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

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Streetfilms NYC, Anti bike lane bill in LA 26/35

September 4, 2026

Language was added to a bill targeting a much needed protected bike lane and traffic calming project on LA’s high speed Forest Lawn Drive, where there have been more than 95 crashes and 4 fatalities since 2013. The bill was paid for by Forest Lawn Cemetery donations, and it’ll be an issue in the LA Mayoral race, says Michael Schneider of Streets For All.

2:45

LA Metro will pay some drivers to drive less in a new program, as the city looks toward a more car-light 2028 Olympics. LA Metro spokesperson Patrick Chandler gives the details.

12:19

Streetfilms filmmaker Clarence Eckerson talks with Taylor about his work as an urbanist educator.

21:55

News:

Pedestrian pronounced dead after Tour de Fat vehicle crash, 5 remain injured, in unknown condition

New Illinois law sets license, insurance requirements for e-bike riders

Newport Beach residents frustrated by e-bikes parked in front of their homes

Bill to Strengthen Walking and Biking Programs, AB 2168, Headed to Governor’s Desk

Cyclists have crashed on Market Street’s rail tracks for 130 years. Why can’t SF fix them?

45:55

More eulogies from Bike Oven/ Killradio/ Bike Talk/ bike community documentarian and spirit-booster DJ Chickenleather’s memorial at the Highland Park Bike Oven.

49:08

bikelane, BikeTalk, chickenleather, ebike, la, memorial, metro, nyc, protected, streetfilms, trafficviolence, visionzero
The Journey Makes The Hero 26/34

August 28, 2026

Chickenleather, spirit and documentarian of the LA bike movement for decades, died last week. We bring you his words from 2010 on getting “normal” people to bike, engaging the youth, and volunteering at a bike collective.

2:10

Taylor drafts behind yet another stranger, Josep in Cataluña, Spain, and they talk afterward.

7:12

Bike Talk listener Tim Dyet says he’s inspired by Taylor Nichols’ ride from SF to Michigan to do a 10 day ride of his own along the Empire Trail bike path in New York.

12:25

Team Samaritan riders Tom Schwein and David McKean aim to raise two million dollars with a Ride Across America for Catholic Charities to help fight the nation’s homeless epidemic.

17:45

Massachusetts Streetsblog reporter and editor Christian MilNeil on the elimination of a Boston bikeway by the Mayor Wu administration.

33:00

News:

3 Cyclists Die in One Week in Hit-and-Runs in New York City.

Against Neighbors’ Wishes, Boston Streets Commissioners Cancel Planned Bikeway Near Day Square.

E-bikes, scooters, boards prohibited at all of Newport-Mesa Unified’s K-8 campuses.

Como mayor bans bikes in city centre after being hit ‘by one of these beasts’.

LA Mayor hits brakes on needed bike lanes near Forest Lawn. Mayoral opponent Raman is slamming her for it.

46:01

Chickenleather’s memorial at the Bike Oven in Highland Park, Los Angeles.

48:39

bikelane, bikelash, chickenleather, la, memorial, tour, trafficviolence
Backpedaling 26/33

August 21, 2026

Taylor rides Barcelona, and says it’s civilized.

A Quebec court rules against Toronto’s famously successful protected lanes. Michael Longfield, Executive Director of Cycle Toronto, explains.
4:15

NYC closes a 1 block gap in Ashland Avenue’s protected bike lane in Brooklyn, known as “Crashland” for the danger created when Mayor Adams’ corrupt administration blocked that part of the path. Streetsblog NYC reporters Emily Lipstein and Michael Duggan fill in the gaps.
15:28

A fully funded safety improvement project on Forest Lawn Drive was stopped by LA Mayor Bass despite years of public planning, extensive community outreach, and documented safety concerns. Streets Are For Everyone ED Damian Kevitt breaks it down.
20:25

Somerville, Massachusetts achieves Vision Zero for the third year in a row.
25:27

News:

Driver Hits 11, Kills Two College Cyclists in Tennessee.
The car killing of British rider Fin Tarling during Friday’s stage of the Volta a Portugal.
Bike hating Ontario Premier Doug Ford wins court battle to strip Toronto of its main downtown bike lanes.
London’s Cycleway network grows five-fold in decade to 450km.

