyclist it is often described in the press and the criminal justice system as a “car accident” — even when there is a clear cause such as a driver who was drunk, distracted or speeding. According to a new book by journalist Jessie Singer, events that most people describe as accidents are anything but. Singer argues that who lives and dies by accident in America is not random but utterly predictable. Using the word, she says, protects the powerful and leads to “the prevention of prevention.” You can find the full transcript of this episode here. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive access to ad-free bonus episodes and other beneifts. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us!

It's been hard to escape the ongoing disaster that is Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. But anyone who has been paying attention to Musk's understanding of transportation (or lack thereof) as well as his dig-tunnels-quick scheme saw all of this coming a long time ago.   ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this and all of our bonus content.***

We headed over to our sponsor Rad Power Bikes’ new Brooklyn showroom last week to meet with founder and CEO Mike Radenbaugh and test drive his newly launched three-wheeler, the Rad Trike. The trike is very cool, beautifully designed, and tons of fun to ride. Manufacturing an e-trike is a big gamble for the young company. But Radenbaugh believes the Trike is his most accessible and transformational product yet, with huge potential to get lots more Americans out of their gas-guzzling SUVs and into lighter, cleaner, smarter, and more affordable electric vehicles. Can The War on Cars be won on tricycles? LINKS: “The RadTrike is the latest weapon in Rad Power Bikes’ ongoing war on cars.” (By Andrew J. Hawkins of The Verge)The Teenage Tinkerer Behind an E-Bike Revolution (New York Times)Rad Power Bikes: Mike Radenbaugh (How I Built This with Guy Raz) * * * * * *Support The War on Cars on Patreon and you’ll get exclusive access to ad-free bonus content and more.  Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Aaron Naparstek and Doug Gordon. It was produced and edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

In the spring of 2021, War on Cars co-host Aaron Naparstek started noticing lots of big loud muscle cars rumbling around New York City emblazoned with Instagram accounts. He began following cars on social media, immersing himself in a world of burnouts, donuts, street races, and takeovers. What happens when car culture meets social media and a city's street network becomes the infrastructure for thousands of clout-seeking muscle car enthusiasts' social network? To find out, Aaron brought The War on Cars to New York City's "biggest, craziest car meet" of the year.  This is the second of a three-part series. You might want to listen to Part 1, "Welcome to Muscle Car City," before you listen to this.   * * * * * * * * This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Instagram Accounts:  Denys da Menace Whiteline Certified Team Macksauce Team No Hesitation Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this and all of our bonus content. As thanks, we'll send you stickers!*** Advice columnist and activist Dan Savage was our guest for episode 95, "Make Love Not Cars with Dan Savage." We had some fun side conversations that didn't make their way into the final edit so we're presenting them here for our Patreon supporters. Hear Dan's thoughts on driving in Los Angeles and how he feels about the rise of e-bikes. Subscribe for access! TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this and all of our exclusive ad-free bonus content. As thanks, we'll send you stickers!*** Major League Soccer player Tesho Akindele, a star forward who most recently played for the Orlando City Soccer Club, is also an outspoken urbanist who has used his social media presence to promote walkability, bikeability, density and affordable housing to sports fans in Florida, across the country and around the world. In this ad-free bonus episode just for Patreon supporters, Tesho talks about his journey to the soccer field, his first exposure to War-on-Cars-adjacent issues and his favorite neighborhoods in Orlando and the US. He also offers some thoughts on why cars are such potent status symbols among his fellow pro athletes. TheWarOnCars.org

Dan Savage, the writer and activist behind the long-running advice column Savage Love, does not have a driver's license. In fact, he pretty much hates cars. Dan tells us what the early days of ACT UP and the fight for marriage equality can teach other social movements, including the worldwide movement against car dominance. Ever the advice columnist, Dan answers real questions from listeners. If we win the war on cars, where will teenagers go to get it on? Why do drivers frequently scream homophobic slurs at cyclists? And what's the relationship between polyamory and having too many bikes? This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the coupon code in the episode. Thanks also to Transit Center. Listen to their new podcast, High Frequency, wherever you get your podcasts. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content.*** LINKS: Learn more about Dan Savage. Read Savage Love in The Stranger. Listen to Dan's podcast, Savage Lovecast. Buy The Committment by Dan Savage and other books by podcast guests in our official Bookshop.org store. Follow and review The War on Cars on Apple Podcasts. It really does help people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was created by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org      

Jonathon Stalls doesn’t approach the streetscape as a planner or as a journalist or as a politician. He approaches it — and this is his term — as a “walking artist.” Jonathan is the Denver-based author of  a new book called Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1-3 Miles per Hour. For years, he has been leading urban walking excursions that have included planners and elected officials, inviting them to feel for themselves what it’s like to walk the car-centric streets of the communities they serve. Sarah spoke with Jonathon about his book, his Pedestrian Dignity project, which connects with people around the country on social media platforms, and about a shared passion for helping others explore the world outside the confines of the metal boxes known as cars. LINKS: Visit Jonathon’s website to connect with him on social media and find out more about the work that he does. Buy Walk and books by other podcast guests at Bookshop.org. This episode is sponsored by the ModeShift podcast from PostScript media, and by Cleverhood. Support The War on Cars on Patreon for exclusive access to ad-free bonus content and fun stickers! Grab some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us. This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Sarah Goodyear. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org  

Late last summer, Doug headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and decided to see if anything bikey was going on. As luck would have it, a kids' ride organized by local advocates was scheduled for the same weekend he was there. You've heard of a pub crawl? This was a playground crawl that took parents, caregivers and kids from one park to another using a combination of city streets and separated trails. In this episode, we hear directly from the tireless volunteers and advocates working to make Milwaukee better for bicycling. Events like this are where the rubber meets the road, literally and figuratively, when it comes to building the kinds of connections and culture that leads to a safer city for people who aren't in cars. ***** Tickets are on sale now for The War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on Tuesday, November 1st @ 7 PM. This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. For 20% off anything in the Cleverhood store, listen for the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only! Support The War on Cars on Patreon for exclusive access to ad-free bonus content and fun stickers! LINKS: Enjoy Milwaukee's Oak Leaf Trail and Hank Aaron Trail. Grab some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us. This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Doug Gordon. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org  

You see a lot of muscle cars on New York City streets these days. And with their modified mufflers and overpowered engines, you hear them too. Co-host Aaron Naparstek began noticing that a lot of the muscle cars he was seeing around town had stickers on them with the names of car clubs and their own Instagram accounts. He was intrigued. The Instagram account was, after all, an invitation to see inside the car -- to pierce that bubble of privacy and anonymity that lets drivers get away with so much. So, Aaron began following muscle cars on social media. Pretty soon, he was immersed in New York City’s underground car club scene. And his once-sedate Instagram feed was transformed into a barrage of burnouts, donuts, takeovers, car meets, and crashes. Then Aaron decided he wanted to do more than just watch on his phone. He wanted to bring The War on Cars to the biggest car club event of the summer. If you thought Driving Under the Influence was a problem, wait until you meet the guys who are Driving to Become Influencers.  * * * * * * * * Tickets are on sale now for War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on Tuesday, November 1 @ 7 PM.  This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 20% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Some car accounts: Denys da Menace, Tyler Spec, The Scream Car  Car clubs: Brooklyn Hemi Boyz, Shake Da Block, Nemesis Auto Club Sponsored by: Jimmy Rims and TiresA taste of car club culture: Filming yourself weaving in and out of traffic on the expressway at extremely high speed makes you White Line Certified. If you end up crashing your car, send the footage to Team Macksauce. Spectator run over by car doing doughnuts before NYC crowd cannot talk or eat (Daily News)Passenger in critical condition after collision with car covered in ‘Scream’ decal (New York Post) NYPD pursues speedy justice as drag racers, daredevils remain a problem on NYC streets, highways (Daily News) What Parts of Car Culture Need to End? (Jalopnik) Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek with some help from Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org  

Summer is over, but honking season is just getting started. After a short delay — due to circumstances described in this episode — The War on Cars is back to celebrate our fourth anniversary and describe why the show's title seems to be in the news a lot these days, partly thanks to one U.S. Congresswoman. The hosts also catch up with each other and provide updates on what we did on our summer vacations, including treks through idyllic European landscapes, e-scooter rides in Charlottesville, and a visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth. Plus, as New York debates a plan to toll drivers entering Manhattan, what will the success or failure of congestion pricing mean for transportation in other cities across the United States. This episode is sponsored by Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) really thinks there's a war on cars. (YouTube) Randall O'Toole thinks we should give up the war on cars. (Colorado Springs Gazette) In Canada, the suburbs strike back against the war on cars. (Financial Post) This British columnist thinks the war on cars is a war on ordinary people. (Spiked) Pick up official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us. This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio and edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

Our first episode of the month is running late so here's a bonus from earlier this year to tide you over. We'll be back soon! It's kind of hard to pin George Hahn down. He's a fashion icon, design aficionado, actor, social media star and a fearless defender of cities. The man the New York Times calls an "urban raconteur" joins The War on Cars to talk about efficient living by bicycle, how driving into a densely populated area is a loser's game and why giant SUVs need to be decoupled from conventional notions of masculinity. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon for access to more bonus content like this.*** LINKS: Learn more about George Hahn and follow him on Twitter and Instagram. "How George Hahn, Urban Raconteur, Spends His Sundays." (New York Times) George to motorists: "Stop driving your car in the city." (Streetfilms) Scott Galloway asks George Hahn about what it means to be a man. (CNN+) Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a bonus episode for our Patreon supporters. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content. And we’ll send you stickers!*** We talked with essayist Garnette Cadogan, currently the Tunney Lee Distinguished Lecturer in Urbanism at MIT,  about his essay “Walking While Black.” Some of that conversation was featured in Episode 83, “The Pedestrian,” inspired by the classic Ray Bradbury story of the same name. In an extended edit of our full talk, Garnette talks about how walking in the United States as a Black man forced him to radically recalibrate his mindset as he moved along the street, dismantling his innocent pleasure in wandering. He talks about fearing the police, who so often assume that he is the one at fault in any situation. But the most insidious and poisonous thing he encounters is the way that white people in American cities so often fear him, just because of the color of his skin—a color too often judged, as he says, to be “the shade of trespass.”

Marley Blonsky, a bike adventurer and advocate for inclusive cycling communities, is the co-founder of All Bodies on Bikes, a group that aims to help people of all sizes and abilities to get out and enjoy riding. Marley talks about getting some major bike brands to address the needs of riders in larger bodies; the power of putting the words “fat” and “cyclist” together; and why her new home of Bentonville, Arkansas (headquarters of Walmart), is “a Disneyland for bicycles.” This episode is sponsored by Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. You can find out more about Marley on her website, and follow her on Instagram and Twitter.  Watch the All Bodies on Bikes film on YouTube. Check out the All Bodies on Bikes community on Facebook.  Pick up official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was edited by Yessenia Moreno. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a short bonus episode for our Patreon supporters. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content. And we’ll send you stickers!*** In a new book, Paris Marx argues that Silicon Valley’s vision of our transportation future – from autonomous vehicles to flying cars – is a threat to basic notions of community and conviviality. Weaving connections between the early history of the automobile and the development of the personal computer in the 1970s and 1980s, Marx examines how the individualized view of transportation merged with the mythos of Silicon Valley to create a world that’s easily distracted by promises that this one cool innovation will finally solve traffic congestion. Paris Marx, the host of the podcast Tech Won’t Save Us, joins The War on Cars to discuss their new book.

Traffic fatalities in the U.S. are at a 16-year high. One reason? Driver distraction. Today's automobiles are loaded with an almost cinematic level of screens, featuring apps and infotainment systems that blur the distinction between car and smartphone... and that overload the brain's cognitive abilities to a level not even trained military pilots can handle. Russ Mitchell, a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, joins us to discuss his recent story on the deadly consquences of carmakers' and tech companies' race to turn the inside of automobiles into what one researcher called "a candy store of distraction." Plus, why you should never talk on the phone — even hands free — when you're behind the wheel of a car. This episode is sponsored by Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: "'We are killing people': How technology has made your car 'a candy store of distraction.'" Russ Mitchell in the Los Angeles Times. Take the "Selective Attention Test" before you listen to this episode. Read more about Dr. David Strayer's research on distracted driving, via the Applied Cognition Lab at the University of Utah. Apple's CarPlay is "the smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car," according to Apple. Pick up official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

Journalist Edward Niedermeyer has been reporting on the automobile industry -- and its blind spots -- since 2008. He co-hosts the Autonocast podcast, focusing on the future of transportation. And he is the author of “Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors.” In his book, Niedermeyer chronicles the electric car maker’s rise and lays bare the disconnect between the popular perception of Tesla and the day-to-day realities of the company, its products, and its peripatetic, billionaire CEO Elon Musk. Musk, Niedermeyer argues, is a huckster with a particular genius for selling implausible products and making old ideas feel futuristic and new. But his overwhelming wealth, influence, and cult-like following is making him a danger to the rest of us.  * * * * *This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 20% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the new coupon code in this episode. Good through the end of July.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Pick up a copy of Ed Niedermeyer’s “Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors” at your local bookshop or directly from the publisher.  Listen to Ed’s podcast, “The Autonocast,” about the future of transportation.  Follow Ed Niedermeyer on Twitter @Tweetermeyer. When I First Saw Elon Musk for Who He Really Is (Slate) Tesla Battery Swap Unused Over Busy Holiday Weekend (Daily Kaban, May 27, 2015) Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org

Kendra Pierre-Louis, a climate reporter and co-host of the Gimlet Media podcast How to Save a Planet, joins us to discuss storytelling in an age of crisis. How can we effectively communicate that better streets, better cities and a better world are possible? How can we point regular citizens toward solutions that can not only fight climate change but improve their day-to-day lives? Plus, what was up with that Kia ad featuring the dude who drives on a beach to save seat turtles? This episode was made possible in part by our friends at Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Learn more about Kendra Pierra-Louis. Follow Kenra on Twitter. Listen to How to Save a Planet from Gimlet Media. Watch Kendra talk with Jon Stewart. Yeah, that Kia "we save turtles" ad was bad. Pick up War on Cars Merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Doug Gordon. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

According to Jody Rosen, a contributing writer for The New York Times, we live on a bicycle planet. Across the world, more people use bicycles — for transportation, recreation, and their livelihood — than any other vehicle. In his new book, Two Wheel Goods: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle, Rosen attempts to "de-quaintify" the bike, from its invention in 1817 to its current status as a virtuous machine that can save cities and the environment. Spanning centuries and hopping continents, Two Wheels Good weaves connections between various bike booms and asks readers to consider an expansive and inclusive definition of "bicycle culture." Plus, was there really a War on Horses? This episode is sponsored by Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Receive 20% off in the Cleverhood store using the coupon code mentioned in the episode. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content.*** LINKS: Buy Two Wheels Good and books by other podcast guests at Bookshop.org. Follow Jody Rosen on Twitter. Read Sidewalks by Valeria Luiselli, which contiains the essay Manifesto a Velo Jody mentions in the episode. Pick up official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Walter Nordquist at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Doug Gordon. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

The New York International Auto Show was back and bigger than ever... and so were the cars. Our intrepid correspondents Sarah and Doug braved the crowds and sensory overload to hear straight from auto industry reps about the giant SUVs and muscle cars that will be prowling cities and suburban parking lots in the coming years. From the "menacing" and "in your face" Ford Bronco Raptor to the 800-horsepower Dodge Charger, what do the people who sell these vehicles to the public have to say when confronted with questions about safety? Plus, with e-bikes and scooters ascendant, will they one day take the auto out of the Auto Show? This episode was sponsored by our friends at Cleverhood rain gear and Radpower Bikes. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for fun rewards and exclusive ad-free bonus content. Aaron infiltrated the 2019 New York International Auto Show in Episode 17. How big is the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor? "The Raptor is a lane-filling 9.8 inches wider than the base Bronco," according to Kelly Bluebook. Plus, it's so tall that even the fenders "will be shadiing cars in the lanes beside you." A Dodge Charger driver in Las Vegas killed nine people ranging in age from 5 to 59. Seven were from the same family. The driver was said to have been going more than 100 mph when he ran a red light... ...and that's just one of many horribly violent crashes involving Dodge Chargers and Challengers whose drivers, perhaps taking the brand's marketing to heart, apparently think they "rule the road." Meanwhile, e-bikes were kind of a big deal at this year's Auto Show. (Canary Media) Pick up official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio and edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

