The War on Cars

Journalist Megan Kimble discusses the Texas freeway fight, highlighting the negative impacts of highway expansion on communities. The podcast explores grassroots activism, the advocacy to remove I-345 in Dallas, challenges faced by homeowners, and the influence of the Texas Transportation Commission. It sheds light on the importance of pushing for alternative transportation solutions and the promotion of Kimble's book 'City Limits'.

Exploring the rising costs of car insurance in the US, delving into the aftermath of a tragic car accident, uncovering the complexities of insurance subrogation, advocating for traffic accident settlement reform, and discussing legislative efforts to implement the Make Hole Doctrine in Oregon.

The podcast discusses Bernie Wagenblast, the voice of NYC subway, and her inspiring story. It also includes a Top 10 list of transportation announcements, a pro-car comedian interruption, and reflections on urban planning, speed limits, congestion pricing, and childhood car memories.

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.*** In this bonus episode, we continue the conversation we had in Episode 120 about the car ads from Super Bowl LVIII. These two didn't air during the big game, but one is a bit on an antidote to the excess of the typical U.S. automobile commercial while the other is part of a series that ran during NFL postseason games and lots of other big televised events. The first, from a famous Dutch beer company, shows the world as we'd like it to be. The second, courtesy of Korean automaker Hyundai, shows the world where it might be headed.  

The podcast discusses the car ads aired during the Super Bowl and the absence of ads from the Big Three U.S. automakers. They explore the decline of creativity in Super Bowl ads and the lack of good news for gas cars. They also analyze Toyota's Super Bowl ad for the 2024 Tacoma and speculate on the decline of the industry.

Veronica W, a member of Adfree Cities, discusses their campaign against a problematic Toyota Hilux ad that promotes reckless behavior. They also talk about the efforts to reduce outdoor corporate advertising and the clash between Toyota's green image and their lobbying against climate policies. The podcast explores the trend in SUV advertising targeting young urban professionals and how misleading electric vehicle advertisements contribute to car culture. Adfree Cities advocates for a ban on harmful planet advertisements.

This is a preview of a special bonus episode for Patreon supporters of The War on Cars!   In the last episode of the podcast we spent some time with Baruch, Shawon, and their battery-swapping startup company, PopWheels. When I started working on that episode, I figured I was going to learn a lot about e-bikes, batteries, and the delivery app business. And I did. But over the course of more than a half dozen interviews and conversations between May and December 2023, I also learned a lot about Bangladeshi politics, immigration, and life in New York City as an e-bike delivery worker.   One of my favorite interviews for this episode took place on a crisp, sunny, Tuesday morning last October. I biked out to East New York, Brooklyn to meet Shawon and his friend Fokhrul, a Bangladeshi delivery worker who uses PopWheels battery-swapping network. (Shawon and Fokhrul asked me not to use their last names because they have asylum-seeker cases working their way through the legal system). We found a park bench and spent the morning talking about the political oppression they faced in Bangladesh, their arduous, months-long journey to the United States, and what their lives are like here in New York City. It was super interesting and I enjoyed it a lot. But, as often happens with these things, only tiny bits of this conversation made it into Episode 118. So, for this special bonus episode I wanted to share more of my interview with Shawon and Fokhrul with you. I also had some fun additional bits and pieces of tape with Baruch that never made it into the last episode. So, you'll find some of that woven in here too. I hope you enjoy hanging with Shawon, Fokhrul and Baruch as much as I did.   You can join us as a Patreon supporter to listen to the whole thing. -- Aaron

Baruch Herzfeld, CEO and co-founder of PopWheels, discusses the development of New York City's first e-bike battery-swapping network. He highlights the importance of safe and convenient battery recharge for pushing gas-burning vehicles out of cities. The podcast also explores the potential e-mobility revolution led by immigrant e-bike delivery workers and the need to recognize their contribution. Topics covered include e-bike battery fires, delivery riders' experiences, providing free radio streaming for immigrant Uber drivers, urban transportation solutions, dealing with bureaucracy, responsibility of delivery app companies, and building a battery network for e-bikes.

Transportation analyst David Zipper discusses the flaws of the 85th percentile rule in setting speed limits, the need to challenge car culture and prioritize road safety, the evolving coverage of transportation issues in mainstream media, the benefits of using golf carts as alternative transportation, and the resistance of the car industry to investing in safety improvements.

Last month the three hosts told their origin stories, or how they first became aware of the problems associated with cars and automobile dependency. Our stories included everything from lessons learned during early driving lessons to our individual experiences living in car-dependent places. The response to that episode was so great that we put out the call to our Patreon supporters to tell us their origin stories. We heard from people from all over the world — including a few friends and former guests of the podcast — who all wanted to share how they were radicalized into The War on Cars. ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.***