26:37

Riders of the “friendly 8” in Halcyon, New Jersey, Kimberly Organo-Solo and Charles Sontag, with ride leader Lo Sontag, on why they ride and don’t ride more.
28:44

Owner of Allez Allez bike shop in Los Angeles, Kyle Kelley, whom interviewer Jim Cadenhead calls “the most famous fixie foo that ever was.”
39:19

Erasure poetry from bike hate mail submissions by Liza Birch, a Rhode Island bike advocate.
42:40

bikelane, bikelash, canada, protected, tour, trafficviolence, visionzero
Beyond Cyclists 26/32

August 14, 2026

Walk Bike Berkeley organizer Ben Gerhardstein on why Berkeley needs the Hopkins Ave protected bike lane they fought for so long to get and finally won, and why the opposition was so vitriolic.

(2:15)

A recent study, “Beyond Cyclists,” finds that support for and opposition to cycling infrastructure don’t always follow intuitive lines, and the ways pro-bike arguments are framed matters. Quebecois researchers Jérôme Laviolette, Kevin Manaugh, Owen Waygood unpack their study.

(6:30)

Our bike lawyer Jim Pocrass talks with our news anchor, Stacey Randecker, about her e-bike crash, her medical treatment, her settlement, and why every document mattered.

(35:05)

News: Amazon responds to Mamdani’s cease-and-desist letter.

A Boston City Official Wants Cars To Stop Blocking Bike Lanes And Crosswalks.

Durham Dedicates $1M To Protecting Bike Lanes.

UT Austin officials say a new mobility plan is coming as cyclists worry about potential bike ban.

(44:30)

Fresno County’s Board of Supervisors buried Measure C, a transportation tax favoring local roads and transit over freeway expansion, using a procedural trick. A law just signed by California Governor Newsom would foil the Board and put Measure C on Fresno’s ballot in November. The Supes plan to sue, claiming the law is unconstitutional. Fresnoland’s Editor in Chief Danielle Bergstrom reports.

(47:35)

advocacy, bikelane, bikelanes, bikelash, city, crash, cycling, ebike, safestreets, trafficviolence
We’re Not Copenhagen 26/31

August 6, 2026

Taylor on being a bike nerd and making friends by bike, like Kay Shuster.

Bicycles Are Partisan now, writes Lo Sontag in light of the MAGA federal assault on biking. But the real divide isn’t left/right, it’s who has power and who doesn’t.

5:41

Listener Tim Dyet writes he plans a bike trip in NY, inspired by Taylor’s recent ride from SF to Michigan. Tim plans to take his bike on an Amtrak train- speaking of which, the League of American Bicyclists has issued a report on bike friendly trains.

19:45

Nietifa, a listener, suggests a “limited license” for bad drivers.

24:27

In “The Social Cost of Automobility, Cycling and Walking in the European Union,” Swedish researcher Stephan Gosling says that in advocating for bike infrastructure, we shouldn’t argue against cars.

25:55

Stacey’s News: After years of debate, Berkeley approves Hopkins bike lanes.

Archer Ave Bike Lanes Tension Fuels Political Ambitions in Chicago.

A woman in a Queens bike lane was fatally struck by SUV driver who never stopped.

Pedestrians and cyclists can cross the Gordie Howe International Bridge for free in Detroit.

41:26

Berkeley’s long overdue approval of the Hopkins Avenue protected bike lane- with Robert Prinz, Bike East Bay.

44:27

bikelash, bikepacking, cars, protected
Bike Hope Versus Bike Hate 26/30

July 30, 2026

The USDOT/FHWA removed bike lanes, road diets, and speed management tools that have been shown to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities from their list of Proven Safety Countermeasures on USDOT/FHWA sites. Is the administration anti-safety? Of course, as League of American Bicyclists Deputy Executive Director Caron Whitaker explains, the Proven Safety Countermeasures’ removal by USDOT does not change the fact that they make roads safer.

