Laura Laker exploring the infrastructure of the UK’s National Cycle Network. Photo courtesy of Laura Laker.

Laura Laker is a London-based freelance journalist who specializes in writing about cycling and urban transport. We talked with her about the year she spent riding around Britain on the United Kingdom’s 13,000-mile National Cycle Network—an enlightening and often hilarious odyssey that she documents in her first book, Potholes and Pavements: A Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network. We also got into her work in formulating and promoting the UK’s first Road Collision Reporting Guidelines, which detail best practices for the media and planning professionals to talk about road crashes and their prevention. 

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, invitations to live events, merch discounts and free stickers! ***

This episode was produced with support from the Helen and William Mazer Foundation and Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

Save 15% on everything from Redshift Sports, including the amazing Arclight pedals, with code WARONCARS. Use this link for access.

LINKS:

• Find out more about Laura Laker’s work.
• Buy Laura’s book, Potholes and Pavements: A Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network, at our official Bookshop.org page.
• Check out the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines that Laura helped write.
• Learn more about the UK’s National Cycle Network and Sustrans, the nonprofit that promotes and maintains it.

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. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. 

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Can you believe this is our second emergency episode about congestion pricing? This time, we’re responding to the Trump administration’s attack on the program, which has been in effect since January, delivering exactly the results that policymakers had hoped for. Despite those early signs of success, on Wednesday, February 19th, Sean Duffy, the new US DOT Secretary, sent an email to New York Governor Hochul saying that he was rescinding approval of the tolling plan. President Trump gloated about the move on social media, writing “LONG LIVE THE KING.” Hochul fired back that New York “hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years” and said she’d see the administration in court. And things have just escalated from there! With us to discuss it all is reporter Dave Colon, who has been covering the congestion pricing saga for Streetsblog NYC and is known (to himself among others) as “America’s beloved congestion pricing expert.”

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, invitations to live events, merch discounts and free stickers! ***

*** If you’re in the New York area and are looking for a new e-bike, check out the Upway Sample Sale at their warehouse in Brooklyn on February 28th. You’ll score deep discounts on e-bikes from all the major brands. Tell ‘em The War on Cars sent you.***

LINKS:

Catch up on all the latest congestion pricing news from Dave and the rest of the team at Streetsblog NYC.

See Dave’s video in which he explains why DOT Secretary Sean Duffy is wrong about congestion pricing. 

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 Doug Gordon. It was recorded by Walter Nordquist at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. 

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Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy takes the oath of office from Vice President JD Vance. Credit: US Department of Transportation

The Trump administration has upended the entire United States government over the last several weeks, sending Elon Musk and his minions into the guts of pretty much every federal department in a crusade for what they’re calling “efficiency.” Funds that were legally appropriated by Congress have been frozen, and in some cases even clawed back. The battle to preserve all sorts of spending is now in the courts. 

What does this all mean for federal funding of public transit, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and the transition to EVs? And what is DOT Secretary Sean Duffy’s “Woke Rescission Memo”? We talked with Beth Osborne, executive director of the advocacy organization Transportation for America, to help us understand what’s at stake and how we can help defend projects we care about in our own communities. (Spoiler alert: It won’t be easy!)

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, invitations to live events, merch discounts and free stickers! ***

This episode was produced with support from the Helen and William Mazer Foundation and Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

*** If you’re in the New York area and are looking for a new e-bike, check out the Upway Sample Sale at their warehouse in Brooklyn on February 28th. You’ll score deep discounts on e-bikes from all the major brands. Tell ‘em The War on Cars sent you.***

LINKS:

Transportation for America has some great resources to help you understand the federal funding picture in more detail.

Some terms Beth mentions in the interview that might be unfamiliar: 

• ISTEA (pronounced ICE-T) is an acronym referring to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, which fundamentally restructured the way federal transportation funds are disbursed. You can read more about it here. (Brookings)
• Justice40 refers to a Biden-era policy initiative aiming to direct 40 percent of federal investments in areas like climate, clean energy, and affordable housing to disadvantaged, disinvested communities that suffer disproportionately from pollution. 

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. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. 

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This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, pre-sale tickets to live shows and more, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.

Last month we had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Ray Delahanty, aka City Nerd on YouTube, for a live show presented by the Hunter College School of Urban Policy & Planning in New York. Our conversation with Ray covered everything from New York City exceptionalism to the latest data about congestion pricing. Plus, we surveyed the audience about their transportation choices and answered questions from Patreon supporters. We’re big fans of City Nerd and were so delighted to work with Ray on this live show.

We love partnering with local advocacy organizations, non-profits, and educational institutions for live events, so if you’d like to host The War on Cars in your city, please reach out!

Subscribe on Patreon for access to the entire episode.

It’s the CXLIVth episode of The War on Cars, and just like in years past we’re taking a look at the ads that aired during the Super Bowl. This year, there weren’t a whole lot of ads specifically designed to sell cars and trucks, but there was still plenty of car-adjacent stuff to talk about—from ads highlighting the urban/suburban divide to an amazing halftime show from Kendrick Lamar featuring a Buick GNX. Rollie Williams (Climate Town) and Nicole Conlan (The Climate Denier’s Playbook, The Daily Show) join us to talk about some of the commercials that aired during the big game and what they say about the state of our culture, our climate, and our politics.

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to bonus content, ad-free versions of regular episodes, free stickers, merch discounts, early access to live shows, and more. *** 

Get tickets to our live show on April 24th in Minneapolis, presented by Our Streets.

