The War on Cars

***Happy holidays! This is a rerelease of our interview with Jessie Singer, the author of There Are No Accidents, which originally came out in February 2022 as Episode 80. It's one of our favorite episodes from 2022. We'll be back with new episodes in January.*** What do we mean when we say something is an “accident”? When a motorist kills a pedestrian or cyclist it is often described in the press and the criminal justice system as a “car accident” — even when there is a clear cause such as a driver who was drunk, distracted or speeding. According to a new book by journalist Jessie Singer, events that most people describe as accidents are anything but. Singer argues that who lives and dies by accident in America is not random but utterly predictable. Using the word, she says, protects the powerful and leads to “the prevention of prevention.” You can find the full transcript of this episode here. Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive access to ad-free bonus episodes and other beneifts. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us!

It's been hard to escape the ongoing disaster that is Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter. But anyone who has been paying attention to Musk's understanding of transportation (or lack thereof) as well as his dig-tunnels-quick scheme saw all of this coming a long time ago.   ***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this and all of our bonus content.***

We headed over to our sponsor Rad Power Bikes’ new Brooklyn showroom last week to meet with founder and CEO Mike Radenbaugh and test drive his newly launched three-wheeler, the Rad Trike. The trike is very cool, beautifully designed, and tons of fun to ride. Manufacturing an e-trike is a big gamble for the young company. But Radenbaugh believes the Trike is his most accessible and transformational product yet, with huge potential to get lots more Americans out of their gas-guzzling SUVs and into lighter, cleaner, smarter, and more affordable electric vehicles. Can The War on Cars be won on tricycles? LINKS: “The RadTrike is the latest weapon in Rad Power Bikes’ ongoing war on cars.” (By Andrew J. Hawkins of The Verge)The Teenage Tinkerer Behind an E-Bike Revolution (New York Times)Rad Power Bikes: Mike Radenbaugh (How I Built This with Guy Raz) * * * * * *Support The War on Cars on Patreon and you’ll get exclusive access to ad-free bonus content and more.  Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was recorded by Aaron Naparstek and Doug Gordon. It was produced and edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org

In the spring of 2021, War on Cars co-host Aaron Naparstek started noticing lots of big loud muscle cars rumbling around New York City emblazoned with Instagram accounts. He began following cars on social media, immersing himself in a world of burnouts, donuts, street races, and takeovers. What happens when car culture meets social media and a city's street network becomes the infrastructure for thousands of clout-seeking muscle car enthusiasts' social network? To find out, Aaron brought The War on Cars to New York City's "biggest, craziest car meet" of the year.  This is the second of a three-part series. You might want to listen to Part 1, "Welcome to Muscle Car City," before you listen to this.   * * * * * * * * This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Instagram Accounts:  Denys da Menace Whiteline Certified Team Macksauce Team No Hesitation Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this and all of our bonus content. As thanks, we'll send you stickers!*** Advice columnist and activist Dan Savage was our guest for episode 95, "Make Love Not Cars with Dan Savage." We had some fun side conversations that didn't make their way into the final edit so we're presenting them here for our Patreon supporters. Hear Dan's thoughts on driving in Los Angeles and how he feels about the rise of e-bikes. Subscribe for access! TheWarOnCars.org

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive, ad-free bonus episode. Become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars for access to this and all of our exclusive ad-free bonus content. As thanks, we'll send you stickers!*** Major League Soccer player Tesho Akindele, a star forward who most recently played for the Orlando City Soccer Club, is also an outspoken urbanist who has used his social media presence to promote walkability, bikeability, density and affordable housing to sports fans in Florida, across the country and around the world. In this ad-free bonus episode just for Patreon supporters, Tesho talks about his journey to the soccer field, his first exposure to War-on-Cars-adjacent issues and his favorite neighborhoods in Orlando and the US. He also offers some thoughts on why cars are such potent status symbols among his fellow pro athletes. TheWarOnCars.org

Dan Savage, the writer and activist behind the long-running advice column Savage Love, does not have a driver's license. In fact, he pretty much hates cars. Dan tells us what the early days of ACT UP and the fight for marriage equality can teach other social movements, including the worldwide movement against car dominance. Ever the advice columnist, Dan answers real questions from listeners. If we win the war on cars, where will teenagers go to get it on? Why do drivers frequently scream homophobic slurs at cyclists? And what's the relationship between polyamory and having too many bikes? This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 15% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the coupon code in the episode. Thanks also to Transit Center. Listen to their new podcast, High Frequency, wherever you get your podcasts. ***Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content.*** LINKS: Learn more about Dan Savage. Read Savage Love in The Stranger. Listen to Dan's podcast, Savage Lovecast. Buy The Committment by Dan Savage and other books by podcast guests in our official Bookshop.org store. Follow and review The War on Cars on Apple Podcasts. It really does help people find us! This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio. It was edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was created by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org      