From the joy of the "Just a Minute" campaign in San Francisco to the members of a colorfully named subreddit creating a digital parking lot, there's a lot of news in The War on Cars. We hear from listeners around the country and across the Atlantic. Is it possible to be more chill about people riding the wrong way in a bike lane? Should public transit be free? Why is it so hard to find a good bicycle with all the accessories you need for regular transportation? Plus, quick dispatches from the hosts' trips to car-dependent parts of the United States. Lear about what makes a good, walkable city from author and urban planner Jeff Speck at the Harvard Graduate School of Design Executive Education, June 13 & 14. This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 20% off anything in the Cleverhood store with coupon code HAPPYCOMMUTE now through the end of April. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: An anti-car subreddit took over a digital canvas and put up a digital parking lot. (Washington Post) San Francisco's "Just a Minute" campaign places cyclist safety over driver convenience. (Stephen Braitsch on Twitter) If you live near Somerville, MA and need a great bike for regular transportation, check out Bicycle Belle. The fundamental problems with free transit. (Alex Schieferdecker) Results from Boston's experiment with free bus fares are mixed. (Boston Globe and WGBH) Pick up some official War on Cars merch. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio and edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Easter egg via Treyton Zary. TheWarOnCars.org

Back in 1952, the great American science fiction writer Ray Bradbury published a short story called “The Pedestrian” in a small antifascist publication. The story, which was based on Bradbury’s own experience of being hassled by the cops while walking the streets of Los Angeles, imagined a world in which automobile dominance was so complete that walking for any purpose would be seen as a sign of mental illness. We take a look back at Bradbury’s dystopian vision, and talk with four people — paleoanthropologist Jeremy DeSilva and writers Garnette Cadogan, David Ulin and Antonia Malchik — about how walking contributes to our essential humanity, and what we lose when we build environments that make it impossible for people to walk

Spurred by post-pandemic demand and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, gas prices surged past $4 per gallon last week and Americans are suddenly freaking out about “pain at the pump.” What a big surprise, right? Not really! In this episode, Slate’s Henry Grabar joins us to argue that when it comes to the inherent instability in the global oil market, Americans have the memory of goldfish, locked in a ruinous cycle of dependence on fossil fuels and the authoritarian oligarchs who sell them to us. Have we become a nation whose domestic politics and foreign policy are held hostage to its SUVs?  This episode is sponsored by Radpower Bikes and Cleverhood. Receive 20% off in the Cleverhood store using the new coupon code announced in this episode.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: “Are Gas Prices Too High? Or Is Your Car Too Big?” By Henry Grabar for Slate. President Richard Nixon to Americans: Drive 55 to save gas. Henry Grabar for Slate. Gas prices are way up, but the real cost of driving a mile was higher for most of the past century. (MarketWatch) Russian Fossil Fuel Tracker: Payments to Russia for fossil fuels by European Union nations since the start of Russia's Ukraine war.  * * * * *  Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was produced and edited by Doug. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. https://thewaroncars.org

Back in 2004, Denver-area voters supported one of the most ambitious transit projects anywhere in the United States. The plan called for a network of new rail lines that would let commuters glide past traffic and transform Denver into a world-class city in the process. But almost two decades later, an uncomfortable truth has emerged: Denver’s sprawling metropolitan region is as gridlocked as its ever been. This is Episode 1 of Ghost Train, a four-part mini-series from Colorado Public Radio. Hosted by transportation reporter Nathaniel Minor, Ghost Train dives deep into the question that we ask here at The War on Cars: What does it to take to move American cities away from automobile dependence? SHOW NOTES:This episode was brought to you by Colorado Public Radio.  You can find more of reporter Nathaniel Minor’s work here. The remaining three parts of the Ghost Train series...Part 2: The MissionPart 3: An Unexpected SolutionPart 4: Waiting On A Train I made a documentary about RTD. Here are some curious things I found along the way (Nathaniel Minor for CPR) RTD is in Crisis: A three-part series for Streetsblog Denver by Andy Bosselman. Why don’t RTD’s trains go into Denver’s neighborhoods? (Nathaniel Minor for Denverite) The Train That Saved Denver (Politico Magazine, 2016) RTD’s FasTracks Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content. And we’ll send you stickers!Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars and Instagram: @thewaroncars. TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a short bonus episode for our Patreon supporters. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content. And we’ll send you stickers!*** Journalist and producer Amy Westervelt joined us in Episode LXXXI for our annual shredding of the Super Bowl car ads. While we had her in the studio we absolutely had to chat with Amy about her outstanding podcast series, Rigged. In it, Westervelt takes us on a deep dive into the history of the public relations industry and the incredible cast of mid-20th century characters who invented it. We live in a world awash in spin, disinformation, and mistrust of institutions. Rigged helpus us understand how we got here. 

What do robot dogs, Meadow Soprano, WeatherTech bumper protectors and Dr. Evil have in common? They were al featured in ads during Super Bowl LVI, that annual celebration of American consumerism. In what's become a War on Cars tradition, we analyze car commercials that aired during the big game and try to figure out what they say about the future of streets near you. This time, we're joined by journalist Amy Westervelt, whose podcasts cover everything from climate change to the history of propaganda and public relations. Amy helps us connect the dots between early PR efforts by oil companies, tobacco companies and the marketing techniques used by car companies today. ***This episode is sponsored by Radpower Bikes.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Learn all about Amy Westervelt and check out her podcasts Rigged, Drilled and more from the Critical Frequency podcast network. Listen to Hot Take, Amy's podcast with Mary Annaïse Heglar. Follow Amy on Twitter. Watch all the 2022 Super Bowl commercials. (AdAge) Dr. Evil needs to save the world from climate change with EVs before he can take over the world. (Automotive News) Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and reveiw us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Ad music: My Great Undoing by Of Men and Wolves and Micro Evolution by Howard Harper-Barnes courtesy of Epidemic Sound.   Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. @TheWarOnCars TheWarOnCars.org  

***This is a preview of a bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content.*** Jessie Singer joined us on Episode 80 to discuss her new book, There Are No Accidents. We had promised Jessie she'd get a chance to explain the problem with public service announcements and why educational campaigns don't do much to prevent accidents. TheWarOnCars.org

What do we mean when we say something is an "accident"? When a motorist kills a pedestrian or cyclist it is often described in the press and the criminal justice system as a "car accident" — even when there is a clear cause such as a driver who was drunk, distracted or speeding. According to a new book by journalist Jessie Singer, events that most people describe as accidents are anything but. Singer argues that who lives and dies by accident in America is not random but utterly predictable. Using the word, she says, protects the powerful and leads to "the prevention of prevention." ***This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood rain gear.*** SHOW NOTES: Purchase There Are No Accidents at Bookshop.org Follow Jessie on Twitter "Stop Calling Them 'Accidents'" (New York Times) Don't call the deadly Bronx apartment fire an accident. It's a failure of government. (Washington Post) NYPD switches from using "collision" intead of "accident" to desecribe crashes (New York Times, 2013) CrashNotAccident.com: Take the pledge Get official War on Cars merch at our store Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. @TheWarOnCars TheWarOnCars.org

[This episode was originally released on October 16, 2019. We are re-releasing it in anticipation of the premiere on Showtime of the original dramatic series based on Mike Isaac's book. More new episodes are on the way!] For a few years after Uber launched in 2009, it seemed like the on-demand ride-hailing service might be an advance in the war on cars — a way for more people to share fewer vehicles and to reduce overall automobile dependence. Fast forward a decade, and the rise of Uber (along with Lyft) has instead resulted in increased congestion, reductions in transit ridership, and the exploitation of a precarious workforce that the company would love to make obsolete altogether. In this episode, we talk with New York Times tech reporter Mike Isaac about his new book, “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber,” in which he chronicles the rise and fall of Uber’s co-founder, Travis Kalanick. We hear what Mike has to say about the cult of the founder and the way Kalanick’s winner-take-all mentality has negatively affected the streets of the world’s cities.

Remember when Uber, the mobile phone taxi-hailing app, was going to revolutionize transportation, transform cities, and lead us to our glorious robot-car future? That wasn’t so long ago. So, what happened? Where did it all go? Cory Doctorow has some ideas. A prolific non-fiction author, sci-fi novelist, and technology activist Doctorow has been a keen observer and critic of Uber for years now. “Uber,” Doctorow writes, “is a bezzle. Every bezzle ends. And Uber’s time is up.” Plus: Reality has a well known anti-car bias.    ***This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon for access to ad-free bonus content. SHOW NOTES: End of the Line for Uber by Cory Doctorow Pluralistic.net: Daily Links and more from Cory Doctorow You can find two of Cory’s most recent books, “How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism” and “Attack Surface” at our page on Bookshop.org. If you want to go deep, transportation analyst Hubert Horan’s many articles dissecting Uber can be found here. Follow Cory Doctorow on Twitter.  Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on iTunes. It helps people find us! Twitter: @TheWarOnCarsInstagram: @thewaroncars TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a short bonus episode just for Patreon supporters. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content. Plus, we’ll send you stickers!*** The New Republic's Alex Pareene joined us for Episode 78, "311 is a Joke," and we had a lot of fun. We chatted about the battle for scarce street space in the big city and the role that municipal government plays (and doesn't play) in sorting it all out (or not). As often happens when we get going in the studio, our conversation with Alex ran long and some good stuff didn't make it into the final cut. In this bonus episode, we learn about Alex's step-dad Chuck from North Dakota and hear from New York City's now-former Mayor Bill de Blasio as he attempts to destroy a bunch of dirt bikes on Staten Island.  TheWarOnCars.org

Alex Pareene, a contributing editor to The New Republic and the author of The AP (Alex Pareene) Newsletter, joins the podcast to talk about his recent run of stories on cars, parking and the competition for scarce space on city streets. We discuss 311 — the non-emergency phone number for accessing municipal services — and what it tells us about how government works (or doesn't work). What message are police sending when they fail to enforce illegal parking? As far as driving is concerned, does anything go? And how does Elon Musk's insistence on beta-testing Full Self-Driving on public streets relate to it all? ***This episode is sponsored by our friends at Cleverhood.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon for access to ad-free bonus content. SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to The AP (Alex Pareene) Newsletter. Read Alex in The New Republic. Listen to The Politics of Everything. "The Lawlessness that Cops Ignore." (The Atlantic) "Losing a Streetfight to Elon Musk." (The AP) Read "Fighting Traffic" by Peter Norton. Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Purchase books by podcast guests at Bookshop.org. Follow and review us on iTunes. It helps people find us! Twitter: @TheWarOnCars TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content.*** Perhaps you've seen pictures of a person walking around in a large, wearable wooden frame meant to illustrate the space taken up by one person in a private automobile. That's the gehzeug — or walkmobile — and it was invented by the Austrian civil engineer and professor Herman Knoflacher. Professor Knoflacher, 81, is the head of the Institute of Transportation at the Vienna University of Technology. Long before the current global pandemic, he compared cars to a virus. It's a provocative analogy, but Knoflacher makes a compelling case. And rather than searching for vaccines and other ways to fight this particular threat, humanity has actively helped the spread of cars, much to the detriment of the built environment, children's health and safety and even our future on this planet. TheWarOnCars.org

In 2019, Melissa and Chris Bruntlett and their two children moved from Vancouver to the small city of Delft in the Netherlands. The experience of transitioning to and living in a place that puts people first over automobiles forms the basis for Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives. The book, the Bruntlett's second on the lessons offered by Dutch cities, explains the many benefits of car-free and car-lite spaces, from lower anxiety and stress, better social trust, improved health and increased independence for people of all ages and abilities. Plus, as you'll hear, cities with fewer cars are quiet! ***This episode is sponsored by Rad Power Bikes.*** SHOW NOTES: Buy Curbing Traffic and Building the Cycling City by Melissa and Chris Bruntlett, along with titles by other guests of the podcast, at the official War on Cars page at Bookshop.org. Learn more about Melissa and Chris at ModacityLife.com Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to exclusive ad-free content. Plus, we have a new reward: Water bottles! Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us. Follow us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars TheWarOnCars.org

Young people want to live. It seems kind of basic, right? Anyone over the age of 35 or so probably grew up thinking that the desire to live was something to take for granted, at least on a societal scale. But many members of Gen Z worry that the places they live today will soon be uninhabitable. That they won’t be able to realize their dreams or raise their children the way previous generations did. That their very survival is at stake. And they don’t see meaningful action from the adults in charge. In this episode, we hear from some teens in Brooklyn who are demanding radical improvements in bike infrastructure to make emission-free transportation safe and accessible to all. We also talk with Dr. Elizabeth Marks, a clinical psychologist who has co-authored a new study about climate anxiety in ten thousand young people all over the world. Sixty percent said that they are either “very worried” or “extremely worried” about climate change. There’s a crisis in intergenerational trust. How can we begin to repair the damage? ***This episode is sponsored by Rad Power Bikes and Cleverhood.*** SHOW NOTES: Read the preprint of Dr. Elizabeth Marks’s study of climate anxiety among young people.  Watch Joe Manchin get confronted by young climate activists. Learn about The Tube, a radical proposal for a safe bike network in New York City. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to exclusive ad-free bonus content. Plus we’ll send you stickers. Get official War on Cars merch, including our new CARS RUIN CITIES t-shirt, at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow and review us on iTunes. It helps people find us! Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. TheWarOnCars.org

On Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021, The War on Cars recorded a live show at Caveat on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Our special guest for the evening was Choire Sicha, an editor at large at New York Magazine, who joined us to talk about YIMBYism, "bike fascism" and life in the suburbs. Plus, why does Eric Adams, the newly elected mayor of New York City, need to fix his bike's front fork? This episode is sponsored by Rad Power Bikes and Cleverhood. For 20% off the purchase of Cleverhood rain gear, use code HOLIDAYRAIN at checkout through December 31st. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars and get access to the full-length video of our live show along with all of our exclusive content. Get official War on Cars merch at our store. SHOW NOTES: Yes, Build the Windowless, Bathroomless Dorm in My Backyard (Choire Sicha at Curbed) How to Ride the Bus (Choire Sicha at Curbed) Eric Adams' Fork is Backwards (reddit.com/r/NYCbike/) Curtis Sliwa Hit By Cab, Does Radio Show Before Going to Hospital (NBC 4) Curtis Sliwa vows to end the "war on vehicles." (New York Post) This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. It was recorded live at Caveat. Theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D.  thewaroncars.org

Jason Slaughter is the creator of Not Just Bikes, the wildly popular YouTube channel that covers urban design and daily living in the Netherlands. Jason's videos are informative and entertaining, and whether they're about the shaky finances on which the suburbs are built or something as simple as grocery shopping, each one helps viewers understand larger concepts about building cities for people, not cars. Doug sat down with Jason in Amsterdam to talk about the origins of Not Just Bikes and why places that force everyone to drive whether they want to or not just plain suck. ***The episode is sponsored by Rad Power Bikes.*** SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to Not Just Bikes on YouTube. Follow Not Just Bikes on Twitter. Watch the videos mentioned in this episode: Why Many Cities Suck (But Dutch Cities Don't) Why Grocery Shopping is Better in Amsterdam Why Dutch Bikes Are Better (and why you should want one) The Wrong Way to Set Speed Limits How Suburban Development Makes American Cities Poorer Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive access to exclusive ad-free bonus content. Plus we'll send you stickers. Get official War on Cars merch, including our new CARS RUIN CITIES t-shirt, at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow and review us on iTunes. It helps people find us! Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. TheWarOnCars.org      

To celebrate the podcast’s third anniversary (how did that happen?) we open up the listener mailbag and field your questions and comments. Is it time to take more subversive action in the fight for safe streets? With all the evidence on our side, why does it sometimes feel like cities keep having the same arguments over parking spaces? Why don’t strollers get more respect as transportation? Is it ok to drive an SUV while wearing a War on Cars T-shirt? Plus: The marketing push for the 2022 Chevy Inundator begins today.  This episode is sponsored by Rad Power Bikes and Cleverhood. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content, merch discounts and more. SHOW NOTES:  “More Transit Agencies Allow Open Strollers on Buses” (Streetsblog)  Get official War on Cars merch, including our new “CARS RUIN CITIES” sticker, at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow and review us on iTunes! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio and edited by Matt Cutler. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Additional music by Michael Hearst. Manly voiceover on the fake Chevy Inundator ad by Curtis Fox. Fake ad music, “The End of a Decade” by Of Water, courtesy of Epidemic Sound. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D.

