Bike Talk
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554 episodes
Access to Hollywood program will add protected bike and bus lanes and cause “traffic evaporation” on LA’s Hollywood Boulevard. Taylor Nichols with LA City Council District 4 Field Deputy Mehmet Berker. 2:01 Personal injury lawyer Jim Pocrass explains the legal grounds for taking the lane. 8:35 Live To Ride: Finding Joy and Meaning on a Bicycle, the book. With author and journalist Peter Flax. https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781648291319 23:00 Northern Virginia Opens New “66-Parallel” Bike And Walking Trail. With Fairfax Alliance for Better Biking founder Bruce Wright. https://fabb-bikes.org/divi_overlay/bruce-wright/ 40:58 Bike thought by Stacey. 54:37
Listener Email: Jonathan Weiss on how much harder it is to get a driver's license in Europe than in the U.S., and what that means for everyone. 1:06 The Best Bike Light is reviewed by Reo Ramsey of Motown Trailblazers in Detroit. 2:52 Listener Email: Jonathan Levin on how shaming drivers causes intransigence. 6:20 Recovering Engineer and Strong Towns founder Charles Marohn on gaining local control over streets to make them safer for everybody, and, to that end, refraining from shaming drivers as in this tweet: https://x.com/clmarohn/status/1759392452262203397?s=20 With Stacey Randecker. 9:53 2 new anthologies of Feminist Bicycle Science Fiction from Bikenomics author Elly Blue and Microcosm Publishing: Bikes, the Universe, and Everything and The Bicyclist's Guide to the Galaxy. 30:20 A Bike Life Rideout in Springfield, Massachusetts. 50:06 Bike Thought by Stacey. 54:40
Winter Riding in Utah 0:23 the Healthy Streets LA ballot measure was approved by voters last week. If it does what is intended, LA will finally be forced to implement its own mobility plan, bike lanes and all. Michael Schneider, founder of Streets For All, reports on the success of his organization's measure. 2:31 Listener email from Børge A. Roum in Norway. 9:11 Charles Marohn, author of "Confessions of a Recovering Engineer" and founder of Strong Towns, reflects on why we shouldn’t ridicule people in oversized cars, but rather “draw a larger circle of empathy” to include drivers in a tweet and here. https://twitter.com/clmarohn/status/1759392452262203397 13:30 Transportation Alternatives NYC and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created https://www.spatialequity.nyc/, a tool for comparing Spatial Equity across districts in NYC. With TransAlt Communications Director Alexa Sledge. 44:45 Bike Thought by Stacey 53:30
Eddie Vargas, Grub Hub bike delivery worker, loads up groceries in Los Angeles. 1:51 Bike Traffic report with Don Ward. 4:57 A new study in the Journal for Transport and Land Use shows blaming individuals for traffic violence prevents systemic changes to US roadways. 5:50 "There Are No Accidents" author Jessie Singer on the evolution of the accident, and how the auto industry has convinced the public that car crashes are due to "jaywalkers," "nutty drivers," and human error- when they are built into our roads and cars. 10:45 Author Caroline Paul on her article "My Mother Got on a Bike. It Changed Her Life" and the book from which it sprung, New York Times bestseller "The Gutsy Girl, Escapades for Your Life of Epic Adventure." 32:26 One girl's first time getting hit by a car. 51:22 Bike Thought by Stacey. 53:43
Voices of CicLAvia. 1:54 The law of riding in inclement weather, with Jim Pocrass. 4:32 Heads of Active Transportation Organizations on their legislative Priorities: Kendra Ramsey, Executive Director of CalBike. 11:42 José Antonio Zayas Cabán, Executive Director of Our Streets Minneapolis. 21:30 Todd Scott, Executive Director of the Detroit Greenways Coalition. 29:00 LA Times Letter Editor Paul Thornton on Biking in Los Angeles. https://www.latimes.com/opinion/newsletter/2024-02-24/opinion-newsletter-measure-hla-bikes-street-safety-opinion 37:30 Bike Thought. 55:30
Listener Email: Robert Prinz, Advocacy Director, Bike East Bay 0:54 Healthy Streets Los Angeles, on the ballot March 5, could transform car-centric streets. Michael Schneider, founder of the measure, on why it's needed. 3:57 California Professional Firefighters Union President Brian Rice is mad about a lot of things, all embodied by Healthy Streets Los Angeles and symbolized by the bicycle. 14:28 Biking While Black documentary maker Yolanda Davis-Overstreet with Damon Turner, founder of Los Angeles Biking Academy and a subject of the film, on bike advocacy in their community. 18:23 "V" on Chicagoans who Bike, a photo project about the wide variety of Chicagoans who bike. 40:25 Bike Thought 56:08
