More Motornormativity with Marco te Brömmelstroet, aka "The Fietsprofessor"
The War on Cars
NOTE: This episode was originally released as a . For more episodes like this, . We're an independent podcast and rely on listener support. Thanks! Marco te Brömmelstroet, also known as "The Fietsprofessor," returns to The War on Cars to discuss a new study he co-authored with , another former guest of the podcast. The study 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. But unlike Dr. Walker's previoius study — and that of , another friend of The War on Cars — this new study asks where...
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Putting the Trans in Transit with Katelyn Burns
The War on Cars
“Why are so many trans people into urban planning?” That’s the question independent journalist and co-host of the podcast Katelyn Burns asked her Bluesky followers, and she got an overwhelming response. Katelyn wrote up some of those answers in on , 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...
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TEASER: Why Fighting Tesla Matters with Ed Niedermeyer
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, pre-sale tickets to live shows and more, . 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...
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Inside the Tesla Takedown Protests
The War on Cars
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...
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TEASER: More Motonormativity with Marco Te Brommelstroet, aka "The Fietsprofessor."
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, pre-sale tickets to live shows and more, . You may remember Marco te Brömmelstroet, also known as "The Fietsprofessor," from episode 65, Marco returns for this special bonus episode to discuss a new study he co-authored with , another former guest of the podcast. The study, 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...
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Cars Bad, Tariffs Worse with David Zipper
The War on Cars
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...
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Riding the UK's Cycle Network with Laura Laker
The War on Cars
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 , 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...
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Trump v. Congestion Pricing
The War on Cars
Can you believe this is our about congestion pricing? This time, we’re responding to the Trump administration’s attack on the program, which has been , 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 “.” Hochul fired back that New York “hasn't labored under a king in over 250 years” and said she’d . And things have just...
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What's Happening with Federal Transportation Dollars?
The War on Cars
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...
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TEASER: Live with City Nerd!
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, pre-sale tickets to live shows and more, . Last month we had the pleasure of sharing the stage with Ray Delahanty, aka , 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....
info_outlineNOTE: 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.