***This is a preview of a short bonus episode just for Patreon supporters. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for ad-free access to this and all our exclusive content. Plus, we'll send you stickers!*** Michael Hobbes, a journalist and podcast host known for his work on Maintenance Phase and You're Wrong About, joined The War on Cars for episode 72 to discuss what bikelash has in common with moral panics. In this short bonus episode, hear a part of our conversation that was left on the cutting room floor. We cover everything from how newspaper headlines absolve drivers who hit vulnerable road users and offer some advice to people who are freaking out about the #BanCars slogan. TheWarOnCars.org

What does bikelash have in common with moral panics? Has Paris really descended into anarchy because of all the cyclists? Are e-bikes and scooters the biggest threats to pedestrians on the mean streets — and sidewalks — of New York? What happens when reporters misunderstand statistics and rely on anecdotes to paint a picture of an urban transportation landscape that's spinning out of control? To answer these questions and more, we're joined by journalist Michael Hobbes, the co-host of the podcasts Maintenance Phase and You're Wrong About. Michael explains what a moral panic is and helps us debunk some commonly held misconceptions about what happens when cities make streets for people, not cars. This episode is sponsored in part by Rad Power Bikes and Cleverhood. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content, merch discounts and more. SHOW NOTES: Subscribe to Confirm My Choices, the newsletter from Michael Hobbes. Listen to Maintenance Phase and You're Wrong About wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Michael Hobbes on Twitter. "As Bikers Throng the Streets, 'It's Like Paris Is in Anarchy'" (New York Times) "As E-Scooters and E-Bikes Proliferate, Safety Challenges Grow' (New York Times) "Cycle lanes, scooters and terraces — is Paris still safe for pedestrians?" (The Local) Get official War on Cars merch, including our new "CARS RUIN CITIES" sticker, at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow and review us on iTunes! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio and edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Additional music by Michael Hearst. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. TheWarOnCars.org

Alicia Kennedy is a food writer whose weekly newsletter covers the way food culture intersects with politics, media, labor rights and climate change. On the surface it might not seem like it has much to do with the war on cars. But it does. Because what Alicia is doing in her work is really similar to what we do: she tries to make the invisible visible. She shines a light on how huge political and commercial forces are constantly manipulating our emotions about food for their own profit, with reckless disregard for the natural world and human health. It's pretty much the same thing we see every day in transportation and urban planning. Sarah talked with Alicia about what electric cars have in common with lab meat, and how to deal with people thinking you're a joyless Puritan just because you don't want our society to go up in flames. ***This episode is sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking, enter coupon code BANCARS at checkout now through November 1.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES: Learn more about Alicia Kennedy and subscribe to her newsletter. Buy advance or livestream tickets for our November 2 live show at Caveat in NYC. Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow, rate and review us on iTunes! This episode was produced and edited by Sarah Goodyear. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWaronCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us at [email protected].

On July 19, 2020, Amtrak restarted passenger rail service on its Vermonter line after a 16-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You wouldn’t necessarily think that this would be all that big of a deal. The Vermonter runs just one train per day in each direction between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, a small town near the Canadian border. This train is kind of slow, frequently late, and only serves 100,000 passengers a year — a drop in the bucket compared to nearby Interstate highways. And yet, in the village of Bellows Falls, the return of the Vermonter was cause for major celebration and an outpouring of civic pride. Why does intercity train service mean to a small town like Bellows Falls? And what is it about the train that people love so much? ***This episode is sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking enter coupon code BANCARS at checkout now through November 1.***  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES: In Bellows Falls, train love runs deep. (Brattleboro Reformer) Amtrak returns to Vermont after a 16-month pandemic absence. (VT Digger) A presentation by Carl Fowler of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council on the history and evolution of rail passenger service in Vermont and northern New England. (Sustainable Transportation Vermont) The mysterious petroglyphs of Bellows Falls. (Obscure Vermont) Bellows Falls history and historic photos. (Lost New England) Ride the Vermonter and go see some leaves turn colors. (Amtrak) Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow, rate and review us on iTunes! This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Original music scoring and sound design by Bob Pounding. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Jessica Valenti, the noted feminist writer, was curious about e-bikes. So, as one does, she posted a question about them to Twitter. Thus began her path to radicalization. After buying an e-bike of her own, she quickly found how life-changing it was — a not uncommon feeling among the converted. A lifelong New Yorkers, Jessica found that riding an e-bike changed her perspective on the city and offered her new insight on being a woman in public space. In this spirited and far-reaching conversation, Jessica talks about e-bikes as vehicles of feminist empowerment, means of escaping harassment and good plain fun. Plus, we dig into history and discuss the similarities between the "resting bitch face" of today and the "bicycle face" of the late 1800s. ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and cycling, enter coupon code BANCARS at checkout now through November 1st.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. ***Get tickets for The War on Cars: Live in New York! Tuesday, November 2nd at Caveat in Manhattan.*** SHOW NOTES: Learn more about Jessica Valenti. (JessicaValenti.com) Thanks to riding an e-bike, Jessica Valenti's road rage "has ascended." (Twitter) "Bicycle face": a 19th-century health problem made up to scare women away from biking. (Vox) Check out the work of Bekka Wright, the artist also known as "Bikeyface. (Bikeface) Episode 7: Nice Legs, Dude (The War on Cars) Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Read up with books from The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow, rate and review us on iTunes. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer and engineered by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

This episode was originally released as a Patreon exclusive. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for bonus episodes, early releases and more. Combine a deep love of cities and urban planning with a penchant for wearing stylish suits, smooth dance moves set to Swedish rap music and a curious fascination with drainage and what do you get? Mr. Barricade, an unlikely TikTok star. Vignesh Swaminathan, who runs his own engineering and design firm in California, has built a huge following on the video-sharing platform based on his unique ability to explain everything from how protected intersections work in busy downtowns to the ongoing impacts of redlining and segregation. Doug talks to Vignesh about his viral videos, tricks for successfully fighting racism online and the power of TikTok to help people see and experience their streets and communities in new ways. SHOW NOTES: Follow Mr. Barricade on TikTok. Learn more about Crossroad Lab, Vigesh Swaminathan’s engineering and urban design firm. Read all about Vignesh in the San Jose Mercury News. Pick up official War on Cars merch at our store. Receive 20% off the purchase of stylish rain gear for walking and cycling from our friends at Cleverhood by entering code WARONCARS at checkout. Buy books from podcast guests and check out The War on Cars reading list at Bookshop.org.

To celebrate the last days of summer, we're re-releasing our Patreon special interview with the man who introduced the world to mountain biking: Gary Fisher. Sarah talks with Gary about his sometimes psychedelic autobiography, Being Gary Fisher and the Bicycle Revolution. We also got his opinions on the failed promise of the automobile, the bike boom of the late '70s, and what the world can learn from COVID about building better streets. 

Tom Flood used to work in the ad industry in Toronto on campaigns for clients in the auto industry. Today he's a bit of a rebel and uses the power of social media and smart video editing to poke fun at car companies and the kind of commercials that often glorify reckless driving.   If you've ever seen commercials for cars like the Dodge Carger then you'll appreciate what Tom does. He takes those amped-up ads and edits in images of his cute kids riding their bikes, making the point that fast cars don't exist in the fantasy world of Madison Avenue but on real avenues and streets shared with people.   Recently Toms Twitter account was suspended without explanation. Was it a mistake? A conspiracy by Big Auto? In this bonus episode just for Patreon supporters, Tom joins The War on Cars to break it all down.   Follow Tom Flood at his new Twitter account, @TomFloodOne   "These aren't accidents. They're results."   Check out Tom's creative firm, Rovélo Creative.   Save 20% on all apparel orders at The War on Cars store with code SUMMERSALE now through August 31st. 

We held our very first War on Cars Meetup in Brooklyn a few weekends ago. We actually started planning this event almost two years ago but, you know... a global pandemic kind of got in the way. After so many months of relative social isolation it was great to gather in person, see old friends, meet new friends, and talk with so many of our passionate, dedicated listeners. Part of what was special about the Meetup was its location. Not very long ago, if you had tried to host a social gathering in the middle of Vanderbilt Avenue, you’d have gotten squashed by a speeding car. In 2006, New York City’s Dept. of Transportation experimented with its very first “road diet” on Vanderbilt Ave. Today, it’s one of New York City’s most successful car-free open streets. It’s a place to experience how nice it can be when streets are designed and managed as community spaces rather than traffic sewers. ***This episode is sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES: Vanderbilt Avenue: Open Streets, Good Vibes Eyes on the Street: A Refuge on Vanderbilt (Streetsblog) How New Yorkers Want to Change the Streetscape for Good (New York Times) Statistics on how the Vanderbilt Avenue “road diet” is working (New York City Dept. of Transportation) Get official War on Cars merch, including apparel, pins, patches, stickers and more at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. This episode was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

It sure was a busy week for our transportation tech bro overlords. Elon Musk announced a deal to build another one of his car tunnels beneath the waterlogged streets of Fort Lauderdale, Florida while also admitting that, “haha” the self-driving cars he’s been promising for years aren’t going to happen any time soon. Malcolm Gladwell launched the new season of his “Revisionist History” podcast with an episode that comes across like a demented advertorial for robot cars. And a tech bro named Jason Crawford spent the better part of a day arguing on Twitter that "cars are one of the most amazing and wonderful inventions in all of history.” In this special episode for our Patreon supporters, Andrew Hawkins, senior reporter at The Verge, joins Doug and Aaron for a deep dive into the tech bros and their vision for the future of transportation. Plus: Lance Armstrong! As if it couldn't get any more bro-ish. Sign up starting at just $2 per month and you can listen to this episode and lots of other bonus content. Plus we’ll send you stickers. SHOW NOTES: Follow Andrew Hawkins and his reporting at The Verge and on Twitter. Elon Musk’s tweet announcing that, “Haha” he won’t be able to keep his promise to deliver full-self driving car technology any time soon. “I Love You Waymo,” the first episode of the new season of Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast. "Cars are one of the most amazing and wonderful inventions in all of history.” A day-long piece of social media performance art by “former tech founder” Jason Crawford. Elon Musk’s Boring Company pitches underground transit loop to Fort Lauderdale (The Verge) Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Breaking News! Following weeks of negotiations, and as a mind-boggling heat wave settled on the Pacific Northwest, President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of ten Senators stepped out of a closed-door meeting at the White House to announce they’d made a deal. There will be infrastructure! $579 billion worth of it, in fact. The biggest federal investment in infrastructure in more than a hundred years and, according to President Biden, the 21st century equivalent to our historic investments in the Interstate Highway System and the transcontinental railroad. But if you’re a tad skeptical about what this deal might mean for The War on Cars, you have good reason. Federal transportation investments have not been kind to Americans who wish to live untethered from an automobile. And in U.S. political discourse, “infrastructure” has typically been shorthand for “car stuff.” But could this moment be different? Here to help us understand the big infrastructure package and the arcane world of federal transportation policy is Beth Osborne, executive director of Transportation for America. Warning: This episode includes a brief audio clip of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES: Episode 62: It’s Finally Infrastructure Week, April 3, 2021. (The War on Cars) Learn more about Transportation for America here. Follow Beth Osborne on Twitter. President Biden Announces Support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (WhiteHouse.gov) What’s in the White House, Senate bipartisan infrastructure package (Washington Post) As Feds Debate Transportation Pay-Fors, Don’t Forget What We’re Buying (Streetsblog USA) Biden’s infrastructure deal proves bipartisanship can’t deliver (Vox) Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. This episode was edited by Ali Lemer and produced by Aaron Naparstek. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

We’re vaxxed and we’re back. In this very special reunion episode, Sarah, Doug and Aaron return to the studio for the first time in fifteen months. Fifteen months! The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wild, earth-shattering, world-historic event with far-reaching implications for The War on Cars and pretty much everything else. We revisit some of our predictions from the beginning of the lockdown, take stock of what has changed and what has not, and chatter nervously about the lack of ventilation in the studio. Plus: We review Ford’s new, multi-ton. all-electric, pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning. Spoiler: It’s bad.  ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout.***  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES: Episode 39: Riding Out the Pandemic, March 20, 2020. (The War on Cars) Episode 40: Field Dispatches from Four Continents, March 29, 2020. (The War on Cars) Ad for the All-Electric F-150 Lightning: Turning Electric Into Lightning. (YouTube) The Lightning weighs 6,500 pounds! 35 percent more than the gas-powered model. (Slate) It’s got lots of torque and its massive battery can power your home for three days while your neighbors deal with rolling blackouts on the rickety public grid. (The Drive)  Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review us on iTunes! This episode was edited by Ali Lemer and engineered by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a quick preview of a bonus episode. Become a Patreon Supporter of The War on Cars for access to the complete episode and all our exclusive content. Plus, we'll send you stickers!*** Sean Kenney, one of the voices in Episode 65, “Where are the Bike Lanes in Lego City?” is an artist and self-described “professional kid” who designs and creates amazing sculpture and other works of art using nothing but LEGO pieces. Sean provided the original episode with a highly informed perspective on Lego’s history and design choices over the years. In this extended conversation just for Patreon supporters of The War on Cars, Sean explains why he moved his family — as well as his enormous LEGO collection — from Brooklyn to Amsterdam, a city that he described as one that was “fully cooked” before the arrival of the automobile. He also provides further theories as to the longtime lack of bicycles Legoland, dives deeper into the evolution of LEGO cars and trucks, explains the unique design challenges that make adding bike lanes to LEGO road plates difficult and waxes poetic about building his idea of a perfect city. SHOW NOTES: Visit Sean Kenney’s official website. Purchase a copy of Sean’s book, Cool City, and other titles by podcast guests at the official War on Cars Bookshop.org page or at your local bookstore. Follow Sean Kenney on Instagram.

Why are there no bike lanes in LEGO City? That’s a question Marcel Steeman, a regional councillor in the Netherlands, asked himself one day in 2016 while assembling some LEGO sets with his kids. As a Dutchman, he thought the lack of bike lanes on LEGO’s thin plastic road plates was weird. Even weirder, The LEGO Group is based in Denmark, one of the most bike-friendly nations on the planet! How could a Danish company not include bike lanes in its city-themed sets? When Marcel submitted a proposal for new road plates with bike lanes to the company, LEGO rejected the idea, telling him the idea was too political. What’s political about bike lanes? As anyone who’s tried to change a street in a real city can tell you, the answer is everything. What happens when one of the best selling toys in history doesn’t offer children the tools to build a world where it’s possible to get around without a car? And why does it matter to a bunch of adults? ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout.***  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES:  Read friend-of-the-podcast Andrew J. Hawkins at the Verge, who’s been covering the quest to bring bike lanes to LEGO City.  Check out Marcel Steeman’s bike lane design at LEGO Ideas. And here’s Marco te Brömmelstroet, the Cycling Professor, asking why LEGO City is so “car centric” back in 2019. Sean Kenney creates amazing sculptures and art with LEGO bricks. Pick up a copy of his book, Cool City, so you can learn to build your own LEGO cities for people, bikes and transit. Learn more about the New England Lego Users Group.  Read Thalia Verkade at The Correspondent. (In Dutch.) Get official War on Cars merch at our store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review us on iTunes! This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Doug Gordon. Music is by Stationary Sign and National Anthem Worx, courtesy of Epidemic Sound. The War on Cars theme is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Combine a deep love of cities and urban planning with a penchant for wearing stylish suits, smooth dance moves set to Swedish rap music and a curious fascination with drainage and what do you get? Mr. Barricade, an unlikely TikTok star. Vignesh Swaminathan, who runs his own engineering and design firm in California, has built a huge following on the video-sharing platform based on his unique ability to explain everything from how protected intersections work in busy downtowns to the ongoing impacts of redlining and segregation. In this Patreon bonus episode just for supporters of The War on Cars, Doug talks to Mr. Barricade about his viral videos, tricks for successfully fighting racism online and the power of TikTok to help people see and experience their streets and communities in new ways. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this episode and all exclusive content. As thanks, we'll also send you stickers! SHOW NOTES: Follow Mr. Barricade on TikTok. Learn more about Crossroad Lab, Vigesh Swaminathan's engineering and urban design firm. Read all about Vignesh in the San Jose Mercury News.  