Chain maintenance with Anne Marie Drolet. 1:54 Bike Law, with Jim Pocrass. 3:51 New studies on increasing bike modeshare in the UK . 12:51 The Vulnerable Road User Safety Act of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with Michael Kelley, Policy Director, Bike Walk Kansas City. 18:25 Community forms on the way to school in a walkable and bikeable Minneapolis neighborhood, according to Laura Mitchell, Board President of Our Streets Minneapolis. 34:05 Bike Thought with Stacey Randecker. 53:02
Taylor reviews SF's controversial Valencia St. bike lane. 0:20 A Winnipeg rider, Patty Wiens, responds to Taylor's LA-centric comments about winter riding "on a trainer in the basement" back east. 1:29 News on Metro Bike Share in LA and best romantic riding. 4:21 Why Are American Drivers so Deadly? NY Times writer Matthew Shaer unpacks his article with Taylor. 6:05 How we move forward to create sustainable cities with networks of protected bike lanes, or bike grids. With Gil Peñalosa, founder of 8-80 Cities. 26:02 Stacey's Bike Thought 54:26
A listener, Reese, speaks for connected, protected bike lanes in Utah. 2:00 News: With pedestrian and cyclist deaths in Los Angeles at an 8-year high, the departing Los Angeles Police Chief blames their reckless biking and walking habits. In California, SB 961 calls for all new cars to have speed governors. A Die-in against traffic violence at LA City Hall. 7:12 When a 14 year old on his bike was hit by an uninsured motorist in Chicago, personal injury lawyer Jonel Metaj took the case all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. Now, people in Illinois with uninsured motorist coverage will be protected when biking and walking, too. 18:57 Alison Cohen is the founder of Bicycle Transit Systems, which operates bikeshare in cities throughout the US. She explains how BTS came to be threatened with replacement by Lyft in Los Angeles. 33:00 A Bike Thought by Stacey. 52:23
Personal injury attorney Jim Pocrass on the laws regarding Cycling Under the Influence. 2:04 News: A Los Angeles Die-in, more studies on the benefits of biking, and mandated Intelligent Speed Assistance in all new European cars. 8:45 Jack Ketcham on Election Cycles- Tempe Bicycle Action Group's rides and forums for candidates for political office in Tempe, Arizona. 12:02 https://www.biketempe.org/ Listener email: what's best for bikeshare. 18:35 The story of Paris' bike transformation by Secrets of Paris writer Heather Stimmler. 21:55 https://secretsofparis.com/ The limitations of community participation in planning for bike lanes with Miriam Pinski, PhD, Transportation Researcher with Shared-Use Mobility Center of UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. 38:07 Bike Thought. 56:20
Why American Drivers are so deadly, according to the NY Times. 5:20 How LA's Transportation Agency, LA Metro, wants to give its successful bikeshare program to the rideshare company Lyft. 11:19 StreetsblogLA editor Joe Linton and Alexa Sledge, Communications Director for Transportation Alternatives in NYC, talk about last year in bikes in NYC and LA. 16:45 Progressive traffic engineer Vignesh Swaminathan, known as "Mr. Barricade," explains proper road design. 40:48
Listener email with Travis of Milwaukee News: A proposed safe streets forum with the Mayor of Los Angeles, and the growing number of U.S. cities eliminating parking mandates. 2:43 Taylor talks with author Valerie Bolling on her books for children: Ride, Roll, Run and Together We Ride. 7:44 Available at- https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781419756290 https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781797212487 Author/rider Sara Dykman talks about her bike tour on the migration route of monarch butterflies and her book about it, Bicycling With Butterflies, with Julie Richert. 24:12 Available at- https://bookshop.org/a/99134/9781643262185 Bike Whisperer Bjartmar Leósson talks with Taylor Nichols about making friends with bike thieves in Reykjavík. 40:32
