PREVIEW: Women Changing Cities with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett
The War on Cars
***This is a preview of a . For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, .*** When it comes to transforming cities and reclaiming space from the automobile, some of the best and boldest leaders are women. There's Mayor Anne Hidalgo in Paris and former Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, just to name two. Why is that so? That’s the question explored by our guests, urban mobility experts , in their new book: . The Bruntletts discuss the qualities that have allowed these...
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The Importance of Livable Streets with Bruce Appleyard
The War on Cars
We talked with Dr. Bruce Appleyard, who has spent a lifetime thinking about what we mean when we talk about liveable streets—and why it is so important that we build our cities with human beings in mind, first and foremost. Bruce’s research makes an appearance in Life After Cars, and his father, Donald Appleyard, was a legend in this field for his work that led to the indispensable book Livable Streets, published in 1981. In 2020 Bruce published Livable Streets 2.0, which brings his father’s book up to date while preserving its core principles and teachings. We talked with him about how...
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The Creation of America's Car Culture, Part 2
The War on Cars
Signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, otherwise known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act, ushered in an unprecedented era of roadbuilding in the United States, becoming the largest public works project in the country’s history. Designed to spread freedom and prosperity — and, as the name implies, provide for the national defense — these highways tore through urban neighborhoods, destroying once-thriving communities and displacing countless citizens, many of them people of color. In this special report, we examine just...
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PREVIEW: Hanging Out with Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland
The War on Cars
***This is a preview of a . For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, .*** We were out in Portland, Oregon, for our book tour in November, and spent a lot of great time hanging out with Jonathan Maus, the legendary founder of . We sat down with Jonathan in his backyard shed/studio and talked about how a great bike city can get even better, the importance of transit, and how media is an important part of the movement for more human cities. Order our new book, . And...
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Dispatches from Book Tour, Part 2
The War on Cars
We are back home in Brooklyn but we can’t stop talking about everything we saw out on the road on our Life After Cars book tour. Listen for our takes on the second leg of our trip, which took us from Providence to Austin to Houston to Denver to Boulder…and then ended with a surprise diversion to an unexpected destination. We’ve seen so much along the way—like just how destructive freeway expansions can be. But also how cities can reclaim automobile infrastructure for humans! Plus, a shout-out to all the people who took such good care of us along the way. Our book tour continues!...
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Dispatches from Book Tour
The War on Cars
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind as we hit the road (not in a car) to promote our new book, , in some of the greatest cities of North America including San Francisco, Washington, DC, Seattle, Vancouver, BC, Nanaimo, BC, Portland, OR, San Diego, and Los Angeles (as well as our home base of NYC, of course). Getting to visit all these cities in person, often walking and riding the streets accompanied by local advocates and elected officials, was a real joy and a privilege. We saw a lot! And maybe not surprisingly for a couple of podcasters, we had some thoughts about all of it—from...
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The Creation of America's Car Culture
The War on Cars
This episode is part of a special series called "Changing American Car Culture" funded with the generous support of The Helen and William Mazer Foundation. As historian Peter Norton documents in his book, , the death and destruction caused by the introduction of automobiles into U.S. cities in the early part of the 20th century caused a lot of people to challenge the notion that such machines would ever become popular. In response, autmobile companies, car dealers, driving enthuisasts, and others went on the offense, creating the culture that gave rise to the mass adoption of cars and the...
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PREVIEW: A Talk with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo
The War on Cars
This is a preview of a . For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, presale tickets to live shows, and more, . Back in September, Sarah moderated a conversation with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo as part of Climate Week events in New York City. The event was presented by the and , a Paris-based nonprofit that focuses on improving air quality. We talked about her work removing cars from the city, reducing air pollution, and cleaning up the Seine. for access to the entire episode. Order our new book, , out now...
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Welcome to Life After Cars
The War on Cars
Today we celebrate the publication of our new book, . In this episode, we serve up a sample of the audiobook and talk about some of the things we learned and that surprised us during the process of bringing Life After Cars to publication. Also, who should play us in the movie version? Listen to hear our thoughts and let us know your opinion. We are so grateful to all of our listeners and supporters for making this day possible. Go out there and . . Please support independent booksellers! and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of regular episodes, Patreon-only bonus content,...
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The War on the War on Cars with Ted Mann
The War on Cars
In this episode, we talk about the Trump Administration’s full-on financial assault on all the modes of transportation we hold dear here at The War on Cars. Biking, walking, public transit—basically, anything deemed “hostile to cars” or that has something to do with sustainability and equity is under attack. Ted Mann, a reporter at Bloomberg News , joins us to explain what is going on with federal transportation funding for active transportation projects and more. You can find more of Ted’s work or follow him on . and receive exclusive access to ad-free versions of...
info_outlineOn 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.***
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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)
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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: thewaroncars@gmail.com