This show usually focuses on the victims of traffic violence, and that is where the focus belongs. But in this episode, we hear the first-person story of a woman, Shane Snowdon, who killed someone with her car.  It happened more than 20 years ago, when she hit an 18-year-old man named Guillermo Venancio on a scenic road in California, ending his life in an instant. It’s a difficult story to hear. But we think it can help us understand the reality of a transportation system built around cars and driving. When people have to use a machine that’s as deadly as a loaded gun to do everything — go to work, take the kids to baseball practice, buy a quart of milk — it isn’t that hard for an ordinary person to become a killer.  On some level, we all know this. But when we hear about a traffic crash, we think, that’s something that only happens to other drivers. We don’t like to believe that we could be responsible for taking another human being’s life. It’s a worst-case scenario we keep hidden from ourselves. Shane wants people to know that it can happen to them. That’s why she reached out and asked to tell her story on The War on Cars. This episode was produced by Sarah Goodyear, with editing and sound design by Ali Lemer. The music is from Blue Dot Sessions. Lear more about Families for Safe Streets.  

From cities built for driving at the expense of walking and cycling to jobs that keep people sitting at their desks all day and neighborhoods where children aren't free to roam, it can be challenging for anyone to get the kind of activity needed to keep them healthy. In his new book, The Miracle Pill: Why a Sedentary World is Getting It All Wrong, journalist Peter Walker chronicles the global crisis of inactivity, the pioneering epidemiologists who first noticed its effects, and the people and places working to get people moving. The full interview is available exclusively to Patreon subscribers of The War on Cars. Join The War on Cars today for access to this episode and all premium content. Starting at just $2/month, you'll also get free stickers and other goodies.

Two years after it was first announced, a tunnel project in Las Vegas by Elon Musk’s Boring Company was finally revealed to the world. Originally conceived as a way to whisk Las Vegas Convention Center visitors from one side of the sprawling complex to the other in futuristic-looking pods, the $53-million project turned out to just be… just a bunch of Teslas in tunnels. Oh, and there were flashing lights. Nevertheless, in a recent CNBC segment, anchor Shep Smith and reporter Contessa Brewer were tasked with making “a highway underground” sound innovative, thrilling and worth the hype. So how’d they do? Not great. Aaron Gordon — senior reporter at Vice’s Motherboard — called the segment, “the most embarrassing news clip in American transportation history.” Aaron, not to be confused with the podcast’s other Aaron and other Gordon, joins all three The War On Cars hosts to discuss the disappointing project, the embarrassing coverage and whether any of it will make a difference in changing people’s perspective on the alleged genius of Elon Musk. This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. To celebrate the arrival of spring, listers of The War on Cars can receive 25% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking. Enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus episodes and more. SHOW NOTES:  Watch CNBC’s Shep Smith and Contessa Brewer go giddy for “a highway underground." Aaron Gordon saw the segment and declared, "This Is the Most Embarrassing News Clip In American Transportation History.” More from Aaron Gordon at Motherboard, Vice’s tech news site. Subscribe to Aaron Gordon’s newsletter, Urbababble. Pick up a copy of On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City by Evan Friss and other titles at our Bookshop.org page. Get the new “Aaron Napper Sack” tote bag and other great merchandise including coffee mugs, stickers and apparel at our store.  Follow us on Apple Podcasts and leave a review. This episode was edited by Doug Gordon. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

From “sexy bike lanes” to just what constitutes a “bicycle accident,” transportation is making headlines like never before. Aaron, Sarah and Doug are together again to consider the burning questions filling our airwaves and social media feeds right now. Will US DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg force all Americans to ride cargo bikes filled with Dr. Seuss books and dump them in a compost pile, or is that just a Fox News fever dream? Is New York’s congestion pricing plan, the first in the nation, finally about to get rolling? And is it really part of a de Blasio/Cuomo/Biden war on cars? What can Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo teach us all about the harms of highway widening? What should be done about e-bike batteries? Plus, is America down with VMT?  This episode was sponsored in part by Cleverhood. To celebrate the arrival of spring, War on Cars listers can now receive 25% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking. Enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES:  Industry needs to clean up electric batteries, including the ones that power your e-bike.  Shawn Bradley wasn’t injured in a “bicycle accident.” He was injured when a driver hit him with a car. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo explains everything wrong with expanding highways. The US DOT is using the Civil Rights Act to pause the widening of 1-45 near Houston. A US Congresswoman thinks Bill de Blasio, Andrew Cuomo and Joe Biden are waging a war on cars. Fox News freaks out over “sexy bike lanes.” It might be time to use Vehicle Miles Traveled to tax drivers instead of just the gas tax. Secretary Pete appears to walk back a VMT tax. Get the official War on Cars coffee mug, t-shirts and our new “Cars Are Death Machines” sticker  at our new store. Plus, check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Follow us on Apple Podcasts and leave a review. WCAR theme music by Michael Hearst. Sound effects by deleted_user_3544904 at freesound.org. This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Mikael Colville-Andersen is an urban designer, TV host and writer whose name is practically synonymous with Copenhagen, bicycling and smart urban design. Doug had a chance to interview him for this special bonus episode. The full interview is available exclusively to Patreon subscribers of The War on Cars. Become a Patreon supporter for access to this episode and all premium content. Staring at just $2/month, you'll also get free stickers and other goodies as well as a discount on merch in our official store.***

New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie has been riding an electric-assist bicycle around Charlottesville, Virginia for almost a year now, and he is convinced: E-bikes are the future of transportation. Not only has the e-bike transformed his own personal mobility, it has changed the way he looks at his city and gotten him more deeply involved in local planning and policy-making. In this one-on-one conversation, Jamelle and Aaron start off discussing e-bikes and end up talking about what it’s going to take to push America’s sclerotic political system to solve increasingly urgent housing and transportation crises in U.S. cities. Plus, Jamelle offers some helpful advice to anyone accused of waging a war on cars or fanning the flames of America’s culture wars. This episode was sponsored in part by Cleverhood. To celebrate the arrival of spring, War on Cars listers can now receive 25% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking. Enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES:  Find Jamelle Bouie’s New York Times column here, a lot of his photography is here, his Twitter account is here, and his personal web site is here.  Feb. 17, 2020: “Our next major household purchase is going to be an e-bike!” Feb. 26, 2021: “seriously i’m convinced that e-bikes are the future of transportation” Why housing in Charlottesville is so expensive.  “Ted Cruz’s Excellent Adventure” (New York Times) “2020 Shows Why the Electoral College Is Stupid and Immoral” (New York Times) Slate’s Jamelle Bouie is also a pretty good street photographer (Washingtonian)  Pillsbury Funfetti Cereal, Reviewed (Serious Eats) The Tern GSD e-bike.  Get the official War on Cars coffee mug, t-shirts and more at our new store and check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review us on iTunes. This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Electric bikes shorten commutes, flatten hills and make cycling accessible to anyone who might need a boost. They’re also great tools for replacing car trips and fighting climate change. Unfortunately, they’re still a little pricey for some people. That could change thanks to a new bill in Congress: the Electric Bicycle Incentive Kickstart for the Environment Act. Co-sponsored by Congressman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, the E-BIKE Act would offer a tax credit of 30% of the price of an electric bicycle, something that could bring the joys of e-bike ownership within  reach of more Americans. Congressman Blumenauer joins The War on Cars to discuss the bill, why commuter benefits ought to apply to bicycle sharing systems, and the economic, environmental and social benefits of bike commuting in general. (Spoiler alert: cyclists typically don’t murder each other over parking.) Plus, he offers his thoughts on Democratic control of the House and Senate and the recent appointment of U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.  ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking — and 30% off their new anorak rain jacket — enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout.***  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES:  Support the E-BIKE Act by contacting your representative in Congress using this handy tool from PeopleForBikes or look up your congressperson and get in touch directly. Get the full details on the E-BIKE Act via BikePortland.org Learn more about Congressman Earl Blumenauer’s life and career.  “E-bikes are expensive, but this congressman wants to make them more affordable” (Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge) “E-Bikes for Everyone!” (David Zipper, Slate) Get the official War on Cars coffee mug and other merch at our store. Rate and Review us on iTunes so more people can find The War on Cars. Sign up for our new newsletter, The Dispatch. This episode was produced and edited by Doug Gordon. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org  

What would it be like to walk out of your home and see other people instead of cars? Can you imagine opening your door and letting your kids run around outside independently? Residents of Cully Green — a 23-home community in Portland, Oregon developed specifically to encourage a car-free or car-light way of life — don’t have to imagine it. They’re living a life more akin to the idealized version of the suburbs of the past than the reality often found across the country today. Why are developments like this so unusual? Because in most of America it’s illegal to build thanks to single-family zoning. So is Cully Green the kind of thing that could only work in Portland because, you know… Portland? Or is this a model for building better cities and better communities all across the country? ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking — and 30% off their new anorak rain jacket — enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout.***  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get cool stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. SHOW NOTES:  More about living at Cully Green and Cully Grove, including the bees and chickens. 14 urban planners weigh in on the single-family zoning debate. (Sidewalk Talk)  Community advocacy group Living Cully works to keep the neighborhood affordable and accessible. Questioning the single-family ideal. (New York Times) Rethinking the American Dream. (Washington Post) Get the official War on Cars coffee mug at our new store and check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review us on iTunes.   This episode was produced by Sarah Goodyear and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org  

The Super Bowl is more than a football game — it’s a massive opportunity for the automobile industry to inject slickly produced propaganda directly into the eyeballs of over 100 million television viewers. In these trying times, how did car companies handle the task of making their pitch to the public? What do these ads, dripping with nostalgia, say about America, politics and the future of our planet? What does Will Ferrell have against Norway? What was up with that Bruce Springsteen ad for Jeep? And what about all the ads that weren’t directly about cars but had everything to do with car culture? Aaron, Sarah and Doug critique this carnival of capitalism and consumerism. ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking — and 30% off their new anorak rain jacket — enter coupon code WARONCARS at check out.***  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get stickers, access to exclusive bonus content and more. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Get the official War on Cars coffee mug at our new store. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES:  Vulture rounds up all the 2021 Super Bowl Commercials. Emily Atkin of Heated wants to talk about GM’s Norway ad. Was it cover for the company’s many years of climate denial? Norway had a “56 percent EV market share for sales in 2019 while they were just 2 percent in the US.” (Lili Pike at Vox.com) “If Bruce Springsteen’s Jeep commercial doesn’t bum you out, congrats on the purchase of your new Jeep.” (Chris Richards at The Washington Post) This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Design. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org  

If you’ve ever spent time leafing through a car magazine or, god forbid, watching car reviews on YouTube, then you know that most of what passes for “automotive journalism” is indistinguishable from automobile marketing. That’s why it was so refreshing to read journalist Andrew Hawkins’ review of the 6,000-pound, 18-foot-long, 2021 Cadillac Escalade in The Verge last October. Rather than simply cooing over the latest high-tech doodads and distractions, Andrew reviewed the $80,000+ luxury truck from the perspective of the people who will be walking, biking, and trying to live their lives on city streets with this gargantuan SUV and its distracted driver in their midst. Aaron chats with Andrew about his stressful test drive of the new Escalade, his confrontation with the product managers at Cadillac, and the role that journalism can (or, perhaps, can’t) play in compelling policy makers and the automobile industry to change for the better.  This episode was sponsored by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking -- and 30% off on their new anorak rain jacket -- enter coupon code: WARONCARS when you check out.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Get an official War on Cars coffee mug at our new store! And buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES:  Andrew Hawkins’ initial tweet with the photo of his three-year-old son in front of the 2021 Cadillac Escalade.  “Driving the 2021 Cadillac Escalade was one of the most stressful experiences of my life.” By Andrew Hawkins in The Verge. Death on foot: America's love of SUVs is killing pedestrians (Detroit Free Press) Better car design could prevent pedestrian deaths, says NTSB report (Curbed) 2021 Cadillac Escalade Review // “The $100,000 Benchmark For Ballers” (Throttle House) Also check out Episode 48 of The War on Cars: Right of Way with Angie Schmitt and Episode 35: Suburbans in the City. This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Design. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

In a sense, cars are a bit like the internet comments section of the real world. Driving, like leaving a reply on a message board or posting something on Twitter, can be done anonymously, dividing people from their fellow human beings and even leading to aggressive behavior… if not the complete corrosion of polite society. With custom details and bumper stickers promoting political ideologies and pithy slogans, cars are also outward expressions of personal identity… just like one’s social media presence. To unpack the similarities between the sprawling systems of online communication and personal transportation, Doug talks to Anil Dash, the tech entrepreneur and pioneering blogger who’s served as a sharp and thoughtful critic of the industry in which he has spent most of his career. Is a better, more humane internet possible? If so, what lessons can be learned for people who want safer, more humane streets? And what would Prince think? SHOW NOTES: Learn more about Anil Dash, including his love of bike sharing and his belief that, as a New Yorker, “there’s never been a better time to walk down the street.”  Follow Anil on Twitter: @anildash “New York City Fit How I Thought The World Should Work.” (TransAlt) This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. Get 20% off your purchase of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking with coupon code WARONCARS. Support The War on Cars on Patreon for exclusive access to bonus episodes and nifty rewards like stickers and more. Get an official War on Cars coffee mug and other goodies at our new online store. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt or sweatshirt at Cotton Bureau and check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. This episode was produced and edited by Doug Gordon. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Questions, comments or suggestions? Send a voice memo of 30 seconds or less to [email protected]. TheWarOnCars.org

The best thing you can say about 2020 is that it was the year that, well, was. In this year-end roundup, Aaron, Sarah and Doug take some listener voice memos and respond to the stories that flew across the War on Cars news desk. Is it a Good Thing or a Bad Thing that Mayor Pete Buttigieg has been named the next Transportation Secretary? What will it mean for the future of the “third space” now that fast food restaurants are ditching indoor dining and retooling their parking lots and drive-thrus to cater to online orders? What’s the connection between a massive diesel tampering scandal in America and a landmark public health case in the UK? And what will it take to sustain the pandemic-induced bike boom into next year and beyond? SHOW NOTES: Mayor Pete Buttigieg to become Secretary Pete Buttigieg. (New York Times) $14 billion to help stave off transit cuts… for now. (Bloomberg News) Using a Lincoln Aviator not for driving but as a personal sanctuary. (iSpot.TV) How COVID-19 upended the design of fast food restaurants. (CNN) Failing to credit Sarah Goodyear, Ford CEO Bill Ford says “cars and trucks in some ways are the ultimate personal protective equipment.” (New York Times)  Owners of diesel pickup trucks have been tampering with their vehicles’ emissions control technology, “allowing excess emissions equivalent to 9 million extra trucks on the road.” (New York Times) Air pollution a cause of 9-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah’s death, rules UK court. (CNN) How to keep the bike boom from fizzling out. (Andrew J. Hawkins/Verge) This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. Get 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking with coupon code WARONCARS. Support The War on Cars on Patreon for access to bonus episodes, stickers and more. Get an official War on Cars coffee mug and other goodies at our new online store. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt or sweatshirt at Cotton Bureau and check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. This episode was produced and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Questions, comments or suggestions? Send a voice memo of 30 seconds or less to [email protected]. TheWarOnCars.org

