Bike Talk - A radio show dedicated to the idea that for public and planetary health we need to prioritize public transportation by bikes

Nick and Taylor ride Joe Borfo’s Tandem in Griffith Park

Latest Episode

Strong Towns and Fault Lines

March 28, 2025

Tesla’s polluting plants, Musk’s racist genealogy and the #Teslatakedown (1:53).

Since our new regime is anti-active transportation, we check in with Charles Marohn, Strong Towns founder and author of Strong Towns, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, and Escaping the Housing Trap, for a reminder of what we can do locally to make towns more bikeable and livable (7:17).

Op ed writers with the Rochester University Campus Times, Teddy Almond and Maya Brosnick, debate NYC’s congestion pricing (30:28).

Robert Zaichkowski’s Bike Thought (54:17).

congestionpricing, evpollution, strongtowns, teslatakedown, Toronto
Bike Talk #2511 No Autocracy, yes BRT & Bike Share

March 21, 2025

Ontario’s reactionary re-elected Premier, Doug Ford, aims to rip out Toronto’s bike lanes despite his own experts’ testimony that they work. Our correspondent Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher on the view from Toronto (2:31).

The US DOT halts all active transportation funding that might reduce emissions or improve accessibility. James Pocrass, Los Angeles Bike Lawyer, gives his view. (9:31).

News:
“Congestion Pricing is Dead…Long Live the King,” declared trump’s X post, referring to himself… But congestion pricing lives. Honolulu’s speed cams work-too well? (14:03)

Why Buying a Bike Helmet Online Could Be Dangerous, with Consumer Reports writer Kevin Loria (16:57).

Global Tesla Takedown and Trump’s Tesla commercial at the White House (23:28).

Our favorite study finds “shifting from a long commute to a short walk would make a single person as happy as if he or she had found a new love” (25:08).

Omaha’s bike share is accessible by library card, among other great features in this talk with Benny Foltz, Executive Director of the Roam Share bike share systems in Nebraska (26:20).

How We Can Build a Rapid Transit Network Overnight Everywhere-Taylor and Lindsay talk with “Transit Guy” Hayden Clarkin (40:07).
#2510 Bike as Sport or Culture War Flashpoint

March 14, 2025

Taylor’s day of service fixing bikes and teaching kids how to ride safely with Brett Atencio-Thomas, Active Costa Mesa, California’s Transportation Coordinator. Brett tells about the Three Pronged approach to making a 21st century city (0:38).

On February 25th, a group of cyclists in Boyle Heights were handing out “Know Your Rights” cards with information on what to do if approached by ICE. They were struck by a hit-and-run driver in a Kia sedan with the license plate 8GAN606, and the driver is still at large. Amari and Deity talk about what it was like (5:02)

More bike news, including studies that show being stuck in traffic makes drivers eat more fast food, and San Francisco slow streets reduce injuries 61%. Powered by bikinginla.com (10:31).

An Ecargobike library in Minneapolis is the brainchild of Our Streets Minneapolis Board President Laura Groenjes Mitchell (16:20).

Cyclocross explained by Mike Wissel of the B2C2 Massachusetts racing community (22:51).

The upcoming bike racing season previewed by Dane Cash of Escapecollective.com (33:47).

bikelibrary, bikenews, bikeracing, cyclocross, knowyourrights
Bike Talk #2509 – The Firecracker, a Vigil, an Icon, and Two Directors

March 7, 2025

LA Locals Taylor & Don saw the city like tourists on an Ebike Tour of Hollywood (0:22).

Bike Director Kevin Wong on Chinatown’s March 8-9 Firecracker Ride, the largest Lunar New Year Run, Walk, Cycling, and Dog Walk event in the US (4:59).

Bike Indianapolis Advocacy Committee Chair Jakob Morales on the recent vigil and ghost bike placement for Dillan Lee Rogers (10:41).

