The War on Cars

Tony Kushner on The Pushcart War

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The Pushcart War—written by Jean Merrill and illustrated by Ronni Solbert and first published in 1964—is a charming and provocative children's nov...

America's Hidden Desire to Live Car-Free

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Do people really like our all-enveloping autocentric system quite as much as everyone keeps saying they do? What kind of communities would they live i...

PREVIEW: What Snow Reveals About Cities (Plus More From Our Book Tour)

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ...

Planning Livable Downtowns with Brent Toderian

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Brent Toderian has decades of experience in city planning, urban design, and transportation. He was chief planner for the city of Vancouver from 2006 ...

Superbowl Roundup with Ian Chillag

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Super Bowl LX had everything, from ads for weight loss drugs and male grooming products to spots touting tax prep services and calming fears about our...

PREVIEW: Women Changing Cities with Melissa and Chris Bruntlett

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ...

The Importance of Livable Streets with Bruce Appleyard

20 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

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 import...

The Creation of America's Car Culture, Part 2

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, otherwise known as the National Interstate and Defense Highway...

PREVIEW: Hanging Out with Jonathan Maus of Bike Portland

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

***This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ...

Dispatches from Book Tour, Part 2

23 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Dispatches from Book Tour

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind as we hit the road (not in a car) to promote our new book, Life After Cars, in some of the greatest cities of...

The Creation of America's Car Culture

11 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is part of a special series called "Changing American Car Culture" funded with the generous support of The Helen and William Mazer Founda...

PREVIEW: A Talk with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

Welcome to Life After Cars

21 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Today we celebrate the publication of our new book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves From the Tyranny of the Automobile. In this episode, we se...

The War on the War on Cars with Ted Mann

07 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Cities for Children with Tim Gill

30 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Gill is a London-based independent scholar, writer and consultant on childhood, and a global advocate for children's play and mobility. He is the ...

PREVIEW: The Cars of TikTok

23 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

Political Courage with Brad Lander

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Lander has been a fixture in New York's progressive political scene for nearly two decades now, and has earned a reputation as a strong advocate ...

TEASER: Cars Drive Us Apart, Subway Takes Unite Us

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

Should the Bus Be Free? With Yonah Freemark

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Should the bus be free? That's the question everyone following the New York City mayoral race is asking, with Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani...

PREVIEW: We Know What We Read Last Summer

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

BUILDING SOLIDARITY WITH BICYCLES AT VELO-CITY

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At this year's Velo-city conference in Gdansk, the theme was "Energizing Solidarity," in honor of the city's history as the cradle of the Solidarity l...

PREVIEW: Are Cyclists Too Mean Online?

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

What Makes a City a Cycling City?

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why have some cities become places where it's easy to hop on a bike for daily transportation needs while others have languished or even been left behi...

John Mulaney, Natasha Lyonne and the Battle of the Bike Lanes

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, on an episode of the Netflix show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, the subject turned to bike lanes. Or rather, the subject was turned to...

TEASER: Live from Minneapolis!

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

Overcoming the Threat to Black Movement with Charles T. Brown

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charles T. Brown is a longtime friend of the podcast who was last with us in 2023. We welcomed him back to talk about his important new book, Arreste...

More Motornormativity with Marco te Brömmelstroet, aka "The Fietsprofessor"

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: This episode was originally released as a Patreon-exclusive bonus. For more episodes like this, please join The War on Cars on Patreon. We're an...

Putting the Trans in Transit with Katelyn Burns

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

"Why are so many trans people into urban planning?" That's the question independent journalist and co-host of the Cancel Me, Daddy podcast Katelyn Bu...

TEASER: Why Fighting Tesla Matters with Ed Niedermeyer

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

Inside the Tesla Takedown Protests

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since early February, a protest phenomenon has been building steadily across the United States, springing up at scores of Tesla dealerships from coast...

TEASER: More Motonormativity with Marco Te Brommelstroet, aka "The Fietsprofessor."

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

Cars Bad, Tariffs Worse with David Zipper

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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 industr...

Riding the UK's Cycle Network with Laura Laker

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Trump v. Congestion Pricing

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can you believe this is our second emergency episode about congestion pricing? This time, we're responding to the Trump administration's attack on th...

What's Happening with Federal Transportation Dollars?

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration has upended the entire United States government over the last several weeks, sending Elon Musk and his minions into the guts ...

TEASER: Live with City Nerd!

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular epi...

Super Bowl Roundup with Rollie Williams and Nicole Conlan

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's the CXLIVth episode of The War on Cars, and just like in years past we're taking a look at the ads that aired during the Super Bowl. This year, t...