LADOT's Senior Traffic Engineer Tim Fremaux on LA's famous traffic and how he'd love to see a network of interconnected facilities on a grid that would let you make trips comfortably by bike (it's the LA Mobility Plan). With Lindsay Sturman and Taylor Nichols. 1:52 StreetsblogSF Editor Roger Rudick in conversation with Stacey Randecker on his commentary about how San Francisco "Fakes" its Vision Zero. https://sf.streetsblog.org/2023/12/22/commentary-san-francisco-spent-ten-years-trying-to-fake-its-way-to-vision-zero 15:46 Cycling Embassy of Japan ambassadors James Szypula and Chad Feyen on how Tokyo's bike friendliness depends on citizens rather than government. 39:55
News: The NYC Deliverista minimum wage, and how it may reduce bicyclist fatalities. 2:13 The irony of drivers waiting patiently at Christmas Light Displays, with Associate Director of Data Core at Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences, Bella Chu. 8:40 The irony of drivers waiting patiently at In-n-Out, with Peter Flax, former Editor in Chief of Bicycling Magazine 19:59 The irony of the High Cost of Free Parking with its author, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA, Donald Shoup. With Don Ward (rebroadcast portion). 38:17
Holiday Rides: The Los Angeles All City Toy Ride and the Arlington, Massachusetts Jingle Ride, with Joe Borfo and Lauren Hefferon. 6:10 Brooklyn's Berry Street is a template for low traffic streets, despite an often hostile Mayor's office. With Kevin Duggan, StreetsblogNYC journalist. 15:19 https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2023/11/21/eyes-on-the-street-berry-street-bike-boulevard-is-a-model-for-low-traffic-streets Cambridge Massachusetts' Cycling Safety Ordinance requires the construction of separated bike lanes when streets are being reworked. It wasn't easy, but a city report shows it's been a success. MassBike Executive Director/Bike Talk host Galen Mook talks with Chris Cassa, a volunteer with the Cambridge Bike Safety Organization. 28:45 https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/Files/CDD/Transportation/Bike/bikereports/20231023bicyclingincambridgedatareport_final.pdf RE:CYCLE The Ubiquitous Bike is an exhibit which includes historical bikes, photos, and videos in Sag Harbor, NY. Taylor talks to Sara Cochran, Chief Curator. 42:32 https://www.thechurchsagharbor.org/re-cycle-the-ubiquitous-bicycle#:~:text=The%20photographs%20in%20the%20exhibition,group%20of%20photographers%20and%20artists.
Colin Jost on his outrageous bike habit, with Seth Meyers. 6:11 Santa Monica Mayor Gleam Davis leaves office with a wish for Santa Monica to be the bike capital of the world. https://momentummag.com/santa-monica-wants-to-be-bike-capital-of-the-world-unveils-stunning-new-project/ 8:25 Sarah Risser's online poll showed most respondents don't feel Portland needs to apologize for installing bike lanes without community input. The lane was removed anyway. https://bikeportland.org/2023/12/12/portland-will-move-forward-with-ne-33rd-avenue-bike-lane-removal-382441 21:37 Milwaukee's Santa Cycle Rampage reportback with Wisconsin Bike Federation Assistant Director Jake Newborn. 29:49 Maryland's "Come By Bike Farm" is so named because of how its farmer, Vincent Hedger, gets there. 41:58
Fox News supports speeding. 3:50 The legality of riding on the sidewalk with Jim Pocrass, personal injury attorney. 6:01 A bike lane ripped out for unproven EV charging technology on a Michigan street, no community input required. With Detroit Greenways Coalition Todd Scott and Stacey Randecker. 11:25 Cycling fallacies debunked with Tim Lennon, Secretary for the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain. https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/ 19:00 A repost of an interview with the author of "Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle," Jody Rosen. 32:13
Los Angeles Bikeshare mechanic AnneMarie Drolet on biking in the winter and the Gender Expansive ride. 2:36 The author of the OC Register article, "Sorry, urbanists, but bicycles will never save the planet," Steven Greenhut, explains his perspective to Streetsblog LA Editor Joe Linton and Bike Talk cohost Taylor Nichols. https://www.ocregister.com/2023/11/10/sorry-urbanists-but-bicycles-will-never-save-the-planet/ 7:23 Minneapolis' Midtown Greenway is an alternative transportation corridor that features a 5.5 mile biking and walking trail. It is the busiest bikeway in Minnesota. Executive Director of the Midtown Greenway Coalition Soren Jensen talks about the Greenway and the propensity of people in Minneapolis to ride it in winter, with Taylor Nichols. 42:20