Under the leadership of Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the city of Paris has transformed itself, turning streets that were once clogged with cars into places for people on bikes and on foot. In response to the pandemic, the city quickly installed “coronapistes,” temporary bike lanes designed to help Parisians move around safely. (With Hidalgo’s recent re-election, approximately 30 miles are now slated to become permanent.) To learn more, Sarah speaks with Deputy Mayor Christophe Najdovski, who’s in charge of the city’s initiatives to increase green space and biodiversity and previously served as the deputy mayor for transportation. Najdovski explains that while the changes in the French capital are the envy of people all over the world, they haven’t been without their share of controversy. Nevertheless, Hidalgo’s political will and persistence have paid off. Paris now has cleaner air, less noise, more public space and a balance of street users that is shifting toward women. Plus, we hear an update from friend of the War on Cars and Paris resident, Cécile! SHOW NOTES: Will the bicycle be the vehicle of the 21st century for Parisians? (France 24) Paris’ temporary bike lanes to become permanent. (France 24) Paris to cut car parking in half. (Forbes) Bike theft is up as Parisians take to their vélos. (Bloomberg CityLab) Actor and singer Yves Montand performs the song, “La Bicyclette” This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. Get 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking with coupon code WARONCARS. Support The War on Cars on Patreon for access to bonus episodes, stickers and more! Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt or sweatshirt at Cotton Bureau. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. This episode was produced by Sarah Goodyear and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Questions, comments or suggestions? Send a voice memo of 30 seconds or less to [email protected]. TheWarOnCars.org

On Friday, October 30th, just days before the U.S. presidential election, a Biden-Harris campaign bus on I-35 in Texas was followed and surrounded by a “Trump Train,” a caravan of SUVs and large pickups displaying “Make America Great Again” flags and other pro-Trump signs. In video posted online, one vehicle can be seen crashing into a white SUV which was said to be transporting members of the Biden-Harris team. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. While neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris were on the bus, other candidates for office were and the incident motivated Texas Democrats to cancel three campaign events due to safety concerns. Beyond that, it marked a frightening escalation in the use of vehicles as instruments of political violence, something that seems to be occurring with increasing frequency in this country. To make sense of it all, Doug talked to Greg Shill, an associate professor at the University of Iowa College of Law. Greg has written extensively on the ways in which the right to drive at the expense of nearly all other forms of transportation is written into America’s legal system. (Read his longer paper on the subject here.) On Election Day, The Atlantic published his take on the Texas incident and why the drivers in the “Trump Train” had every reason to expect immunity. SHOW NOTES: This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for bicycle commuters, enter coupon code WARONCARS when you check out.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt or sweatshirt at Cotton Bureau. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES:  This episode was produced and edited by Doug Gordon. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Questions, comments or suggestions? Send a voice memo of 30 seconds or less to [email protected]. TheWarOnCars.org

Automobiles played an oversized role in the news this year, from the country’s response to the pandemic to the strange twists and turns of the presidential election. In fact, some might say 2020 was the year of the car. Beyond the growth of drive-thru COVID testing and importance of curbside voting, there was the president’s weird virus-infected limousine ride around Walter Reed, flag-flying “Trump Trains” shutting down highways and the strange spectacle of watching President-elect Joe Biden deliver his victory speech before supporters in parked cars who expressed their excitement and enthusiasm by honking. What does it mean for the future of democracy that most of our interactions with our fellow citizens now happen from behind a windshield? Are we destined to duke it out, road-rage style, until society collapses? Or is there an off-ramp from all this madness? Plus, is there really a parking angle to the Four Seasons Total Landscaping story? You bet there is. Aaron, Sarah and Doug are together again to discuss it all. ***This episode was sponsored in part by our friends at Cleverhood. Receive 20% off your purchase of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for bicycling and walking. Enter coupon code WARONCARS when you check out.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon starting at just $2/month to get stickers and unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Buy a “buttery soft” War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Purchase books by authors who’ve appeared on the podcast at Bookshop.org. Help people find us by reviewing the podcast on iTunes. SHOW NOTES:  How “Trump Trains” became a political weapon. (The Atlantic) What was with the red, white and blue Jeeps at Biden’s victory speech? (Jalopnik) The owner of the adult novelty store next to Four Seasons Total Landscaping was annoyed that his customers couldn’t find parking. (Slate) "Petro-masculinity" was on display at Trump highway rallies. (Gizmodo) Drive-thru voting survives challenge in Harris County, Texas. (Texas Tribune) Trump rally gets ugly in Marin City, California. (KTVU) Long lines for COVID testing at Dodger Stadium. (ABC 7) Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

It appears that the long-awaited electric car revolution is finally upon us. Are you ready? Are you excited? Last week, General Motors officially launched the electric version of the Hummer. The Hummer, of course, is the purposely intimidating sport utility vehicle based on the U.S. military’s HumVee. Popularized during America’s turn-of-the-century oil wars, the Hummer has long been one the personal vehicles that is most like a gigantic middle finger on four wheels. Weighing almost two tons, with 1,000 horsepower, and 0 to 60 m.p.h. acceleration in three seconds, the 2022 Hummer E.V. begs the question: Are we simply going to try to replicate the toxic male, energy-intensive, automobile-centric, 20th century “American way of life” on electricity rather than gas? Or can we imagine and build something better?  This episode was sponsored by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for bicycle commuters, enter coupon code: WARONCARS when you check out.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES:  Listen to Tom Bodett’s fantastic personal story, “Inside Passage,” on The Moth. You can find more on his “strange, fascinating career” right here. How fast could we transition our transportation system to electricity if we really wanted to? Subscribe to Andrew Salzberg’s newsletter, Decarbonizing Transportation and find out. What 'net-zero carbon' really means for cities. And how the City of London is planning to get there by 2050, in part, via Ultra Low Emission Zones. (BBC) The EV Bummer: The Hummer EV may be the "quiet revolution" that GMC's promising — but for all the wrong reasons. (Streetsblog)  Tom is also a co-founder of the non-profit HatchSpace,  dedicated to sharpening an appreciation for the work of human hands through the learning, practice, and teaching of woodworking. (Seven Days) This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Design. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

It’s often said that Americans have a “love affair” with cars and driving. Where did this oddly specific expression come from? Most people probably assume it was something that developed organically, like so many common sayings. But Peter Norton, the author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City, credits a little-known 1961 NBC TV documentary starring Groucho Marx for popularizing this famous phrase. It’s a fascinating story that finds the wisecracking comedian pitted against anti-automobile activists such as Jane Jacobs and proves that America’s so-called “love affair” with cars is more like an arranged marriage. ***This episode was sponsored by our friends at Cleverhood. Receive 20% off your purchase of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for bicycling and walking. Enter coupon code WARONCARS when you check out.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and we'll send you stickers and give you exclusive access to bonus episodes. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES:  Purchase Peter Norton’s book Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City as well as titles by all the authors who've appeared on the podcast at the official War on Cars page on Bookshop.org. Watch NBC’s Merrily We Roll Along, which originally aired on NBC on October 21st, 1961 (Part 1 & Part 2). Read “The Myth of the American Love Affair With Cars” (The Washington Post) Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Reducing automobile dependence in America’s suburbs, small towns, and rural places is a daunting task. But a tiny non-profit organization in Brattleboro, Vermont is offering a glimpse of how it might be done. Launched in 2010 by bike advocacy legend and psychotherapist Dave Cohen, VBike Solutions is fomenting an electric-assist bicycle revolution in the Green Mountain State. Forging partnerships with state government, electric utilities, financial institutions and local bike shops, VBike is making e-bikes more accessible, affordable and just plain normal. Dave calls it “car reduction therapy for Vermonters." And as War on Cars co-host Aaron Naparstek discovered while playing softball in Brattleboro this summer, it seems like it's working. Plus: Vermont’s state bird makes a cameo! This episode was sponsored by our friends at Cleverhood. For 20% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for bicycle commuters, enter coupon code: WARONCARS when you check out.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Check out The War on Cars library at Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES:  Learn more about Dave Cohen and his organization VBike Solutions: Car reduction therapy for Vermonters.  Brattleboro-Based VBike Is 'Rebooting The Bike' With Electric Assistance via Vermont Public Radio.  Dig in to the State of Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard.  More on Green Mountain Power’s electric bike rebate program.  This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek. Editing, sound design and additional production by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Design. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Angie Schmitt has long been one of the clearest and most passionate voices out there talking about the real price of automobile dependence in the United States. As the national editor for Streetsblog, Angie reported for years about how we design our communities to accommodate cars at the expense of human beings. Now, Angie has a book out. It’s called Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America. In it, she gives a compelling analysis of why more pedestrians are dying on American streets now than at any time since the 1990s. We talked with her about the nation’s toxic mix of big vehicles, cheap gas, and utter disregard for human lives — especially when those lives belong to poor people, people of color, people without housing, older people, and people with disabilities. ***This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Enter code “WARONCARS” at checkout for 20% off your rain gear purchase, including the sleek new Rover Rain Cape.*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Purchase Right of Way and other books by authors featured on The War on Cars via Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES: Follow Angie on Twitter @schmangee This episode was produced by Sarah Goodyear and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Design. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Questions, comments or suggestions? Shoot us an email: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

[This episode was originally released on October 31st, 2019. We're re-releasing it as an end-of-summer extra for new listeners and will be back with new episodes in September.] For a century, the automobile has been sold to Americans as the ultimate freedom machine. In her groundbreaking new book, “Policing the Open Road,” historian and legal scholar Sarah Seo explodes that myth. Seo shows how modern policing evolved in lockstep with the development of the car. And that rather than giving Americans greater freedom, the massive body of traffic law required to facilitate mass motoring helped to establish a kind of automotive police state. Is a car a private, personal space deserving Fourth Amendment protection from “unreasonable searches and seizures?” Or is a car something else entirely? It’s a question that courts have struggled with for decades, ultimately leaving it up to the police to use their own discretion, often with horrifying results, especially for minorities. In this revelatory conversation with TWOC co-host Aaron Naparstek, Seo offers an entirely new way of looking at the impact of the automobile on American life, law and culture. Support the podcast on Patreon. Rate and review us on iTunes. Buy an official War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Buy books from all the authors featured on the podcast at Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES:  Buy Sarah Seo’s book, “Policing the Open Road: How Cars Transformed American Freedom.” Follow Sarah Seo on Twitter and visit her website. Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake? By Nathan Heller. (The New Yorker) How Cars Transformed Policing (Boston Review) On the Road Police Power Has Few Limits (The Atlantic) Stopped, Ticketed, Fined: The Pitfalls of Driving While Black in Ferguson (New York Times) Why we can — and must — create a fairer system of traffic enforcement. Its discretionary nature has left it ripe for abuse (Washington Post) Driving (and walking) While Black: Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Michael Brown and The Ferguson Report. This episode was edited by Jaime Kaiser and recorded at Great City Post and the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Drop us a line: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org  

Using a vehicle as an instrument of terror is nothing new. Over the last decade, extremists proclaiming affiliation with ISIS and other terrorist groups have used trucks and cars to murder pedestrians in London, Barcelona, Nice, Berlin, New York...the list goes on. Recently, however, the United States has seen a new and frightening development with vehicular assaults. These attacks are not random. The targets are protesters using highways and streets to exercise their First Amendment rights, to demand justice, and to call for the reform of policing and other systemically racist institutions. Some of the attacks have been carried out by people affiliated with right-wing hate groups, some by people with no known affiliation, and still others have involved the police themselves. In this episode, Sarah talks with Ari Weil, a University of Chicago Ph.D. student researching vehicular attacks, about this terrifying trend. We also hear from Robert Foster, who was at a protest in Austin, Texas, where a confrontation between a marcher and a driver turned fatal. Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Purchase books by authors featured on The War on Cars via Bookshop.org. SHOW NOTES:  Follow Ari on Twitter @AriWeil Read more about Ari Weil’s research into right-wing vehicular attacks. (NBC News)  Ari Weil’s interview with Vox.com about the “far right ecosystem online” that’s encouraging vehicular attacks and congratulating the people who carry them out.  Vehicular Attacks Rise as Extremists Target Protestors. (NPR) Police officers in SUVs rammed protestors and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio initially defended the cops. (New York Times) The states that introduced bills in 2017 to protect drivers who run over protestors. (CNN) This episode was produced by Sarah Goodyear and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Design. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

“I wrote this book to make you mad.” So declares British writer and artist Woodrow Phoenix in the afterward of his new graphic novel Crash Course. Subtitled, “If You Want To Get Away With Murder, Buy a Car,” the book explores the powerful and toxic relationship between people and automobiles. With its stark and beautifully hand-drawn images of roads, traffic symbols, cities and highways, Crash Course takes aim at the ways in which cars have shaped the built environment, politics, and even the human psyche, largely for the worse. Crash Course unpacks the term “road rage,” explains why traffic accidents are anything but, and dispels the notion that people can be neatly separated into categories such as motorist, cyclist or pedestrian. It also examines the dangers of SUVs, the perils of driverless cars and the recent and growing trend of vehicles being used as weapons against demonstrators in places such as Charlottesville, Virginia. In this one-on-one conversation, Woodrow Phoenix talks to Doug about the unique combination of artistry and journalism that makes Crash Course an effective polemic, one that will hopefully persuade people to think carefully about their responsibility when they get behind the wheel of a car. This episode was sponsored by Sidewalk Weekly, the new podcast from Sidewalk Labs. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get nifty rewards like stickers, t-shirts, and even a copy of Crash Course. Buy a famous “buttery soft” War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. SHOW NOTES:  Purchase Crash Course and other books featured on The War on Cars via our official Bookshop.org page. More about Woodrow Phoenix at Street Noise Books. Superman battles reckless drivers in Action Comics No. 12, May 1939. (The War on Cars on Twitter) The Solo Cup Bike Lane (BrookynSpoke) and the #RedCupProject (Bicycling Magazine). This episode was produced and recorded by Doug Gordon and edited by Ali Lemer. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments or suggestions? Shoot us an email: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

In the span of one month the StreetRiders have become a major presence in the Black Lives Matter movement in New York. Their weekly bike protests have taken over streets, bridges and highways and attracted thousands of people of all ages to rally against police violence. In this interview, Doug talks with StreetridersNYC co-founder Orlando Hamilton about how he found his voice as a political organizer, what bicycles bring to the protest movement and what it feels like to look out and see 10,000 people filling the streets of Times Square all in support of Black lives. This episode was sponsored by Sidewalk Weekly, the new podcast from Sidewalk Labs. Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Contribution levels start at just $2/month! Rate and review us on iTunes. Buy a famous “buttery soft” War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES:  Learn more about the StreetRidersNYC and follow them on Instagram and Twitter.  “How Protestors Are Using Their Bikes to Fight Racism” (Bicycling) “‘There’s no Bike Lanes. It’s Not Even Nice Roads’ - Biking As a Means of Protest and Exposing Racism” (Streetsblog) “10,000 bicyclists participated in Black Lives Matter bike ride” (Brooklyn Vegan) This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Doug Gordon.  Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments, ideas, complaints? Shoot us an email: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

What are streets for? Who are streets for? And what makes a street feel truly safe, welcoming and comfortable for everyone? On May 25, police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota murdered George Floyd sparking an international uprising against systemic racism and police brutality. George Floyd’s murder took place in public, on the street. The global demontrations that followed George Floyd’s murder are also playing out in public, on the street. We often tend to look at the street as the place where the dramas of transportation policy play out -- bikes vs. cars vs. transit vs. pedestrians, and on and on. Oonee CEO Shabazz Stuart (remember him from Episode 34) has been out marching the streets of Brooklyn, dodging police batons and helicopters, and writing about the experience. In this episode he joins the War on Cars crew to talk about a more fundamental role for urban public space than mere transportation: “Streets,” Shabazz argues, “are for Democracy.”  We appreciate your Patreon contributions more than ever. Become a member and we’ll send you stickers, t-shirts, and more.   Rate and review us on iTunes. We love to see people marching in comfortable, light-weight War on Cars t-shirts and you can buy one at Cotton Bureau.  SHOW NOTES:  “Let the People March” by Shabazz Stuart (Streetsblog) ‘Safe Streets’ Are Not Safe for Black Lives by Dr. Destiny Thomas (CityLab) “To Trumpers, the Shared Space of the Street Is an Unprivatized Threat” by Justin Davidson (New York Magazine) “The Bicycle as a Vehicle for Protest” by Jody Rosen (New Yorker) “We Must Talk About Race When We Talk About Bikes” by Tamika Butler (Bicycling) “In Protest, the Power of Place” by Michael Kimmelman (New York Times) Tahrir Square Before and After This episode was edited by Ali Lemer.  Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments, ideas, complaints? Shoot us an email: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