RE-RELEASE: The High Cost of Free Parking with Donald Shoup

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Shoup, a towering figure in the world of urban planning and a distinguished professor emeritus at the UCLA Luskin School of Public affairs, die...

TEASER: The Romance of the Automobile

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular epi...

Biden's Transportation Legacy with Dani Simons

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the new Trump regime begins, we talked with Dani Simons—who until recently led the Office of Public Affairs for the federal Department of Transpo...

Congestion Pricing Is Finally Here

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At last, New York City started its congestion pricing program on January 5. We knew that the local mainstream press would be out in force interviewing...

Cities and Fashion with Derek Guy, The Menswear Guy

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do dense, walkable cities influence what people wear? Derek Guy has some thoughts. Otherwise known as The Menswear Guy, Derek rose to fame on soci...

TEASER: Your Best Things of 2024

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular ep...

How Cars Change Us with Tara Goddard

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why do people behave so badly behind the wheel of a car? Why do reporters and the police use passive language to describe automobile crashes and traff...

Changing Hollywood's Car Culture with Ed Begley Jr.

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From mockumentaries to dramas to situation comedies, Ed Begley Jr. has done it all. His truly one-of-a-kind acting career has seen him work with some ...

TEASER: Doug Ford and Ontario's War on Bikes

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular epi...

Election Extra

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're not going to sugarcoat it. That election was tough. But there are some points of hope that can help us make our way forward. We got together in ...

"Cars are Done" with Adam McKay

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Adam McKay is the Academy Award–winning screenwriter, director, and producer behind such movies as Don't Look Up, The Big Short, Vice, Anchorman, Ta...

EXTRA: Cars as a Virus with Hermann Knoflacher

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

***This is a bonus episode that was previously only available to Patreon supporters of The War on Cars. If you want to hear more bonus episodes like ...

TEASER: Winnipeg Bike Mayor Patty Wiens

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 W...

Key to the City with Sara Bronin

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Zoning is an invisible force that dictates how and where we can build housing, offices, factories, parks and more. It dictates how we access such plac...

TEASER: When Athletes Ditch the Car

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 W...

Project 2025 and the Stakes for Transportation

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's been a lot of talk this election season about Project 2025, the initiative from the Heritage Foundation to prepare for a potential second Trum...

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation, featuring Rick Steves

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why do Americans spend lots of money to visit walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly European cities, only to come back to the U.S. and oppose all those...

TEASER: Voices of Velo-city

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 W...

Listener Origin Stories (Patreon Bonus Re-Release)

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Episode 133: Listener Origin Stories (Patreon bonus re-release) We're taking a short break to work on our forthcoming book and some of our upcoming fa...

TEASER: Walking 4,000 Miles with Holden Ringer

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 W...

Vehicular Cycling and John Forester, Part 2

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: 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...

Vehicular Cycling and John Forester, Part 1

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

NOTE: This is part one of a two-part episode. To hear both parts right now and without ads, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. "Cyclists ...

Critical Mass Nairobi with Cyprine Odada

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Cyprine Odada is the Executive Director of Critical Mass Nairobi and an urban planner specializing in active mobility. Ever since founding the Kenyan ...

Killed by a Traffic Engineer

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Because it has the word "engineering" right in there, the field of traffic engineering is something most people assume is governed by science and rati...

Women's Freedom to Ride

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why don't more women ride bicycles in London? The advocacy group London Cycling Campaign wanted to know, and so they asked. What they discovered was d...

Kathy Hochul's Congestion Pricing Flip-Flop Fiasco

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this emergency episode, we discuss New York State Governor Kathy Hochul's 11th-hour decision to "indefinitely suspend" congestion pricing, the prog...

TEASER: The War on The War on Cars

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 W...

Winter Cycling in Oil Country

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An unlikely cycling revolution is happening in one of the coldest big cities on the planet: Edmonton, Alberta. Despite freezing temps, lots of sprawl,...

When Driving Is Not an Option with Anna Zivarts

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The United States has built a transportation system centered around automobiles. But one-third of the nation's population can't drive, whether because...

TEASER: Dodge's "Deeply Weird" Pitch for Electric Muscle Cars

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

***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 Th...

Tesla Cybertrash with Ed Niedermeyer

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk's gigantic, stainless steel, 1980s sci fi movie–inspired Cybertruck is starting to show up on city streets. Perhaps you've had the misfort...

The Texas Freeway Fight with Megan Kimble

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 20th century, planners and policymakers smashed Interstate highways through the middle of every major city in the United States. In the 21st ce...

Car Insurance is Too Cheap

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It has never been more expensive to insure a car in the United States. Today, the average annual premium for full coverage is more than $2,500, up fro...