What to do in a bike crash, with LA Personal Injury Attorney Jim Pocrass. 4:43 https://on.soundcloud.com/i6SXb Livable Communities: bikes, transit, and housing. Liveable Communities Initiative founder Lindsay Sturman and Taylor Nichols. 11:31 https://on.soundcloud.com/5Yw79 "Hating Bike Lanes is not a Winning Strategy," writes Massachusetts Streetsblogger Christian MilNeil of fall elections in Massachusetts. https://mass.streetsblog.org/2023/11/13/the-polls-are-in-hating-bike-lanes-is-not-a-winning-electoral-strategy. 38:25 https://on.soundcloud.com/sm7Pw
Shabazz Stuart, CEO of Oonee, on making bike storage ubiquitous and free. Also, how the ebike registration bill being pushed by members of the NYC Council will cause racial profiling and disincentivize biking. 2:27 https://on.soundcloud.com/1iZPY The Massachusetts Central Rail Trail was the focus of this year's Golden Spike Conference. Conference organizer Craig De La Penna recreates a breakout session on how to get leaders to recognize the worth of a 104 mile bike/pedestrian trail across Massachusetts. With Norwottuck Network board members Glenn Pransky and Sharline Abulime, and Friends of Northampton Trails President George Kohout. 24:30 https://on.soundcloud.com/rV6cy The Northampton Cyclocross race split with UCI over the world cycling body's transgender policy, but it's still a great event. Interviews with young riders as well as Tom Hoogendyk and Adam Myerson. 39:19 https://on.soundcloud.com/JjZfE
NY State Senate considers one bill to install governors in the cars of people who speed, and another to tax vehicles by weight. Amy Cohen of Families for Safe Streets, which sponsors the bills, weighs in with Lindsay Sturman. 3:20 https://on.soundcloud.com/ZtrP6 How to increase bike mode share, with Brett Atencio Thomas, Active Transportation Coordinator with the city of Costa Mesa, California. Also with Lindsay. 12:43 https://on.soundcloud.com/mWbGZ The Republic of Drivers: A Cultural History of Automobility in America. By Cotten Seiler, in conversation with Taylor Nichols. 32:11 https://on.soundcloud.com/ExeKj
NY State Senate considers one bill to install governors in the cars of people who speed, and another to tax vehicles by weight. Amy Cohen of Families For Safe Streets, which sponsors the bill, weighs in with Lindsay Sturman. How to increase bike modeshare, with Brett Atencio Thomas, Active Transportation Coordinator for the city of Costa Mesa, with Lindsay Sturman. The Republic of Drivers: A Cultural History of Automobility in America, by Cotten Seiler. With Taylor Nichols.
Cohosts Taylor, Nick and Lindsay discuss a study that finds bicyclists are better people than drivers. https://jalopnik.com/study-finds-cyclists-are-better-people-than-drivers-1850964103 Sounds from Arroyo Fest, in which the 110 Freeway was closed to cars for a day. Ongoing negotiations with Vancouver's anti-bike lane City Council, and the false equivalency of distracted driving with distracted walking, with Lucy Maloney. A Chicago Critical Mass reportback from the creator of "Captain Jack Sharrow," Rick Rosales. Taylor interviews Ben Goldfarb on his book "Crossings-How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet." Can you take the sidewalk when your bike lane is blocked? A Northampton rider asks, and City Council Vice President Karen Foster answers.
Malibu's deadly main road, Pacific Coast Highway, needs an overhaul. Damian Kevitt, Founder of Streets Are For Everyone, makes the case. California's new speed camera legislation explained by David Sforza, Principal Consultant of the California State Assembly Transportation Committee. US pedestrian deaths are soaring. Is it time to ban right turns on red lights? US Guardian writer Matthew Cantor, with Taylor Nichols. How to educate drivers about distracted Driving. With Emily Stein, Executive Director of Safe Roads Alliance. A human crosswalk in front of Dodger Stadium, with Annemarie Drolet, Tactical Urbanist. Bicyclist and City Manager for San Luis Obispo Derek Johnson, with Lindsay Sturman.
