You're Wrong About Bikes with Michael Hobbes
The War on Cars
The War on Cars, LLC
4.9 • 937 Ratings
🗓️ 8 November 2021
⏱️ 42 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What does bikelash have in common with moral panics? Has Paris really descended into anarchy because of all the cyclists? Are e-bikes and scooters the biggest threats to pedestrians on the mean streets — and sidewalks — of New York? What happens when reporters misunderstand statistics and rely on anecdotes to paint a picture of an urban transportation landscape that's spinning out of control? To answer these questions and more, we're joined by journalist Michael Hobbes, the co-host of the podcasts Maintenance Phase and You're Wrong About. Michael explains what a moral panic is and helps us debunk some commonly held misconceptions about what happens when cities make streets for people, not cars.
This episode is sponsored in part by Rad Power Bikes and Cleverhood.
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"As Bikers Throng the Streets, 'It's Like Paris Is in Anarchy'" (New York Times)
"As E-Scooters and E-Bikes Proliferate, Safety Challenges Grow' (New York Times)
"Cycle lanes, scooters and terraces — is Paris still safe for pedestrians?" (The Local)
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This episode was recorded by Josh Wilcox at the Brooklyn Podcasting Studio and edited by Ali Lemer. Our theme music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Additional music by Michael Hearst. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey everybody. We've got a new sponsor here at the War on Cars and we're pretty |
| 0:05.3 | excited about them. Rad Power Bikes. Rad Power Bikes mission isn't all that |
| 0:10.8 | different from ours. They want to make it easy to live life without having to own or drive a car. |
| 0:16.2 | As North America's leading electric bike brand, Rad Power Bikes offers affordable e-bikes for every kind of rider, whether you're meeting up with |
| 0:24.8 | friends, running errands, or just trying to get some exercise. Rad Power bikes are reasonably |
| 0:30.0 | priced and thoughtfully designed. To help you flatten hills, avoid traffic, and |
| 0:35.2 | reduce emissions. But most of all, they're just a lot of fun to ride. The holidays are |
| 0:41.0 | coming up. You've probably got someone in your life who'd be happier riding a bike with an electric assist. |
| 0:45.0 | Rad Power Bike would be a great gift. You could even get one for yourself. |
| 0:50.0 | Visit rad PowerBikes.com to find the right e-bike for you. |
| 0:55.0 | Plenty of bikes in stock right now and shipping is free. |
| 0:58.0 | Again, that's Rad Power Bikes.com, transforming the way we move and helping to win the war on cars. |
| 1:11.0 | Cars are bad. They pollute, they're expensive, they're not good for the poor. |
| 1:15.0 | In all of these like really obvious ways, it's not great for Americans to be wedded to this |
| 1:20.2 | object that ends up costing them like $12,000 a year like whatever that |
| 1:23.8 | statistic is cars are bad. This is the war on cars. I'm Doug Gordon. I'm here with my co-host Aaron Napaestack and Sarah Goodyear. |
| 1:37.0 | What's up? Hey, and Doug sounds a little weird, but he does not have COVID. |
| 1:42.0 | I have it. I a cold. Just a good |
| 1:44.3 | old-fashioned cold. You haven't had a cold in two years because of all the mask |
| 1:47.5 | wearing and now I have one and it hit me pretty hard. It's almost kind of |
| 1:50.6 | refreshing to see colds come back. Yeah, they're back in fashion. |
| 1:54.7 | So in this episode, what does media coverage of cycling |
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