As cities around the world have gone into lockdown and instituted social distancing measures to slow the spread of the covid19 pandemic, something unexpected has happened: We’ve gotten an impromptu demonstration of the benefits of living with fewer cars and less driving. Seething gridlock has vanished, smoggy skies have cleared, global carbon emissions are way down, and forward-thinking mayors are rapidly re-programming their streets to give human beings the space that once belonged to motor vehicles. Is the world witnessing the wrenching, difficult birth of the car-free city? Or are we merely living in the brief moment before cities snap back into even deeper automobile dependence, the car serving as the ultimate personal protective equipment? Plus: We hear from City of Oakland Transportation Director Ryan Russo. Chip in a few bucks and support the war effort on Patreon. We will send you stickers and t-shirts!  Rate and review us on iTunes. Shouldn’t you buy your friend a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau? Show Notes:  New Yorkers Are Thinking About Getting Cars Because of COVID-19. (Vice) Oakland banishing cars from 74 miles of city streets. ‘Oakland Slow Streets’ will open 10% of city’s roads for cyclists, pedestrians (Mercury News) Urban planner Mike Lydon is keeping track of all of the cities launching #Covid19Streets. Cities Close Streets to Cars, Opening Space for Social Distancing (New York Times) To help get essential workers around, cities are revising traffic patterns, suspending public transit fares, and making more room for bikes and pedestrians (CityLab) This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Newsreel voiceover by Mike Rock. Parody ad voiceover by Leora Kaye. Newsreel and parody ad production by Curtis Fox.  Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.  Questions, comments, ideas, complaints? Shoot us an email: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

Historian Gretchen Sorin has written a fascinating new book, “Driving While Black: African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights,” that dives into the role the car played in the 20th-century African American experience. Sorin talked with Sarah about how in the Jim Crow era, when riding public transportation was often humiliating and downright dangerous for black Americans, the automobile provided a way for black families to get around with safety and dignity. She also explains how cars played an instrumental role in building the civil rights movement, and why white etiquette expert Emily Post wasn’t so comfortable with the rising popularity of the automobile.

The War on Cars is taking the stage for Podapalooza, a virtual podcast festival for the benefit of COVID-19 relief, on April 25th and 26th. We'll be releasing one of our favorite old episodes to introduce the podcast to new listeners and hopefully give fans a chance to catch an early one they might have missed.  Purchase tickets here: plza.org. You'll get access to an outstanding lineup of some of the biggest names in podcasting, yours to listen to as they're released. Over 100 podcasts are participating and tickets are pay-what-you-want. It's a great deal and a great cause! All proceeds of your purchase of a Podapalooza Pass go to GiveDirectly, which delivers cash payments of $1,000 to vulnerable households in areas affected by COVID-19.

This episode was recorded and originally aired, November 2018.  When is a car not a car? When it’s a source of solace and comfort, a curbside living room and a personal aesthetic statement. This episode is brought to you “live” from the interior of a 1987 Cadillac DeVille as we hear from Alex Brook Lynn, the producer of FAQ NYC, about why she escapes to her car for a little private time amidst the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. What would it take for Alex to quit her car? Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. EPISODE NOTES: Follow Alex Brook Lynn on Twitter and follow her work at Racket Media.  FAQ NYC is an outstanding local news and politics podcast in New York City produced by Alex Brook Lynn. Follow us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke. Questions? Suggestions? Complaints? Talk to us: [email protected].

From his 1989 book The End of Nature, which was the first to explain global warming to a general audience, to co-founding the climate-change activism group 350.org, there are few people with more experience in taking on powerful interests to create change than Bill McKibben. In this interview, Bill talks to Doug about divestment from fossil fuels, what the worldwide response to COVID-19 can teach us about fighting climate change, and how to build successful movements to make cities work better for people who aren’t in cars. Plus, Bill tells the story of a determined Brazilian mayor who took on an angry car lobby using the power of open streets and adorable children. Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES:  More on Bill McKibben at his official site. Subscribe to The Climate Crisis Newsletter. Bill McKibben tells the story of Mayor Jaime Lerner’s fight to make streets for people in the city of Curitiba, Brazil. (Mother Jones) Buy Bill’s latest book, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Questions? Comments? Drop us a line: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org  

In this, our second episode of the COVID-19 era, we hear from listeners around the globe about how their cities look and feel. Is it safe to ride transit? How does it feel to walk through towns and cities as people protect themselves and others by wearing masks? There’s been a surge in the number of cyclists — and speeding drivers — on city streets. But will people keep biking when this ends? Listeners in Bogotá, Paris, Los Angeles, Taipei and Washington, D.C., let us know how it’s all going. Plus, Aaron tells us why car ownership has taken over his brain, Sarah explains the concept of an “emotional washing machine” and Doug is hearing things in Brooklyn.

Recording from their makeshift home studios, Sarah, Doug and Aaron check in with each other, field listener voicemails and reorient themselves to the new normal of the coronavirus crisis. Not a lot of answers in this episode, but plenty of questions: How is the social distancing going? Where would you rather be right now, the city, the suburbs or a remote rural place? And what does a global pandemic mean for The War on Cars? Plus: Treason!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Special thanks to our sponsor, Spin Scooters: Working to make streets safe, livable and just.   SHOW NOTES:  This episode was edited by Ali Lemer. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Drop us a line and let us know how you're doing: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

Pat Kiernan and Jamie Stelter are the dynamic duo of local TV news. As two of the hosts of “Mornings on 1” on Spectrum NY1, Pat and Jamie do more than just wake up early to deliver the latest updates on current events or the daily commute. They experience New York City as New Yorkers do: by subway, bus, bike, taxi, and foot. Pat, who may be familiar to non–New Yorkers as TV anchor Pat Kiernan in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has been on NY1 since 1997. Jamie has been the traffic—and subway and bus—reporter since 2010. Their time on the air has spanned some of the most significant transformations to the city’s streetscape, including the expansion of bicycle lanes and pedestrian plazas, the launch of Citi Bike, the deterioration of subway service, and the rise of Uber and Lyft. For this episode, recorded in February, Pat and Jamie join Doug on board the M14 crosstown bus to talk about their perspective on a changing city, their own travel habits, what they’ve seen in cities around the world and how they listen to and learn from the “bike people” on Twitter. Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES:  Watch Pat and Jamie on Mornings on 1 on Spectrum NY1. Listen to Crosstown With Pat Kiernan wherever you get your podcasts. Pat Kiernan, news anchor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jamie Stelter and CNN’s Brian Stelter, the First Couple of CitiBike. Follow @patkiernan and @JamieStelter on Twitter. This episode was produced and edited by Doug Gordon. The intros/outros were recorded by Ross Brunetti at Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. The War on Cars theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

What can cold cities, where people nonetheless bike year-round through snow and seemingly endless hours of darkness, tell us about what it takes to make better streets? In this episode, Sarah reports back from her trip to Finland and the the 8th annual Winter Cycling Conference, held in Joensuu and Helsinki in early February. How does active transportation figure into Helsinki’s goal to become the world “most functional city”? What’s the right way to prioritize transportation modes? And why are most fully grown Americans less rugged than the average Finnish 11-year-old?  Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau.   SHOW NOTES:  You can find all the presentations from the 2020 World Cycling Congress in Joensuu on the Congress website. Here’s a little movie that shows some of what it was like. See if you can spot Sarah!  Coverage of the conference from Bicycle Dutch: Cycling in the Finnish snow Winter Cycling Congress 2020 in Joensuu Coverage of the conference from The Guardian: Winter wheelies: Finland blazes trail in keeping citizens cycling and healthy Why Finland leads the field when it comes to winter cycling Check out opportunities for winter adventure cycling in Eastern Finland with Karu Survival. The end music for the episode, from the song “Cold Dead Eyes,” comes courtesy of Joensuu thrash metal band Killing Attack. You can find more of their music on Spotify. Special thanks to Tony Desnick of Cycling Without Age, Oskari Kaupinmäki of the City of Helsinki, Matti Hirvonen of the Network of Finnish Cycling Municipalities, Timo Perälä of the Winter Cycling Federation, Markku Pyykkönen of the City of Joensuu, and Maria Halava-Napoles at the Finnish Consulate in New York. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org  

For our first live episode, The War on Cars heads to Denver, Colorado to check in on the Mile High City’s battle against automobile dominance. From the announcement that the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure will install 125 miles of bike lanes by 2023 to the recent closure of B-cycle, the city’s bicycle sharing system, it’s been a year of good news and bad for Denverites. And there’s no one better to comment on the news than our guest, Kyle Clark, the host of “Next with Kyle Clark” on Denver’s 9 News. When Kyle, in a forceful on-air editorial, pushed back against a bout of NIMBYism in his own backyard, the clip swept the Twitterverse and brought the issue of bike-friendly streets to a general television audience. Kyle joins us to talk about the role TV news plays in the fight for a better city and how people waging their own war on cars can work with, not against, reporters.  Recorded February 10th, 2020 at the Moving People Forward Conference in Denver, Colorado presented by Bicycle Colorado. Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES: Watch “Next with Kyle Clark” on 9News in Denver and follow Kyle on Twitter. “New bike lane proposal is loved by some cyclists but hated by neighbors.” (The Denver Channel) Kyle Clark: “I love Denver’s history, but not more than your life, or mine.” (9News.com) “Denver bike share company B-cycle wheels out of town, as others prepare to fill the gap.” (Denverite) Denver to add 125 miles of bike lanes by 2023...  ...but the Denver Post editorial board says to do it carefully.  The president and CEO of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association says Denver is waging a war on cars and drivers.  Join The War on Cars for our next live recording in Washington, D.C., at the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit on March 16th, 2020.  This episode was recorded at the Moving People Forward Conference in Denver and produced by Sarah Moss. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org  

The Chevrolet Suburban is one of General Motors’ most enduring triumphs — the longest-running nameplate in automotive history, to use the industry jargon, and the original SUV. In production since 1935, it’s grown from an all-American family vehicle, perfect for loading up the kids and heading out into the country, into an 18-foot-long status symbol for VIPs — including titans of finance, A-list celebrities, politicians and the occasional drug lord. It’s even the first vehicle to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. While the Suburban used to be about suburbia, it isn’t anymore. In this episode, we talk with Angie Schmitt, a journalist working on a book about the pedestrian safety crisis in the United States, about how the Suburban’s rise foretold the modern SUV boom, and just how dangerous these land sharks can be. SHOW NOTES: Support The War on Cars with a contribution on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. And check out the new podcast from our friends over at TransitCenter. It’s called High Frequency.  SHOW NOTES: Angie Schmitt is on Twitter @schmangee. Keith Bradsher’s book about the deadly rise of the SUV: High and Mighty. The dangerous blindspots in front of big SUVs. (The Verge) A comprehensive roundup of the Suburban’s appearances in film and TV. (Internet Movie Cars Database) The Suburban gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (NBC) Pictures of the Suburban in its earlier incarnations. (Popular Mechanics) An homage to the power of the Suburban brand. (Up to Speed) A social history of the Chevy Suburban. (Car and Driver) Some of the sounds in this show were included courtesy of Creative Commons licenses, from Kinetic Turtle and nemoDaedulus. Join The War on Cars crew for two live events this spring! - A live recording in Denver for Bicycle Colorado’s Moving People Forward conference on February 10.   - And another in Washington, D.C., at the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit, March 16.  This episode was edited by Matt Cutler and recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Drop us a line: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

Making change happen in a big, complex, bureaucratic city is really hard. One guy who knows all about that is Shabazz Stuart, the Chief Executive Officer of Oonee, a Brooklyn-based startup company that is developing secure bike-parking kiosks at major transit hubs in and around New York City. For this episode, Shabazz joins The War on Cars crew in the studio and Aaron traverses two rivers and travels all the way to New Jersey — New Jersey! — to lay eyes on the new secret weapon in The War on Cars. Plus, we’re doing some live events. Check out the Show Notes for more details.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. And check out the new podcast from our friends over at TransitCenter. It’s called High Frequency.  SHOW NOTES:  You can learn more about Oonee on their company website.  Follow Oonee on Instagram and Twitter and definitely check out CEO Shabazz Stuart on Medium.  Streetfilms covered the debut of Oonee’s Brooklyn pod just before the holiday break in December. The world’s biggest bike parking garage is in Utrecht, the Netherlands and it really illustrates the huge potential.  Join The War on Cars crew for two live events this spring! We’ll be in Denver for Bicycle Colorado’s Moving People Forward conference on February 10.   And we’ll be in Washington, D.C., at the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit, March 15 to 17. Hope to see you at one of these.  This episode was edited by Ali Lemer and recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Drop us a line: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

Is the Hyperloop for real or are easily duped elected officials the only people it will take for a ride? Do e-bikes have the power to transform the suburbs? Why should politicians and the press say “crash” instead of “accident”? What’s the best way to convince people to live a car-free life? On this year-end episode, Sarah, Doug and Aaron answer these questions and more from listeners fighting their own local versions of the War on Cars. Plus, what were the best transportation-related developments of 2019?  Contribute to The War on Cars via Patreon. Rate and review The War on Cars on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES: Who are @BicycleLobby, @Bob_Gunderson, @PlacardAbuse and the message-board hacker known as Bikesy? Instead of spending money to study a Hyperloop, perhaps Cleveland should just improve train service. Why it’s better to say “crash” instead of “accident.” Senator Elizabeth Warren takes to Twitter to call from an end to traffic violence. This episode was directed and recorded by Andrew Feyer at Brooklyn Podcasting Studio, and  edited by Matt Cutler.  Find us onTwitter @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 and Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

Last March, renowned tech journalist and prognosticator Kara Swisher wrote a New York Times opinion piece with the headline, “Owning a car will soon be as quaint as owning a horse.” In it, she declared she would sell her own car and vowed she would never again own an automobile. “The concept of actually purchasing, maintaining, insuring and garaging an automobile in the next few decades? Finished,” she wrote. That column set off thousands of outraged commenters — and activated the radar at The War on Cars. We sat down with Kara at the Vox studios in downtown Manhattan to talk about what it’s like living without wheels of her own, why she loves scooters, and whether we’ll ever get the Star Trek Holodeck we’ve been promised. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, T-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more. Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Kara says owning a car will soon be as quaint as owning a horse (New York Times) Times readers tell Kara she has no idea what she’s talking about (New York Times) Kara’s update on life without her own car (New York Times) Kara tours Paris by scooter (New York Times) Follow Kara on Twitter. Listen to Kara’s Recode Decode and Pivot podcasts. Is the Star Trek Holodeck closer than you think? Find us onTwitter @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 and Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke.  Email us! [email protected]

It’s one of the most famous moments in daytime TV history, but what really happened when Oprah Winfrey gave a brand new Pontiac G6 to every member of her studio audience? Leave it to The War on Cars to take that memorable (and very meme-able) moment and connect it to larger questions about mobility, access to economic opportunity and even the perverse way in which Americans pay for healthcare. In a country where everyone needs a car just to be a contributing member of society, what happens when that vital lifeline is severed? Are stories of 12-mile walks to work and individuals who help their fellow employees by buying them a car really “heartwarming,” as local news stories like to say? Or are they instead signs of a society that has failed at the basics? Is anything actually solved when solving people’s transportation woes is turned into a televised spectacle? Enlist in The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review The War on Cars on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES: A look back at Oprah Winfrey’s Free-Car Giveaway.  “Oprah car winners hit with hefty tax.” (CNN Money) “Coworkers chip in to get new car for FedEx package handler.” (ABC News) “The Hidden Cost of GoFundMe Health Care” (Nathan Heller, The New Yorker) This episode was directed and recorded by Josh Wilcox at Brooklyn Podcasting Studio, and  edited by Matt Cutler.  Find us onTwitter @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 and Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Email us: [email protected] TheWarOnCars.org