Detroit Greenways Coalition Executive Director Todd Scott and Santa Monica Spoke Director Cynthia Rose with cohosts Nick, Lindsay, Taylor, and Seamus on bike advocacy. Michael Schneider on Healthy Streets Los Angeles, converting a freeway to a park, and how Streets For All advocates for bike friendly politicians. 15:10 https://on.soundcloud.com/NeMZe On the study showing women have lower rates of cancer in walkable (bikeable) neighborhoods with Guardian US writer Aliya Uteuova and Taylor Nichols. 31:44 https://on.soundcloud.com/XsrZ7 San Francisco MTA Director of Sustainable Streets Tom Maguire on the controversial center-running bike lane on Valencia Street. With Seamus Garrity. 42:51 https://on.soundcloud.com/WeFFt
Fight the Power: NYC's Transportation Alternatives tries to build safe streets infrastructure despite a hostile Mayoral administration. With Alexa Sledge. Staying the Course: SF bike activists Robin Pam, Amandeep Jawa, and Sara Barz still support a center-running bike lane on Valencia Street in San Francisco. 7:09 https://on.soundcloud.com/zqDFo Not So Fast: Stacey Randecker and Luke Bornheimer reprise their perspective on Valencia Street's center-running bike lane. 24:02 https://on.soundcloud.com/g5dt4 Trails Friend: Friends of the Northampton Trails President George Kohout reports from Northampton, Massachusetts, where bike advocacy has local government on its side. 33:48 https://on.soundcloud.com/ZRLYj Critical Mass: too annoying to drivers, or just right? With Patty Wiens. 45:52 https://on.soundcloud.com/XYXa9 Honored: Eli Akira-Kaufman, Executive Director of Bike LA, describes the importance and fun of Bike Fest, California Assemblymember and candidate for the U.S. Congress Laura Friedman relays her transportation priorities, and Terence Heuston relates the long road to upgrading bike lanes on iconic Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. 50:35 https://on.soundcloud.com/Ezq4q
Intro: Bike LA's "Bike Fest" with Eli Akira Kaufman, Executive Director of BikeLA. Not Good Enough: a deadly bike lane design in SF, with Sustainable Transportation activists Luke Bornheimer and Stacey Randecker. 8:03 https://on.soundcloud.com/vXtts It works if you work it: a center running bike lane that works in the East Bay, with Bike East Bay Advocacy Director Robert Prinz. 22:06 https://on.soundcloud.com/vpAZP She is the champion: multimodal, sustainable transportation advocate & Mayor of bike-friendly Santa Monica, Gleam Davis. 28:55 https://on.soundcloud.com/5kdaW Ebike Rx: Northampton, Massachusetts P.E. teacher Salem Derby talks to students about how he's healing from a knee injury using an Ebike. 43:46 https://on.soundcloud.com/nuSsj
Intro Lindsay, Taylor and Nick on the upcoming show and Taylor's triumphant return from bike-friendly Spain. Carrying Water: Eric Berger’s article on the American Sepp Kuss' victory in the Vuelta a España. https://arstechnica.com/culture/2023/09/a-water-carrier-just-won-the-hardest-cycling-race-on-the-planet/ 10:15 https://on.soundcloud.com/4T4bd The Best Get Better: The end of Parking Mandates in New York City with Open Plans NYC Co-Executive Director Sara Lind. 26:40 https://on.soundcloud.com/6CoLb Imminent: A 104 mile car free fully protected network of converted rail trails across Massachusetts, from Boston to Northampton. With rail trail warrior Craig Della Penna. 37:50 https://on.soundcloud.com/yrMCf
Pilgrimage: Taylor Nichols' walk on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Park It: Landscape Studies professor Reid Bertone Johnson created a playground for a day in a parking space for international parking day. 5:24 https://on.soundcloud.com/QKt7s Exercised: An interview with Andrew Leonard, the author of The NY Times Article "How I Turned My Errands Into Exercise." 16:23 https://on.soundcloud.com/MdgQi Oregon Advocate: Jenna Berman, an Active Transportation Liaison for the Oregon Department of Transportation, on the state of bicycle advocacy in Oregon. 34:57 https://on.soundcloud.com/6deUB Science: Dr. Grace Peng, a Bike activist/physicist, on why we should bike more, drive less (and more slowly). 46:16 https://on.soundcloud.com/FSj73
Cohosts Seamus, Taylor, and Nick read listener email. 6:55 https://on.soundcloud.com/vxCdZ Into The Blue: A company redesigns cities for biking as part of making them like "Blue Zones," the places where people live longest. With Dan Burden, Director of Inspiration and Innovation, Blue Zones LLC. 28:48 https://on.soundcloud.com/5a2ZV Kindermoord, American Style: A ribbon cutting at an unprotected bike lane on a busy street prompts LA Streetsblogger Liz Schiller to ask, "Why do we love our cars more than our children?" With Bike Talk cohost Taylor Nichols. https://la.streetsblog.org/2023/08/15/why-do-we-love-cars-more-than-we-love-our-children 40:27 https://on.soundcloud.com/nSp8P Scooters V. Climate Change: A Lime executive discusses micromobility's inclusion in California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard program. Calvin Thigpen, Director of Policy Research at Lime, with Bike Talk cohost Seamus Garrity.