Jacquie Phelan, veteran mountain bike racer and way paver for women racers, reminisces about her glory days with original Bike Talk co-host Jim Cadenhead (19:44).

Founding Directors Brendt Barbur of the Bicycle Film Festival and Josh Paget of the Better Cities Film Festival talk bikes and movies with Taylor (28:40).

The free ‘Love to Ride’ app lets users give feedback on how safe and comfortable they feel when riding their bikes on different streets, and shares that data with cities to promote bike commuting. With CEO Thomas Stokell (47:15).

Stacey’s Bike Thought (53:44)

Part II of the interview with Jacquie Phelan (57:59).

ebiketours, firecracker, ghostbike, lovetoride, lunarnewyear, vigil
Bike Talk 2508 – Freedom to Bike

February 28, 2025

Taylor’s science-backed brush with car-induced unhappiness (0:22)

New York City congestion pricing will resist Trump’s attempts to kill it, predicts NYC Transportation Alternatives Communications Director, Alexa Sledge (3:25).

Maybe the NYC toll program would fare better if we labelled them “Congestion tariffs,” suggests Listener Rick Bosacker (10:35).

Congestion Pricing, climate change, and the dire situation in federal funding, a bike advocacy roundtable with Cynthia Rose, President of Santa Monica Spoke and Board Member of Calbike, Eli Kaufman, Executive Director of Bike LA, Kendra Ramsey, E.D. of CalBike, Galen Mook, E.D. of MassBike, Todd Scott, E.D. of Detroit Greenways Coalition, Justin Hu-Nguyen, Co-Executive Director of Mobility Justice at Bike East Bay, Dave Snyder, Senior Director for Infrastructure and Matt Moore, General and Policy Counsel for People For Bikes (14:47).

bikeorgs, carsaresad, congestionpricingprevails
#2507 – Cars make us unhappy

February 21, 2025

On vacation in Fraser, CO, “the ice box of America,” self-proclaimed “single track capital of the world,” Taylor talks track with Ben Quinn, owner of Ice Box Mountain Sports (2:08).

Our friend, Los Angeles bike advocate, cyclocross racer, and survivor of the Eaton fire, Dorothy Wong, on rebuilding Los Angeles (5:23).

A California court’s ruling that recreational cyclists can’t sue the city when injured on city streets makes no sense, according to bike lawyer James Pocrass, and be careful when you sign a waiver (17:19).

Car dependence makes people unsatisfied with life, according to a study in Travel Behaviour and Society. Taylor talks with study author Rababe Saadaoui (28:10).

Micromobility NYC, a Reddit group, organized protests which, with others, built pressure to “un-pause” NYC congestion pricing. Nicholas talks to the Reddit group’s moderator, Miser, in the weeks before Trump declared he’d undo the policy (45:18).

cardependency, congestion, micromobility, rebuilding, singletrack, waiver, winterbiking
Bike Talk #2506 – Donald Shoup, Parking Reformer; 15 minute cities; bike books & movies

February 14, 2025

Donald Shoup, author of “The High Cost of Free Parking,” has died. Tony Jordan, President of the Parking Reform Network, talks about Shoup’s decades of teaching, writing, and speaking on reversing subsidized free car storage (1:16).

Find our interviews with Donald Shoup at biketalk.org.

CalBike Joins Amicus Brief in Safe Streets Accountability Case after lower courts categorized bike riders as “recreational” street users who venture onto public streets at their own risk. Kendra Ramsey, Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition, lays out how sweeping the implications could be for California’s riders (11:00).

The man who coined the famous term “15 Minute Cities” and was central to Paris’ bike revolution, Carlos Moreno (19:49).

Reviews by Elly Blue, author of Bikenomics and editor of Portland’s Microcosm Publishing: Marshall Taylor’s autobiography, Romantasy “The Ministry of Time,” and the anime film Suzume (41:18).

Buy the books Elly reviewed at Biketalk.org‘s Bookshop.

Eric Dunn, Director of the Wild and Scenic film festival, on bike-related offerings in this year’s lineup (47:07).