For a century, the automobile has been sold to Americans as the ultimate freedom machine. In her groundbreaking new book, “Policing the Open Road,” historian and legal scholar Sarah Seo explodes that myth. Seo shows how modern policing evolved in lockstep with the development of the car. And that rather than giving Americans greater freedom, the massive body of traffic law required to facilitate mass motoring helped to establish a kind of automotive police state. Is a car a private, personal space deserving Fourth Amendment protection from “unreasonable searches and seizures?” Or is a car something else entirely? It’s a question that courts have struggled with for decades, ultimately leaving it up to the police to use their own discretion, often with horrifying results, especially for minorities. In this revelatory conversation with TWOC co-host Aaron Naparstek, Seo offers an entirely new way of looking at the impact of the automobile on American life, law and culture. Support The War on Cars on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy your uniform at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES:  Buy Sarah Seo’s book, “Policing the Open Road: How Cars Transformed American Freedom.” Sarah-Seo.com Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake? (The New Yorker) How Cars Transformed Policing (Boston Review) On the Road Police Power Has Few Limits (The Atlantic) Stopped, Ticketed, Fined: The Pitfalls of Driving While Black in Ferguson (New York Times) Why we can — and must — create a fairer system of traffic enforcement. Its discretionary nature has left it ripe for abuse (Washington Post) Driving (and walking) While Black: Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, Michael Brown and The Ferguson Report. Supreme Court case Carroll v. United States, 1925 (Oyez) Follow Sarah Seo on Twitter. Sarah Seo, Associate Professor of Law, University of Iowa College of Law. This episode was edited by Jaime Kaiser and recorded at Great City Post and the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Drop us a line: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

For a few years after Uber launched in 2009, it seemed like the on-demand ride-hailing service might be an advance in the war on cars — a way for more people to share fewer vehicles and to reduce overall automobile dependence. Fast forward a decade, and the rise of Uber (along with Lyft) has instead resulted in increased congestion, reductions in transit ridership, and the exploitation of a precarious workforce that the company would love to make obsolete altogether. In this episode, we talk with New York Times tech reporter Mike Isaac about his new book, “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber,” in which he chronicles the rise and fall of Uber’s co-founder, Travis Kalanick. We hear what Mike has to say about the cult of the founder and the way Kalanick’s winner-take-all mentality has negatively affected the streets of the world’s cities. Support the podcast on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES: Mike Isaac’s new book, Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, is available everywhere, but you should get it at your local bookstore if you can. Follow him on Twitter @MikeIsaac. Another study shows Uber and Lyft suck riders off transit (CityLab) Everything bad about Uber and Lyft (Streetsblog USA) Travis Kalanick argues with an Uber driver about his business model (Bloomberg) This episode was directed and recorded by Josh Wilcox at Brooklyn Podcasting Studio, and  edited by Matt Cutler. Natalie Jones taped Mike Isaac in San Francisco. Find us onTwitter @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek and Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

In Part 1 of "The Problem With Public Meetings" we took you inside a difficult community meeting in Fort Greene, Brooklyn and urged compassion and understanding for neighbors who aren’t quite yet on board with The War on Cars. Here in Part 2, we take you to yet another community meeting, this time, in Park Slope, Brooklyn where diplomacy fails, the action gets kinetic and a TWOC co-host is physically assaulted by a bike lane-hating conspiracy theorist meditation instructor. Yes, you heard that right. How do you know when it’s time to stop seeking common ground with parking-obsessed, car-addicted, change-averse members of your community and start working on their utter, total and overwhelming defeat in the arena of local politics? Strap on your helmet, soldiers. Get ready for The Battle of 9th Street. Are you feeling the Shock & Awe? Support The War on Cars on Patreon! Rate and review us on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau.  SHOW NOTES: Video of The Battle of 9th Street via Jake Offenhartz Video of the The Battle of 9th Street via Brian Howald. Bikelash’s Latest Tactics: Pedophile Smears and Conspiracy Theories, Streetsblog. People have been fighting to stop the carnage and make 9th Street safer for years and years and years. It's endless. The most recent 9th Street horror: What New York Should Learn From the Park Slope Crash That Killed Two Children, New York Magazine. Is a Better Public Meeting Possible? Casey Berkovitz, The Century Foundation. Progressive Boomers are Making it Impossible for Cities to Fix the Housing Crisis. Michael Hobbes, The Huffington Post. This episode was edited by Matt Cutler. Find us on Twitter @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 and Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

In the battle to make cities better for walking, biking and transit, there’s no more important front line than local community meetings. So when a flyer advertising a town-hall forum about the New York City Department of Transportation’s alleged “war on cars” began appearing in Brooklyn neighborhoods, we knew we had to attend. On this episode, we discuss what happens when regular citizens gather to discuss losing precious parking spaces to benefit the greater good. What are some tactics advocates can use to bring people around to their point of view? Given the typical format of these forums, is finding common ground even possible? Is there a better way to conduct public meetings or is screaming at each other in a church social hall a necessary evil? [NOTE: Due to some late-breaking developments, this is part one of a two-part series on public meetings.] Support the podcast on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. SHOW NOTES: Is a Better Public Meeting Possible? Casey Berkovitz, The Century Foundation. Progressive Boomers are Making it Impossible for Cities to Fix the Housing Crisis. Michael Hobbes, The Huffington Post. Background on the reaction to the NYC DOT residential loading zone program. NY Daily News. A play-by-play of the Fort Greene “War on Cars” meeting. Via Julianne Cuba, Streetsblog. This episode was edited by Jamie Kaiser. Find us on Twitter @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 and Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org  

Twenty-one people riding bicycles have been killed this year on the streets of New York City. That’s more than double the number of bike fatalities in all of 2018. In early July, after a terrible week in which three people on bicycles were killed in quick succession, more than a thousand demonstrators showed up in Lower Manhattan’s Washington Square Park for a “Die-In” to demand that officials take more aggressive action to make streets safe. In this episode, we hear from Die-In participants and Doug, Sarah and Aaron talk about advocacy, activism and change-making. Is it better to be polite and work within the system or disobedient and disruptive? Who in city government should be the target of these urgent calls to action, the politicians or the police? What can we learn from the work of other grassroots social and political movements throughout history? And do NYPD bicycle cops ever actually ride their bikes or do they only use them as crowd control barricades? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, T-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more. Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Washington Square Park Die-In Coverage (Streetsblog) Hundreds of cyclists stage ‘die-in’ at Washington Square Park following recent biker fatalities (New York Daily News) See the guy holding the “De Blasio to Cyclists: Drop Dead” sign? That’s Doug!  Cyclist deaths in NYC: A month-by-month breakdown (AM New York) Robyn Hightman: The Miraculous and Tragic Story of a Life Transformed by Cycling. A phenomenal story by Peter Flax in Bicycling Magazine. NYPD Cracks Down On Cyclists, Not Drivers, Where Truck Driver Killed Bike Messenger (Gothamist) Insane video of the aftermath of an NYPD officer in a police SUV knocking a man off of his bicycle for “his own safety.” Ernest Askew wouldn’t give up his bike (AM New York).  State Senator Sees 'Built-in Racism And Classism' Behind A Cyclist's Death In Brownsville (Gothamist) Here is Devra Freelander’s web site and a great review of her work and her legacy in Surface Magazine.  Cement truck drivers from the same company involved in the killing of Devra Freelander blame the victim instead of taking any semblance of responsibility (AM New York, Streetsblog, Bklyner) This episode was edited by Jaime Kaiser.  Find us on Twitter @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. The War on Cars is on Instagram and Facebook too. Email us! [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

When you’re used to the culture of streets in the United States of America — that is, variations on kill or be killed — traveling to countries that do it differently can be both a shock to the system and an inspiration. So it was when TWOC co-host Sarah Goodyear spent three weeks in Japan this summer, and heard exactly one car honk in that entire time. In this episode, we discuss the human infrastructure of mutual respect that makes Japanese cities so different from American ones; hear from Japanese street activists about how they’re inspired by their counterparts in the United States and Europe; and talk about what we can learn by leaving home. Also, members of a group called the Tokyo Picnic Club discuss “the right to picnic” as a basic human right for people in crowded cities.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, T-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more. Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES:  Bike ambassador Chad Feyen offers bicycle tours of Tokyo at Freewheeling Japan. You can also follow him on Twitter. Connect with the network of Japanese public space activists called Sotonoba. Learn about the Tokyo Picnic Club and their fight for better public space in Tokyo. Plus, a cautionary tale from The Onion: Woman who ‘Loves Brazil’ Has Only Seen Four Square Miles of It  This episode was produced by Matt Cutler and recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

Barcelona, Spain is testing out a powerful new weapon in the war on cars. It’s called the Superilla or, in english, the "Superblock." Last October, Vox Media's energy and environment reporter David Roberts spent ten days in Barcelona taking a deep dive into the city’s ambitious plan to reclaim more than half of its total street space from motor vehicles by creating five hundred Superblocks. In this one-on-one conversation, David sits down with TWOC co-host Aaron Naparstek and tells the inside story of Barcelona’s visionary car-fighting, air-cleaning and neighborhood-empowering strategy. Could Superblocks even be a solution for fixing dysfunctional liberal democracies? It's so crazy it just might work.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, T-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more. Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES:  Barcelona’s Radical Plan to Take Back Streets From Cars is David Roberts’ must-read five-part series at Vox. Seriously, it's great.  The Vox team produced a video about Superblocks as did Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson.  BCNecologia is the organization behind Barcelona’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and Superblocks project.   Rethinking Manhattan’s Grid at CityLab.  Follow David on Twitter.  This episode was edited by Matt Cutler. Eilís O'Neill recorded David Roberts in Seattle.  Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Email us: [email protected]  https://thewaroncars.org

What do comedy and fighting the war on cars have in common? For answers, Doug talks with Adam Conover, the creator and host of TruTV’s “Adam Ruins Everything.” The show, a new season of which premieres on August 13th, combines humor, sharp writing and deeply sourced research to deconstruct the conventional wisdom about subjects most Americans take for granted, including cars. In this special one-on-one interview, Adam explains why taking the bus in LA is better than driving, discusses how excited he was to tell people the history of the word “jaywalking,” and offers lessons on presenting information to anyone fighting their own war on cars. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, T-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more. Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: A new season of “Adam Ruins Everything” premieres on August 13th on TruTV. Listen and subscribe to “Factually! With Adam Conover” from Earwolf. Adam explains the origins of the word “Jaywalking.” Adam and an animated Donald Shoup discuss the high cost of free parking. Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon@BrooklynSpoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

In this TWOC Extra, we present co-host Doug Gordon's full interview with Ray Magliozzi of "Car Talk," conducted in February 2019 at the WBUR studios in Boston and previously available only to Patreon supporters. Hear more about Ray's thoughts on how cities are changing to be more friendly to people who aren't in cars and learn why he sometimes runs red lights on his bike. ----- For nearly thirty years, brothers Ray and Tom Magliozzi were the hosts of NPR’s “Car Talk” and the voices of American car culture. Famous for their distinctive Boston accents and infectious laughs, Click and Clack didn’t just diagnose engine troubles, they recognized that people’s personal relationships often revolved around their automobiles. In a War on Cars exclusive, Doug sits down with Ray Magliozzi to talk about car culture, the brothers’ surprising war on SUVs, and whether or not “Bike Talk” could even be half the phenomenon “Car Talk” was… and still is. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to the extended interview with Ray Magliozzi plus TWOC stickers and other rewards. Buy a “buttery soft” War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. Show Notes: Learn more about Car Talk… …and listen to “The Best of Car Talk.” “Car Talk’s Tom Magliozzi: An Unlikely Environmental Advocate.” (ThinkProgress) Tom and Ray’s “Live Large, Drive Smaller” anti-SUV campaign. (The New Yorker) Tom and Ray’s 2007 letter to Congress in favor of higher fuel standards. (Car Talk) Dispatches from Aaron’s years-long Twitter crusade to banish “Car Talk” from WNYC. Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

No, you’ve not tuned into late-night Lite FM radio. In this special mailbag episode, Sarah and Doug hear from listeners around the world, taking your questions and comments on everything from disabled cyclists, how to make bike lanes as common as sidewalks, when to take the car keys from aging parents and grandparents, the frustrations women feel when told what to wear when riding a bicycle, whether or not cyclists should share a friendly wave with other cyclists and how to find joy while fighting a daily War on Cars. Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Enlist today! Support the podcast on Patreon. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Show Notes:  Get to know Delilah. “Cambridge’s New Bike Lane Plan is ‘Bikelash’-Proof.” (CityLab) New York City passes a new “Vision Zero Design Standards Law. (Curbed) Does what a person wears while cycling make a difference? Dr. Ian Walker tried to find out. (Bicycling, ScienceDirect, Association for Psychological Science) Find us on Twitter @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke and Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org  

Autonomous cars? Who needs ‘em. If you want to improve your city then design it so that children have more autonomy. In this episode we hit the playground with architecture critic Alexandra Lange, the author of “The Design of Childhood.” To grow up into healthy, functional adults, kids need opportunities to experience freedom and independence. Alexandra argues that car-dominated streets make that more difficult. A city designed for cars is a city that’s lousy for families -- and pretty much everyone else. Plus: The surprising history of playgrounds. In celebration of our twentieth episode, the first twenty people who enlist in The War on Cars Patreon campaign after this episode drops will receive a bonus #BanCars sticker.  Buy a War on Cars t-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review the war effort on iTunes. Show Notes:  Visit Alexandra Lange’s web site and follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Buy a copy of her book, “The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids.”   How children lost the right to roam in four generations. (Daily Mail)  Peter Norton’s “Fighting Traffic” is a mind-boggling (and scholarly!) historical account of the bloody battle for city streets at the dawn of the motor age in the American city. This episode was produced by Matt Cutler. Find us onTwitter @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 and Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke. Email us: [email protected] https://thewaroncars.org

How can we fight a War on Cars when cars might be turning into the last bastion of affordable housing in many cities and suburbs? In this episode, we talk about how the crises in transportation, housing and climate are converging in California parking lots — some of which are becoming de facto communities. Stepping in to help us understand what’s going on in the Golden State is Alissa Walker, who writes for Curbed LA and cohosts LA Podcast. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, T-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more. Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. Show Notes: Alissa Walker drills down on SB50 and other (so-far failed) legislation to address California’s twin crises of transportation and housing. Follow her on Twitter for all the latest on LA’s streets. Mark Horvath talks to people who have become homeless on his YouTube channel, Invisible People (his interview with Conrad, a veteran living in an LA parking lot, is here). You can find out more about him and support his work on his Patreon page. Safe Parking LA advocates for the interests of people who have become homeless and are living in their cars. The Public Policy Institute of California has a snapshot of the state’s growing homelessness problem. In this NPR story, you’ll hear from a California woman who is leasing a car through Uber so she can have a place to live. 99 Percent Invisible did an episode about the dream (or nightmare) of vertical trailer park living in Ready Player One. Henry Grabar writes about the “I’ve got mine” worldview of America’s gerontocracy for Slate.