Live from New York with Bernie Wagenblast

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In January, we held our third annual live show at Caveat on Manhattan's Lower East Side. We were so thrilled to be in the same room as so many listene...

TEASER: Super Bowl Extra

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

***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 ...

Super Bowl LVIII Roundup

14 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In what's become an annual tradition, we take a critical look at the car ads that aired during the Super Bowl and consider what they say about driving...

Should SUV Ads Be Banned?

06 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Did you ever see a car advertisement that you thought was so ridiculously irresponsible it should be banned? Well, the people at Adfree Cities, an adv...

TEASER: Delivering the Goods with Shawon and Fokhrul

30 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

The Future of Transportation Has Arrived With Your Pad Thai

16 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Baruch Herzfeld is the CEO and co-founder of PopWheels, where he is working to develop New York City's first e-bike battery-swapping network. PopWheel...

Fixing America's Car Culture with David Zipper

02 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! We're kicking off 2024 by bringing you our conversation with David Zipper, one of the hardest-working analysts on the transportation s...

TEASER: Listener Origin Stories

26 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last month the three hosts told their origin stories, or how they first became aware of the problems associated with cars and automobile dependency. O...

TEASER: Hess for the Holidays

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since 1964, the Hess Corporation has released a toy truck for the holiday season, an annual tradition that's highly anticipated by children and collec...

Road Ecology with Ben Goldfarb

19 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping The Future of Our Planet, independent conservation journalist Ben Goldfarb writes about how ro...

What the Hell is Happening In the UK?

05 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has declared it's time to end what he calls "the war on motorists." First, the Conservative Party leader announced ...

TEASER: Origin Stories

28 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever found yourself wondering, how did Aaron, Doug and Sarah get mobilized into the war on cars? What made them this way? If so, you're in lu...

John Bauters, America's Bike Mayor

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since he was elected mayor in 2020, John Bauters has gained an international reputation for his work to transform transportation and housing in the ti...

Dark PR with Grant Ennis

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his new book, Dark PR: How Corporate Disinformation Harms Our Health and the Environment, Grant Ennis — a lecturer at Monash University in Melb...

Unintended Consequences with Steven Johnson

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This year, 2023, marks the hundredth anniversary since chemical engineer Thomas Midgley, Jr. made the discoveries that led to the invention of leaded ...

TEASER: Celebrating Your Wins!

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode just for Patreon supporters of The War on Cars, we do a quick news roundup before getting to the thing that matters most: WINNIN...

Why Congestion Pricing Matters with Diana Lind

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After 16 years of slogging its way through municipal, state and federal government and every imaginable form of public process, congestion pricing is ...

TEASER: Coach Balto's Bike Bus Lessons

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

While working on Episode 110, Back to School with the Bike Bus, we spoke with Sam Balto, a phys ed teacher in Portland, Oregon, who goes by @CoachBal...

Back to School with the Bike Bus

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you've never heard of a bike bus—or a bicibús, as it's known in the Catalonian capital of Barcelona—it's a beautifully simple idea. Kids and p...

Inclusive Transportation with Veronica O. Davis

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In her new book, Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities, Veronica O. Davis — the Director of Transportation and Dr...

TEASER: Chaos in the Bike Lane with Aaron Gordon

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The rising problem of mopeds and motorcycles in New York City bike lanes is impossible to ignore but the solutions are anything but simple. Recently, ...

EXTRA: Inside Automotive Journalism with Bob Sorokanich

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

***This is a bonus episode that was previously only available to Patreon supporters of The War on Cars. If you want to hear more bonus episodes like t...

TEASER: Live from New York!

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This special episode of The War on Cars was recorded live before a sold-out audience at Caveat on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and was styled afte...

Traffication with Paul Donald

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In his groundbreaking book, Traffication: How Cars Destroy Nature and What We Can Do About It, scientist and researcher Paul Donald synthesizes dozens...

SPECIAL: Freeway Exit

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is a special presentation of the first episode of Freeway Exit, a six-part series produced by award-winning reporter Andrew Bowen of KPBS Public ...

Is It Worth It To Confront Drivers?

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever been walking across the street when a driver turned into your path and almost hit you? Or riding your bike when a hostile horn-honker la...

TEASER: Inside Automotive Journalism with Bob Sorokanich

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever wondered what the reporters who cover the auto industry think about oversized SUVs and pickups and whether the fever for these gas-guzz...

Nick Offerman

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You may know the actor Nick Offerman as the gruff city parks director Ron Swanson on the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation or from his turn as the survi...

TEASER: Hollywood and Bikes, Take 2

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In episode 103, we looked at depictions of cyclists in movies such as The 40-Year-Old Virgin and TV shows such as Arrested Development and asked, "...