Bring a snorkel. The Kia Telluride can’t actually do this.

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 multi-million-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.

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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!

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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?

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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?

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Improv Everywhere’s Phone Booth Coworking.

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?

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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.

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Alex Brook Lynn and her 1987 Cadillac DeVille

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?

You can find the full transcript of this episode here.

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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.

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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?

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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?

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