It’s the most controversial question in all of urban biking: Why do cyclists run red lights, ride on sidewalks and go the wrong way down one-way streets? In this episode, Aaron, Sarah and Doug talk to New York City cyclists about why they behave the way they do. Plus, we seek out a higher authority for an interpretation of the legal and ethical dilemmas people on bikes confront while moving through cities. When cyclists flout the law, is it a sign that they’re all selfish scofflaws? Or are they engaging in a simple act of civil disobedience that can lead to better, safer streets and rules that reflect the difference between bikes and cars? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, T-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more.  Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Doug sits down with Talking Points Memo’s Josh Marshall for a “Pedestrian/Cyclist Summit” (The Josh Marshall Show) Cyclists Break Far Fewer Road Rules Than Motorists, Finds New Video Study (Forbes) Oregon’s “Idaho Stop” bill faces headwinds in Senate (BikePortland.org) Our special Klezmer version of The War on Cars theme was produced by the brilliant Michael Hearst. Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Questions? Suggestions? Email us a voice memo and perhaps we'll use it in an upcoming mailbag episode. We love hearing from you guys: [email protected]

Once a year, the world descends on Manhattan for the New York International Auto Show, an extravagant, multimillion-dollar celebration of all things car. From the most “sinister” Dodge Challenger to a Kia that can sense a driver’s mood and adjust the vehicle’s interior accordingly, the Auto Show isn’t just a showcase for new products, it’s a vision of the future of the North American city—a future that is built around the car. What will it take for foot soldiers in the War on Cars to go up against this well-funded juggernaut? Is it possible that a band of guerrilla activists, spurred by tragedy and armed with nothing more than red cups and tomatoes, can take on an empire? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive stickers, t-shirts, exclusive access to special audio content and more. Buy an official War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES:  Aaron infiltrates the International Auto Show and reconnoiters the Kia HabaNiro, Subaru's greenwashing, the new Rolls Royce SUV, and one particular set of vehicles that were well designed for the urban environment.  Cyclist Killed Was a Longtime Bike Advocate Who "Lived and Breathed Making the Streets Safer" (WAMU 88.5)  D.C. Bike Advocate’s Death Highlights Slow Progress Toward Safe Streets (Streetsblog USA) Simple but Empowering: Cyclists Place Red Cups Along Bike Lanes to Show How Vulnerable They Are” (Bicycling) Bike Lanes Need Barriers, Not Just Paint (Curbed) Paint Is Not Enough: Red Cup Project Shines Light On Bike Lane Dangers (WBZ4 CBS Boston) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. This episode was produced by Ben Ellman.  Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

In 2002, Theresa Sareo, an up-and-coming singer, had her life changed forever when a reckless driver hit her as she stood on a Manhattan sidewalk waiting to cross the street. She lost her leg and nearly died, making her one of the millions of people injured by automobiles in the United States every year. In New York City alone, the toll was more than 59,000 people in 2018. Theresa tells her story of recovery and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers and other rewards. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Show notes: Visit Theresa Sareo’s personal website to find out more about her story and her music. Read the New York magazine article about the crash and its aftermath. Find data about auto-related injuries and fatalities on New York City’s crash data map. Follow us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars. Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, and Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. This episode was produced and edited by Sarah Goodyear. Do you have an issue you want to discuss with us on the show? Send a voice memo to: [email protected]. We'd love to hear from you. 

A new generation of urban leaders is rising to power and they’re kicking butt and challenging long-standing assumptions about the role of the car in the city. Among them is Corey Johnson, New York City’s new City Council Speaker. At 37 years old, Corey is the first bonafide, avocado toast–eating Millennial to hold citywide elected office. We ride the subway with Corey to learn more about his plans to “break car culture” in the Big Apple. So can Millennials win the War on Cars? What even is a Millennial anyway? Plus, a special round-up of the all-time great historic speeches in The War on Cars. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers and other rewards. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Show Notes: Watch New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s 2019 State of the City Address on Vimeo. Or read a transcript of the speech. "Why Housing Policy Is Climate Policy," by California State Senator Scott Wiener and Prof. Daniel Kammen. Vancouver, British Columbia Legislative Assembly Member Bowinn Ma teaches her fellow elected officials about induced demand. Car-free Oklahoma City Councilor JoBeth Hamon has “resting bicycle face.” And here are some more exciting, up-and-coming local elected officials: Michelle Wu, Boston; Lisa Bender, Minneapolis; Pete Buttigieg, South Bend; Scott Wiener, San Francisco; Mitra Jalali Nelson, St. Paul; Jason Dozier, Atlanta; Rob Dooling, Washington D.C.; Antonio Reynoso, Brooklyn; Teresa Mosqueda, Seattle; Meghan Sahli-Wells of Culver City is “burning calories, not carbon.” Check out this Twitter thread for dozens more urban leaders who are fighting and winning The War on Cars. Thanks for all of your suggestions and tips. The full report that Corey Johnson’s office released along with his speech: “A Case for Municipal Control and a Comprehensive Transportation Vision for the Five Boroughs.” And a very special thanks to Steve Ross for his impressions of FDR, JFK and Reagan. You can find more of Steve’s work on YouTube. Follow us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars. Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke. Our show is produced and edited by Curtis Fox Productions @curtisfox. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email or send a voice memo to: [email protected].

For nearly thirty years, brothers Ray and Tom Magliozzi were the hosts of NPR's "Car Talk" and the voices of American car culture. Famous for their distinctive Boston accents and infectious laughs, Click and Clack didn’t just diagnose engine troubles, they recognized that people’s personal relationships often revolved around their automobiles. In a War on Cars exclusive, Doug sits down with Ray Magliozzi to talk about car culture, the brothers’ surprising war on SUVs, and whether or not “Bike Talk” could even be half the phenomenon “Car Talk” was… and still is. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to the extended interview with Ray Magliozzi plus TWOC stickers and other rewards. Buy a “buttery soft” War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review The War On Cars on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Learn more about Car Talk… …and listen to “The Best of Car Talk.” “Car Talk’s Tom Magliozzi: An Unlikely Environmental Advocate.” (ThinkProgress) Tom and Ray’s “Live Large, Drive Smaller” anti-SUV campaign. (The New Yorker) Tom and Ray’s 2007 letter to Congress in favor of higher fuel standards. (Car Talk) Dispatches from Aaron's years-long Twitter crusade to banish "Car Talk" from WNYC.  Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 and producer Curtis Fox @curtisfox Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

What if you could get around quickly and reliably in a state-of-the-art vehicle that you didn’t have to drive, park, fuel, or insure? No, it’s not an Uber or a self-driving car... it’s the bus! In this episode, we talk to Cam Hardy of the Better Bus Coalition in Cincinnati, Ohio, about why buses are chronically unloved and underfunded. Plus, we look at attempts to make buses cool through the power of advertising, and hear the latest battle news from the global War on Cars. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers and other rewards. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. Show notes: Cincinnati’s Better Bus Coalition Cam Hardy’s epic Facebook Live bus rant “The Bus” from Greater Toronto’s GO Transit Midttraffik bus ad from Denmark Human Transit, Jarrett Walker’s blog Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, and producer Curtis Fox @curtisfox. Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

On Super Bowl Sunday, a hundred million Americans gathered in front of their TVs and absorbed a fearsome barrage of automobile advertising. While most viewers munched on snacks, guzzled beer and focused on the game, our crack team of intelligence analysts were busy studying the car commercials. What do these multimillion-dollar productions say about car culture, the fantasy of driving versus the reality, and about America itself? To win The War on Cars we must understand the enemy.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers and other rewards. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review the podcast on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Hyundai, "The Elevator." Audi, "Cashew." Mercedes-Benz A-Class, "Say the Word." Kia Telluride, "Give It Everything." Jeep "More Than Just Words." How much it costs to air a commercial during the Super Bowl (CNBC) Super Bowl draws lowest audience in more than a decade (CNBC) “Stand Up” by Ludacris featuring Shawnna (YouTube) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

You're listening to WCAR talk radio with Spoke and the Mad Dog. In this episode we take listener questions and comments, tackling everything from fixing the suburbs, tips for lonely bike advocates, why car-free days are one of the best tools for improving cities and how to make even the most sprawled-out metropolis in America better for people on two feet, two wheels or transit. Plus, can a War on Cars t-shirt get a person out of jury duty? Don't touch that dial!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers and other rewards. Buy a War on Cars T-shirt at Cotton Bureau. Rate and review us on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Safe Streets Advocates: Whoopi’s ‘Apology’ Just Isn’t Enough (Streetsblog) Ellen Dunham Jones, “Retrofitting Suburbia” (TED) “An advanced city is not one where even the poor use cars, but rather one where even the rich use public transport.” - Enrique Peñalosa (TED) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected]. Send us a voice memo and maybe we’ll play it on a future listener mailbag episode.

When New York City mayor Bill de Blasio went on ABC’s "The View" to discuss universal health care, little did he know he’d be on the receiving end of an epic anti-bike-lane rant courtesy of Oscar-winner and daily car commuter Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi’s fact-free diatribe exposed one of the biggest obstacles cities face as they try to modernize their transportation systems: The liberal blind spot for cars. In this special episode of The War on Cars, we discuss why it is that even the most liberal people in the most progressive cities are so often unable to see the problems wrought by automobiles, much less support alternative forms of transportation. Plus, as civilization faces a looming climate catastrophe, can the Green New Deal offer some hope or will Baby Boomer talk show hosts doom us all? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards. Plus, be entered to win a Cleverhood rain cape by donating at any level in January. Rate and review us on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Whoopi Goldberg slams Bill de Blasio on ‘The View’ over NYC bike lanes (NY Post) Day Two: Whoopi Goldberg still pissed over NYC bike lanes (NY Post) Mom of slain cyclist slams Whoop Goldberg for bike lane gripes (NY Post) Whoopi issues non-apology to families of people killed by drivers. (@WhoopiGoldberg) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

Which is more destructive? Cars or guns? A recent study showed that guns are now the second-leading killer of children in the U.S. But what does it say about our culture that the press seemed to gloss over the first? (Spoiler alert: It’s cars.) In this episode, we discuss the similarities between these two threats to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Plus, what can safe streets advocates learn from gun control advocates, and vice versa?  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards. Plus, be entered to win a Cleverhood rain cape by donating at any level in January. Rate and review us on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Guns now the second leading killer of kids, after cars. (NBC News) “Monster” vehicles more likely to cause fatal collisions. (National Post) Death on Foot: America's love for SUVs is killing pedestrians and federal safety regulators have known for years. (Detroit Free Press) Charlton Heston’s “My cold dead hands” NRA speech. (YouTube) Dodge needed a spokesman for their muscle cars. They chose the actor Michael C. Hall when he was playing a serial killer on the popular Showtime series "Dexter." (YouTube) “Buy a little freedom, buy a Yugo!” (YouTube) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

The stakes are literally life and death, but can humor be an effective weapon in the war on cars? In this episode we talk to Charlie Todd, the founder of Improv Everywhere, about how using the city as a stage for elaborate comedy scenes can help people see public space in a new light. What’s the connection between turning parking spots into parks and unleashing hordes of pants-free people on the subway? Plus, how does a father of two become radicalized against automobiles? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards.  Rate and review us on iTunes. SHOW NOTES: Charlie Todd on Twitter: @charlietodd Improv Everywhere turns a pair of payphones into a coworking space. A brief history of Park(ing) Day. (CityLab) Jonathan Fertig’s “Flower Lanes.” (Boston Globe) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

Why is driving a car seen as masculine and riding a bicycle seen as feminine? Is it even possible to look like an adult while riding an e-scooter? Our experience of moving through public space is deeply affected by our mode of transportation and our gender identity; the mode we choose affects not only how we are seen by others, but how we see ourselves. In this episode, we cover biking while female, taking the Metro in Mexico City and what The 40-Year-Old Virgin has to say about guys who bike.  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards. Buy an official The War on Cars t-shirt from Cotton Bureau. Rate and review us on iTunes. EPISODE NOTES: How not having a car became Hollywood shorthand for loser. (Slate) You can’t say they’re not trying to make e-scooters manly. (Robb Report) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions? Suggestions? Email us: [email protected].

When is a car not a car? When it’s a source of solace and comfort, a curbside living room and a personal aesthetic statement. This episode is brought to you “live” from the interior of a 1987 Cadillac DeVille as we hear from Alex Brook Lynn, the producer of FAQ NYC, about why she escapes to her car for a little private time amidst the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. What would it take for Alex to quit her car? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards. Rate and review us on iTunes. EPISODE NOTES: Follow Alex Brook Lynn on Twitter.  Listen to the FAQ NYC podcast. Almost half of Americans (45%) go to their car to have a private moment. (Fast Company/IKEA) Follow us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke. Questions? Suggestions? Complaints? Talk to us: [email protected].

From coast to coast, electric-bikes are having their moment. But a New York City Police Department crackdown on delivery cyclists who rely on e-bikes to do their jobs has some wondering if a double standard isn’t at play. At a time when big companies are jumping on the e-bike bandwagon, are the immigrant men who deliver food being unfairly punished? We discuss the murky laws surrounding e-bikes and what the future has in store with Helen Ho of the Biking Public Project. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards.  Rate and review us on iTunes. EPISODE NOTES: The Biking Public Project (Tumblr) “One Man’s Fight to Regulate E-Bikes in His Neighborhood” (WNYC) Who really gets fined when the police crackdown on e-bikes? (Gothamist) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek and Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1. Questions? Suggestions? Complaints about how much we curse? Email us! [email protected].

In 2009, soon-to-be Toronto Mayor Rob Ford declared that he would end the war on cars. His remarks were the opening shots in a battle that would come to signify more than just how people get around. How did cars and the urban/surburban divide become a cultural flashpoint? And did you know that a “War on Autoists” was front-page news a century before the War on Cars? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts and other rewards.  Rate and review us on iTunes. EPISODE NOTES: Rob Ford: “There’s no secret about it, there’s a war on cars in the city!” (YouTube) “The War on Cars” by Prager U. (YouTube)  “Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City,” by Peter Norton (MIT Press) "'War on Cars': A History" by Eric de Place (Sightline Institute) Rob Ford: "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine." (YouTube) Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions? Suggestions? Want to be a part of our “Quit Your Car” segment? Email us: [email protected].

With cities on the front lines of the war on cars, can mayors muster the courage to put automobiles in their rightful place? Not to name names, but does it matter if elected officials are driven twelve miles to the gym every day in a three SUV convoy just to jog on a treadmill? Plus, Doug announces his candidacy for mayor. Can he withstand the inevitable barrage of dark money attack ads? Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts and other rewards. Rate and review us on iTunes. EPISODE NOTES: Paris mayor’s war on cars moves up a gear with ban in heart of city. (France 24) Watch Oslo transform into a car-free utopia (Curbed) Barcelona mayor delcares war on injustice of private car use (Reuters) In Montreal, an electrifying win for a long-shot who campaigned on better transit and cycling (Streetsblog) Cars set to be banned from half of roads in London's Square Mile (Evening Standard) German cities to trial free public transportation to cut pollution. (The Guardian) Why Jennifer Keesmaat’s Gardiner teardown pitch is key to her campaign (Toronto Star) Car Ownership Continues to Rise Under Mayor de Blasio (Streetsblog) Follow the show on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek. Questions? Suggestions? Gripes? Email us at [email protected].

Take the driver out of the car and what do you get? Heaven or hell? Will the rise of the robocar lead to a revolution in safety and change how cities allocate public space? Or will pedestrians and cyclists get pushed aside to make way for Skynet? Aaron, Sarah and Doug tackle these questions and more as we anticipate the imminent arrival of our autonomous vehicle overlords. Become a Patreon Supporter and get exclusive War on Cars stickers, t-shirts and other premiums. If you enjoyed the show, please rate and review us on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.  Episode Notes:  Video on The Future of Autonomous Vehicles by Robin Chase. Article on China and social credit: Leave No Dark Corner by Matthew Carney for The Australian Broadcasting Corporation. On Twitter: Follow the show @TheWarOnCars  Doug Gordon @Brooklyn Spoke Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1 Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek  Email: [email protected] Thanks for listening!

In this pilot episode, we discuss why the world needs a War on Cars and ask if tech — specifically tech companies — can save our cities from the car. Are e-scooters, Lyft buses and self-driving Ubers running through Elon Musk's tunnels the wave of the future or are they a harbinger of dystopia? The War On Cars is a new podcast from Sarah Goodyear (@buttermilk1), Doug Gordon (@BrooklynSpoke) and Aaron Naparstek (@Naparstek).The War On Cars is produced by Curtis Fox. Music by Nathaniel Goodyear.   Wars are expensive. You can support The War on Cars via Patreon.  For more information on The War on Cars, visit our web site: http://waroncars.org