Cars and the Culture Wars
10/30/18 • 30 min
1 Listener
In 2009, soon-to-be Toronto Mayor Rob Ford declared that he would end the war on cars. His remarks were the opening shots in a battle that would come to signify more than just how people get around. How did cars and the urban/surburban divide become a cultural flashpoint? And did you know that a “War on Autoists” was front-page news a century before the War on Cars?
Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts and other rewards.
EPISODE NOTES:
Rob Ford: “There’s no secret about it, there’s a war on cars in the city!” (YouTube)
“The War on Cars” by Prager U. (YouTube)
“Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City,” by Peter Norton (MIT Press)
"'War on Cars': A History" by Eric de Place (Sightline Institute)
Rob Ford: "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine." (YouTube)
Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek.
Questions? Suggestions? Want to be a part of our “Quit Your Car” segment? Email us: [email protected].
In 2009, soon-to-be Toronto Mayor Rob Ford declared that he would end the war on cars. His remarks were the opening shots in a battle that would come to signify more than just how people get around. How did cars and the urban/surburban divide become a cultural flashpoint? And did you know that a “War on Autoists” was front-page news a century before the War on Cars?
Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts and other rewards.
EPISODE NOTES:
Rob Ford: “There’s no secret about it, there’s a war on cars in the city!” (YouTube)
“The War on Cars” by Prager U. (YouTube)
“Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City,” by Peter Norton (MIT Press)
"'War on Cars': A History" by Eric de Place (Sightline Institute)
Rob Ford: "Yes, I have smoked crack cocaine." (YouTube)
Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek.
Questions? Suggestions? Want to be a part of our “Quit Your Car” segment? Email us: [email protected].
Previous Episode
Mayors: The Good, the Bad and Bill de Blasio
1 RecommendationsWith cities on the front lines of the war on cars, can mayors muster the courage to put automobiles in their rightful place? Not to name names, but does it matter if elected officials are driven twelve miles to the gym every day in a three SUV convoy just to jog on a treadmill? Plus, Doug announces his candidacy for mayor. Can he withstand the inevitable barrage of dark money attack ads?
Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts and other rewards.
EPISODE NOTES:
Paris mayor’s war on cars moves up a gear with ban in heart of city. (France 24)
Watch Oslo transform into a car-free utopia (Curbed)
Barcelona mayor delcares war on injustice of private car use (Reuters)
In Montreal, an electrifying win for a long-shot who campaigned on better transit and cycling (Streetsblog)
Cars set to be banned from half of roads in London's Square Mile (Evening Standard)
German cities to trial free public transportation to cut pollution. (The Guardian)
Why Jennifer Keesmaat’s Gardiner teardown pitch is key to her campaign (Toronto Star)
Car Ownership Continues to Rise Under Mayor de Blasio (Streetsblog)
Follow the show on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek.
Questions? Suggestions? Gripes? Email us at [email protected].
Next Episode
If E-Bikes Are the Future, Why Are They Illegal?
From coast to coast, electric-bikes are having their moment. But a New York City Police Department crackdown on delivery cyclists who rely on e-bikes to do their jobs has some wondering if a double standard isn’t at play. At a time when big companies are jumping on the e-bike bandwagon, are the immigrant men who deliver food being unfairly punished? We discuss the murky laws surrounding e-bikes and what the future has in store with Helen Ho of the Biking Public Project.
Support The War on Cars on Patreon and get exclusive TWOC stickers, t-shirts, and other rewards.
EPISODE NOTES:
The Biking Public Project (Tumblr)
“One Man’s Fight to Regulate E-Bikes in His Neighborhood” (WNYC)
Who really gets fined when the police crackdown on e-bikes? (Gothamist)
Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @brooklynspoke, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek and Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1.
Questions? Suggestions? Complaints about how much we curse? Email us! [email protected].
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/the-war-on-cars-48841/cars-and-the-culture-wars-2426268"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to cars and the culture wars on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy