“Why are so many trans people into urban planning?” That’s the question independent journalist and co-host of the Cancel Me, Daddy podcast Katelyn Burns asked her Bluesky followers, and she got an overwhelming response. 

Katelyn wrote up some of those answers in a recent piece on The Flytrap, the feminist media outlet she recently co-founded and launched. It’s a thought-provoking read. We talked with Katelyn about the safety that trans people can find in dense cities, the “trans on trains” meme, and what the game Cities: Skylines has to do with all of this. And she discusses how the trans perspective can illuminate problems and solutions within urban systems.

***Our new book, Life After Cars, will be published on October 21, 2025 by Thesis, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Pre-order now.

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

This episode was produced with the generous support of the Helen & William Mazer Foundation.

This episode was also supported by Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

Save 15% on the amazing Arclight Pedals and everything from Redshift Sports with code WARONCARS at checkout.

LINKS:

Read and subscribe to The Flytrap.

Check out Katelyn’s piece on how you can tell that cities are designed for (and by) men.

Find Katelyn Burns on Bluesky.

Listen to the Cancel Me Daddy podcast.

thewaroncars.org / lifeaftercars.com

Protesters at a Tesla showroom in Gowanus, March 8, 2025.

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.

This is an excerpt from our interview with Ed Niedermeyer, the author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors. Ed has been writing about Elon Musk for years, and he’s been one of the billionaire’s most astute critics since way back.

We talked with Ed for our recent episode “Inside the Tesla Takedown Movement,” about his involvement with the protest movement that has sprung up around the country at Tesla showrooms, targeting the destructive alliance between Musk and Donald Trump. Ed believes the protests are quite possibly the most effective tool we have right now to diminish Musk’s influence and power, and to counter the Trump regime.

Subscribe on Patreon for access to the entire episode.

Since early February, a protest phenomenon has been building steadily across the United States, springing up at scores of Tesla dealerships from coast to coast. Organizers call it Tesla Takedown. It’s remarkable in part because in today’s United States, we have engineered an environment that prioritizes automotive convenience and speed—and in the process deadens civic life and makes protest difficult. So it’s ironic that Tesla dealerships, many of them located in the worst kind of automotive sprawl, have emerged as crucial nodes in a decentralized network of resistance to Elon Musk and Donald Trump. 

In this episode, we talk to participants and organizers about what is motivating them. We also caught up with  journalist Ed Niedermeyer, return guest of The War on Cars and author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors, about what effect this could have on Tesla’s bottom line, and why it’s an effective tactic to weaken the hold that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has on the United States government.

Note: This episode was recorded before the huge Hands Off protests of April 5th, 2025. Clearly, American protesters are starting to find their voice, and their space.

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

This episode was produced with the generous support of the Helen & William Mazer Foundation.

This episode was also supported by Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

Save 15% on the amazing Arclight Pedals and everything from Redshift Sports with code WARONCARS at checkout.

LINKS:

Find a #TeslaTakedown protest near you.

Check out Ed Niedermeyer’s Autonocast podcast.

Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our online store. 

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

TheWarOnCars.org

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 may remember Marco te Brömmelstroet, also known as “The Fietsprofessor,” from episode 65, “Where Are the Bike Lanes In Lego City?”  Marco returns for this special bonus episode to discuss a new study he co-authored with Dr. Ian Walker, another former guest of the podcast.

The study, “Why Do Cars Get a Free Ride? The social-ecological roots of motonormativity,” takes a look at a phenomenon where people accept the harms and risks associated with cars in ways they wouldn’t in other areas of life and asks where motonormativity comes from and examines the ways in which it manifests itself differently depending on factors such as where a person lives or their perceptions of the beliefs of their friends and family. The results are fascinating.

Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the Chair on Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam. He is the founding academic director of the Urban Cycling Institute and uses Dutch cycling culture as a lens to study the two-way relations between mobility, the city and society. He also the co-author, with journalist Thalia Verkade, of an excellent book, “Movement: How to Take Back Our Streets and Transform Our Lives,” which challenges readers to radically rethink how we use public spaces and even the language to describe the change we want to see in the world.

Subscribe on Patreon for access to the entire episode.

Trump’s on-again-off-again tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico are causing chaos across the entire economy, but they’re hitting the auto industry especially hard. The big three U.S. automakers rely on an integrated supply and manufacturing process that sees raw materials and parts crossing international borders multiple times before each finished car rolls off the assembly line. The tariffs come at a time when the cost of car ownership is already sky-high, and when trying to find an affordable sedan from a domestic manufacturer is essentially impossible. David Zipper, a Senior Fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative, returns to the podcast to discuss the effects Trump’s economic “policies” (if you can call them that) are having on one of the nation’s most important industries. Needless to say, this isn’t how anyone should want to win the war on cars.

*** Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content, Discord access, 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 the amazing Arclight Pedals and everything from Redshift Sports with code WARONCARS at checkout.

LINKS:

• Learn more about David and read his writing at DavidZipper.com.
• “Detroit killed the sedan. Trump’s trade war will make them wish they hadn’t” (David in Fast Company)
• “Why car companies should fear the golf cart” (David in Fast Company)
• “One of the Biggest Victims of Trump’s Metals Tariffs: The Ford F-150” (WSJ)
• “Dealer Tells Fox Business ‘Nobody Is Gonna Buy’ Trucks Thanks to Tariffs”(Motor1.com)

Pick up official podcast tees and other merch in our official store. 

This episode was edited by Doug Gordon. It was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Transcriptions are by Russell Gragg. 

TheWarOnCars.org

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. 

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.

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. 

TheWarOnCars.org

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.”

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! ***

*** 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. 

TheWarOnCars.org

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. 

TheWarOnCars.org

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.

thewaroncars.org