This episode was produced with support from the Helen and William Mazer Foundation and Cleverhood. Listen for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

LINKS: 

Watch Climate Town on YouTube.

Listen to The Climate Denier’s Playbook.

Check out Rollie’s billiards channel on YouTube.

Here’s how Kendrick Lamar’s production team found a Buick GNX for his halftime show. (Wired)

Missed this year’s ads? You can watch most of them here.

Watch Harrison Ford in “Owner’s Manual,” an ad for Jeep.

“Car Brands Have Been Pumping the Brakes on Super Bowl Ads” (AdWeek)

Why State Farm opted out of this year’s game. (CBS News)

Read Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster by Mike Davis and pick up other books in our official Bookshop.org store.

Pick up official podcast merch in our store.

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Donald Shoup, a towering figure in the world of urban planning and a distinguished professor emeritus at the UCLA Luskin School of Public affairs, died this week. He was 86 years old. As a tribute to such an influential, brilliant, and witty scholar, we are re-releasing this episode from 2023.

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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.”

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, invitations to live events, merch discounts and free stickers!

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. Transcripts are by Russell Gragg.

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This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, pre-sale tickets to live shows, and more, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.

You’ve probably heard us talking about how we have written a book that will be coming out this fall. We are super excited to share more about that very soon. We’ve spent a lot of the last year in the research and writing process. And what became apparent very soon was that there were a lot of things that we weren’t going to be able to fit into the book, no matter how hard we tried.

So we put together a little bonus episode for you on one of the fascinating things we found that just didn’t make the final draft.  It’s a book called The Romance of the Automobile Industry: Being the Story of Its Development—Its Contribution to Health and Prosperity—Its Influence on Eugenics—Its Effect on Personal Efficiency—and Its Service and Mission to Humanity as the Latest and Greatest Phase of Transportation. 

Published in 1916, it’s essentially a 460-page ad, lavishly illustrated with pictures of bewhiskered white men and their inventions. And even after all the time we’ve spent thinking about cars, this book still had some surprises. (And yes, you read that right…he talks about eugenics. We’ll explain.)

Subscribe on Patreon for access to the whole bonus episode!

President Joe Biden in 2023 at the Falls Road Amtrak maintenance building in Baltimore. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

As the new Trump regime begins, we talked with Dani Simons—who until recently led the Office of Public Affairs for the federal Department of Transportation—about the Biden administration’s legacy on transportation. What are the stakes as we go from Amtrak Joe and DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg to an administration made up of oil barrels disguised as people? What are the last four years’ biggest achievements on the transportation front? How do we communicate better about federal investments in active transportation? And how do we hold onto the hard-fought policies aimed at pedestrian safety and mitigating the climate crisis?

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

This episode was recorded at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio by Justin Fernandez. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg.

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to bonus content, ad-free versions of regular episodes, free stickers, merch discounts, early access to live shows, and more. *** 

Purchase tickets to our April 24th live show in Minneapolis, presented by Our Streets.

LINKS:

• The Wall Street Journal’s Dorothy Rabinowitz and the Citibike moral panic (original video here)
• Eliot Spitzer at the Mayflower Hotel
• New York City’s Open Streets program and Michael Bloomberg’s PlaNYC
• And if you were wondering what Dani meant when she said “NHTSA,” that’s the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

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Smooth traffic entering the toll zone at Fifth Avenue and 60th Street in Manhattan. Photo: Sarah Goodyear

At last, New York City started its congestion pricing program on January 5.

We knew that the local mainstream press would be out in force interviewing drivers and elevating the voices of those who were against the toll. We knew that because the New York press corps has a long history of putting the people who commute by car in New York above those who don’t.

So we went out on congestion pricing’s first weekday morning and talked to some people who weren’t driving. Some of the people we talked with were random New Yorkers, but mostly we heard from advocates who knew we would be there and showed up in the freezing cold to talk about why they were so excited about the launch of this historic program.

Thank you to all the people who spared some of their time on a cold morning to talk to us, especially Samir Lavingia, Charlie Todd, Chris Sanders, Alex Duncan, Rich Miller, Noel Hidalgo, Seth Solomonow, Kirby Kersels, Paul Krikler and Steve from Peekskill.

This episode was edited by Ali Lemer.

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to bonus content, ad-free versions of regular episodes, free stickers, merch discounts, early access to live shows, and more. *** 

LINKS:

• The MTA’s FAQ page answers all your questions about congestion pricing.
• Check out this congestion pricing traffic tracker for collected data showing the program’s impact.

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How do dense, walkable cities influence what people wear? Derek Guy has some thoughts. Otherwise known as The Menswear Guy, Derek rose to fame on social media for his takes on men’s fashion. But he also dips his toes into urbanism from time to time, arguing that the ecosystems that support quality craftsmanship and expert tailoring are strongest in places where it’s easy to get around without a car.

Derek joins us to talk about what the great fashion capitals of the world have in common, why Tokyo is a hotbed of fashion enthusiasts, how the housing crisis is affecting style, and more. 

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to bonus content, ad-free versions of regular episodes, free stickers, merch discounts, early access to live shows, and more. *** 

Become a Patreon supporter to get pre-sale tickets to our live show on April 24th in Minneapolis, presented by Our Streets.

This episode was produced with support from Cleverhood. Listen for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

LINKS: 

Follow Derek Guy on Bluesky, Instagram, and other social media sites.

Read more from Derek Guy at Die, Workwear.

Read Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style and Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion, and Constant Change, both by W. David Marx

Pick up merch in our store.

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