Detroit’s Bike The Blizzard rides this month with Back Alley Bikes. Justin and Reo Ramsey relate (54:54).

15minutecity, carstorage, microcosm, wildandscenic
Bikes for kids in LA and Florida, Black Girls Do Bike, and ebikes over 60

February 7, 2025

Taylor almost gets killed, and Stacey does get hit (1:14).

Taylor fixes up bikes for fire victims in Los Angeles with Jim Shanman and Walk n Rollers (5:10).

News, powered by Ted Rogers’ Bikinginla.com (9:41):
Waymo reports AVs are safer than human drivers.
Bike theft increased 15% last year
The League of American Bicyclists is out with their latest list of the country’s most Bicycle Friendly Communities
A new report says California is the most car dependent state
A new study shows bicycling has a $1.4 billion impact on the state of Iowa alone
The San Antonio, TX. City Council just approved a big new bike plan

NPR reports A Florida hospital gave bikes to kids because buses don’t serve students within 2 miles of school. Taylor, Nick, Lindsay and Stacey discuss whether that’s a good idea (15:22).

Kelly Morphy, executive Director of the Florida Bicycle Association (17:51).

Los Angeles Black Girls Do Bike member Enjoleah Daye (23:05).

John Gibalisco: Pedadling Past 60; riding ebikes flattens hills (36:39).

Fair weather riders Jake and Toni confess they bike less in winter (51:59).

Editor of Streetsblog NYC Gersh Kuntzman’s Bike Thought (57:12).

bikeaid, bikefriendly, bikesmeanbusiness, biketoschool, deliveristas, ebikesover60, fairweatherriders, trafficviolence
Bike Talk 2504 – Conservative values support biking. NYCongestion pricing. Bike lanes = car infrastructure.

January 31, 2025

Bike Lawyer James Pocrass on what it’s like to bike in Los Angeles with the fires still burning, wearing masks, and avoiding scams (0:47).

With fewer cars and fewer injuries, the congestion pricing zone in NYC is like Sunday all week, according to StreetsblogNYC Editor Gersh Kuntzman (6:39).

News: bike crashes are reduced at intersections with Stop-as-yield laws, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds (14:27).

Listener Rick Bosacker writes & asks for a Bike Talk on how “cycling aligns quite well with many conservative values and strategies.” Cohosts Nick, Lindsay, Taylor and Stacey discuss (16:35).

Understanding car infrastructure with Hayden Clarkin, the “Transit Guy” (23:28).

Detroit’s Slow Roll is a fun, respectful way to learn about the city and enjoy community. Reo Ramsey talks with Slow Roll leader and manager of Trek Detroit, Jason Hall (45:03).

Caron Whitaker, Deputy Executive Director of League of American Bicyclists, shares a Bike Thought (53:35).

carinfrastructure, congestionpricing, culturewar, federalfunding
Bike Touring, Motornormativity, and Treating the Public Health Crisis of Oversized SUVs #2503

January 24, 2025

Cohosts Taylor, Nick, Lindsay and Stacey ponder possible effects of the new administration on bikes, cars, and infrastructure (0:57).

Listener Email: Reese Bastion writes about motonormativity, the acceptance of public hazards from cars where similar hazards like smoking wouldn’t be tolerated. This sparks a discussion about how the framework that led to smoking in public being banned could apply to oversized SUVs (4:52).

Listener bike tours:

Rick Bosacker, M.D., of New Zealand calls from a cruise ship toward the end of a family bike tour of the world’s great and not-so-great bike cities (18:41).

Brett McGraw, from Minneapolis, tours car-centric Los Angeles by bikeshare and transit (27:43).

The “Listening Tour” of Andrew Mohama, who biked home to Chicago from San Francisco, listening to people’s loneliness along the way (38:03).

Bike Thought by Kendra Ramsey, Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition (54:37).

biketours, carbloat, coalitions, motonormativity