Jonathon Stalls doesn’t approach the streetscape as a planner or as a journalist or as a politician. He approaches it — and this is his term — as a “walking artist.” Jonathan is the Denver-based author of  a new book called Walk: Slow Down, Wake Up, and Connect at 1-3 Miles per Hour. For years, he has been leading urban walking excursions that have included planners and elected officials, inviting them to feel for themselves what it’s like to walk the car-centric streets of the communities they serve. Sarah spoke with Jonathon about his book, his Pedestrian Dignity project, which connects with people around the country on social media platforms, and about a shared passion for helping others explore the world outside the confines of the metal boxes known as cars. LINKS: Visit Jonathon’s website to connect with him on social media and find out more about the work that he does. Buy Walk and books by other podcast guests at Bookshop.org. This episode is sponsored by the ModeShift podcast from PostScript media, and by Cleverhood. Support The War on Cars on Patreon for exclusive access to ad-free bonus content and fun stickers! Grab some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us. This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Sarah Goodyear. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org  

Late last summer, Doug headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and decided to see if anything bikey was going on. As luck would have it, a kids' ride organized by local advocates was scheduled for the same weekend he was there. You've heard of a pub crawl? This was a playground crawl that took parents, caregivers and kids from one park to another using a combination of city streets and separated trails. In this episode, we hear directly from the tireless volunteers and advocates working to make Milwaukee better for bicycling. Events like this are where the rubber meets the road, literally and figuratively, when it comes to building the kinds of connections and culture that leads to a safer city for people who aren't in cars. ***** Tickets are on sale now for The War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on Tuesday, November 1st @ 7 PM. This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. For 20% off anything in the Cleverhood store, listen for the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only! Support The War on Cars on Patreon for exclusive access to ad-free bonus content and fun stickers! LINKS: Enjoy Milwaukee's Oak Leaf Trail and Hank Aaron Trail. Grab some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us. This episode was produced, recorded and edited by Doug Gordon. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs. TheWarOnCars.org  

You see a lot of muscle cars on New York City streets these days. And with their modified mufflers and overpowered engines, you hear them too. Co-host Aaron Naparstek began noticing that a lot of the muscle cars he was seeing around town had stickers on them with the names of car clubs and their own Instagram accounts. He was intrigued. The Instagram account was, after all, an invitation to see inside the car -- to pierce that bubble of privacy and anonymity that lets drivers get away with so much. So, Aaron began following muscle cars on social media. Pretty soon, he was immersed in New York City’s underground car club scene. And his once-sedate Instagram feed was transformed into a barrage of burnouts, donuts, takeovers, car meets, and crashes. Then Aaron decided he wanted to do more than just watch on his phone. He wanted to bring The War on Cars to the biggest car club event of the summer. If you thought Driving Under the Influence was a problem, wait until you meet the guys who are Driving to Become Influencers.  * * * * * * * * Tickets are on sale now for War on Cars LIVE at Caveat on Tuesday, November 1 @ 7 PM.  This episode is sponsored by Cleverhood. Receive 20% off anything in the Cleverhood store using the special coupon code in this episode. Good for a limited time only!  Support The War on Cars on Patreon and receive exclusive access to ad-free bonus content. LINKS: Some car accounts: Denys da Menace, Tyler Spec, The Scream Car  Car clubs: Brooklyn Hemi Boyz, Shake Da Block, Nemesis Auto Club Sponsored by: Jimmy Rims and TiresA taste of car club culture: Filming yourself weaving in and out of traffic on the expressway at extremely high speed makes you White Line Certified. If you end up crashing your car, send the footage to Team Macksauce. Spectator run over by car doing doughnuts before NYC crowd cannot talk or eat (Daily News)Passenger in critical condition after collision with car covered in ‘Scream’ decal (New York Post) NYPD pursues speedy justice as drag racers, daredevils remain a problem on NYC streets, highways (Daily News) What Parts of Car Culture Need to End? (Jalopnik) Pick up some official War on Cars merch at our store. Follow and review us on Apple Podcasts. It helps people find us! This episode was produced and edited by Aaron Naparstek with some help from Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo was designed by Dani Finkel of Crucial D Designs.  TheWarOnCars.org