Look Both Ways with David & Wes

Could golf carts help bridge transportation's partisan divide? A snippet from the upcoming podcast episode, which delves into transportation deepening culture wars. (out on Thurs)

We're making swag—and you can help! Vote for your favorite designs (many of which were created by listeners): www.lookbothwayspodcast.com If you like, leave your email and we'll let you know when stickers, badges and such are available (likely within a few weeks).

From the new @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social, which is all about transportation's growing culture wars. Available next week. In the meantime, here's a related story I wrote recently in @bloomberg.com. (gift link)

Like public health, transportation is an inherently collective endeavor. "Your decision [whether to get a vaccine] is going to affect everybody else. It's the same thing with transportation. If you choose to get a big car, you're affecting the well being of everybnody else on the street."

We're making swag—and you can help! Vote for your favorite designs (many of which were created by listeners): www.lookbothwayspodcast.com If you like, leave your email and we'll let you know when stickers, badges and such are available (likely within a few weeks).

In the latest episode, @davidzipper.bsky.social argues that surging gas prices have created a unique opportunity to convince drivers to try traveling by transit or bike. If they like it, they might stick with it.

"the myth [that gas taxes fully pay for roads] protects the status quo... if people believe drivers pay their own way, it's easier to argue for more spending on highways. It's harder to ask the basic questions of like who benefits, who pays, who aren't we counting? It's a thought terminating cliche

Slow work day, so I gave this a listen. I always enjoy the Look Both Ways podcast but this episode was particularly good!

@wesmars.bsky.social on the potential for surging gas prices to cause an enduring shift toward transit and bikes: "High gas prices will get someone to try out a different trip. Whether they keep doing it depends on whether that trip is any good."

New pod is up—and it's all about surging gas prices. Wes & David discuss: 🔹 Whether the shift toward buses and bikes might endure 🔹 Why it's a smart time to invest in transit marketing 🔹 Whether tolls and road use charges can (and should) replace the gas tax

As gas gets more expensive, people living in places with abundant transit and safe bike lanes can save money by driving less. In much of the US, that's not an option. From the new @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social, which is all about gas prices.

From the new episode, which delves into surging gas prices: @davidzipper.bsky.social: "Various states have paused the gas tax. Is it a good policy or a dumb policy?" @wesmars.bsky.social: "I'd lean towards the latter."

Join us at 6p ET today. Link below.

Our next livestream is all about gasoline! - Will higher gas prices cause enduring mode shift? - Is "pausing" the gas tax as dumb as it seems? - How the heck will we fund infrastructure when fuel taxes keep declining? Join Wes and David on Tues, Oct 13 at 6p ET ⤵️

On the latest episode, @davidzipper.bsky.social warned urbanists that self-driving cars are not a parking "solution": "If you're saying 'I love AVs because we won't have so much parking at the curb,' you're dangerously limited in your scope."

David is in London with @wesmars.bsky.social (sort of)

Are robotaxis really "green"? - "They're EVs!"  Sure, but cars can go electric w/o autonomy. - "They'll be shared!"  Doubtful. Shared ridehail has fizzled. - "They'll boost transit!" Ridehail made the same claim. Nope. In fact, AVs could worsen the environment by inducing much more driving.

In the latest episode, a listener in Maine asked what David & Wes think about double-lane roundabouts. @wesmars.bsky.social did not hold back: "They're the worst."

Episode is up! Download below (or watch on YouTube)

In 20 min!

Join us tomorrow!

Is Waymo really the "missing middle" of urban transportation? Or is that just Climate Week greenwashing? Looking forward to discussing with @wesmars.bsky.social

Next livestream is all about transportation and the environment. David will report back from Climate Week NYC, brought to you by Waymo (or so it seemed). Wes will examine whether regional rail really is a climate solution. Join through the link ⤵️ on Tuesday at 6p ET.

New episode is live! 🔹 Which car ads do David & Wes like or loathe? 🔹 Why did both of them change their minds about the value of speed limits? 🔹 Can—let alone should— autonomous vehicles always obey traffic laws? All that and more. Have a listen ⤵️

Can lowering speed limits — and doing nothing else — actually reduce extreme speeding? @wesmars.bsky.social says yes.

In this week's @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social, Wes asked which car ad I loathe most. Tough competition. I went with the Dodge Charger's salute to urban speeding, from the 2018 Super Bowl.

Human drivers constantly make context-specific choices when deciding whether to obey traffic laws like speed limits. But can an autonomous vehicle grasp the difference between heading to a friend's house and rushing to the hospital? From the new episode

Next Tuesday's livestream will delve deep into speed limits: 🔹 How are they determined? 🔹 Does lowering them—and doing nothing else—actually prevent crashes? 🔹 Do autonomous vehicles obey them? Should they? Join us at 6p ET ⤵️

Tuesday at 6p ET

Next Tuesday's livestream will delve deep into speed limits: 🔹 How are they determined? 🔹 Does lowering them—and doing nothing else—actually prevent crashes? 🔹 Do autonomous vehicles obey them? Should they? Join us at 6p ET ⤵️

It took me a minute, but I finally got some film developed from this spring+summer. For starters, a live taping of @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social in Denver

Wes and I delved into minicars like the Fiat Topolino on the new @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social. Are minicars for everyone? No—and they don't need to be. If a small fraction of Americans use a minicar instead of a giant SUV or pickup, that would be a big societal win.

New pod is up! This episode delves into senior mobility: 🔹 Why great retirement communities resemble college campuses 🔹 What to do when an older person can no longer drive safely 🔹 The "golf cart killer" coming to the US

Tesla's deceptive marketing is convincing seniors that "Full-Self Driving" can safely operate their car even if they aren't capable of doing so. This is incredibly dangerous—not just for elderly Tesla owners but for anyone sharing the road with them. From the new @lookbothwayspod.bsky.social

It's rural areas, not big cities, that most need AVs. "How do you push [robotaxi] companies to get into the places where society would value their presence? As opposed to Lower Manhattan, which is very lucrative for a Waymo or Zoox but would be a disaster if that becomes a dominant way to travel."

The oldest Baby Boomers just turned 80. As @wesmars.bsky.social explains, that bodes ill for road safety. From the new episode, out later this week

Tuesday's livestream will delve into senior mobility: 🔹 Why great retirement communities resemble college campuses 🔹 What to do when an older person can no longer drive safely 🔹 The "golf cart killer" coming to the US Join David & Wes at 6p ET ⤵️

New episode is up! This one delves into global road safety, with forays to Canada, Spain, Australia, Russia, and the United Nations. Have a listen below, or on any podcast platform

Which is more dangerous: Cars with huge spikes sticking out of their tires, or a bicyclist with a pool noodle? David and Wes discuss

Meanwhile, the US was the only country in the world to oppose a recent UN declaration about the need to reduce crash deaths. The vote was 162 to 1.

Today at 6p ET!

On Tuesday David & Wes are going global: 🔹 Why is the US the only country voting *against* road safety in the UN? 🔹 Are Americans really more likely to die in a crash than Russians? 🔹 Why do "car-free" European cities like Pontevedra still have cars in them? Join the livestream at 6p ET ⤵️

Our new episode answers all your most pressing questions: 🔹 Can Trump really freeze transit funding? 🔹 Why do robotaxis keep blocking bike lanes? 🔹 Which HOF 76ers player commuted from NYC — where he ran a Harlem night club? Available below, or on your favorite pod platform

Does USDOT Secretary Duffy's term "DEI bike lanes" make any sense? No, it does not. Wes & David discussed how Trump administration's attacks on bike lanes and transit are making travel more dangerous.