6:50

Bike share is transportation! Recognizing this, bike-sharing Brooklyn Councilmember Lincoln Restler has a bill to cap Citibike fares at the price of a bus or subway. Lincoln talks about CD 33’s other bike/active transportation/safe streets initiatives, too.

17:54

San Francisco architect Ben Frommagen is on a 4,200 + day streak of riding every day for two hours (almost 12 years). Taylor rides along with Ben and talks over coffee about the personal, mental and physical trade-offs of keeping the streak.

36:08

bikeshare, health, safety, trump
Back in the Saddle 26/29

July 24, 2026

Biking in wildfire smoke and climate change.

Portland broke the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the largest electric bicycle ride on July 19! Claire Vlach, BikeLoud PDX Communications Director, reports back to Taylor.

2:41

Peter Norton, author of “Autonoroma: The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving,” on why Autonomous Vehicles won’t save us, Part II.

13:18

NEWS-The Wu administration shelved safety plans for Boston streets where a driver killed Louisa Gag. Louisa was a bike activist, transportation planner, and member of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s staff. Louisa worked at Livable Streets before working with Mayor Wu.

Xandro Meurisse was struck from behind by a car driver after his Tour de France time trial.

Atlanta’s new bike barriers are flipping cars (and it’s not the barriers’ fault).

RAGBRAI 53.

26:03

The president of Greater Boston New England Mountain Bike Association, Mary McCarthy, on the meaning of bike advocate/Boston Transportation Planner Louisa Gag’s death to the community in Boston.

28:31

Political stars including Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman spoke in support of CicLAvia’s open street at its “Meet the Hollywoods” event this past Sunday. Meanwhile, CicLAvia reported that LA Metro was about to quietly end future funding for open street events and asked for support.People phoned and emailed Metro’s board, and the Board voted unanimously to advance a motion to identify additional funding dedicated to open street events through 2028

29:44

Nick meets Dan Bolognani and Dan McGuinness, core members of the Western New England Greenway, a multi-segment, multi-state bike route that links New York City and Montreal, on a recent ride with Bike Talk listener Tom O’Brien.

31:31

Robin and Amy Verner, a retired couple on the Western New England Greenway ride, on how they bought a segment of rail trail near their home in Manchester, Vermont and made it part of the WNEG bike network.

35:30

Taylor interviews Lansing Bike Party members Tim and Jeff Potter, Andy Rohrer, and Rick Oberle.

38:47

Amy Verner on what it was like to be a boomer in the bike business and how the bike business catered to boomers.

49:50

age, AVs, climate, e-bikes, safety
Welcome Home 26/28

July 17, 2026

Taylor completes his bike journey from California to Michigan and is met by his 101 year old father, Irving “Irv” Nichols, who still drives. This sparks a discussion of the possibility of a future where Autonomous Vehicles are required with our Bike Lawyer, Jim Pocrass.

Listener Email- Mitch Hull of Battle Creek offers Taylor a place to stay and help with his bike.

13:37

Taylor’s day is saved by Rick, mid-michigan bike advocate and urban planner, who lets Taylor draft behind him.

15:06

Why Autonomous Vehicles won’t make us safer, with Peter Norton, author of Autonorama: The Illusory Promise of High Tech Driving.

20:09

An obituary for 77 year old Charlie Cunningham, mountain bike pioneer, by Jim Cadenhead, who interviewed Charlie’s wife, mountain bike pioneer Jacquie Phelan, for Bike Talk.

38:18

Jim also reflects on the killing of Louisa Gag, a longtime street safety advocate and transportation planner, who was on her bike in Boston when hit by a truck driver.

39:25

Taylor gets a tour from curator Alyssa Young at the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum in the self proclaimed bicycling capital of America, Sparta, Wisconsin.

41:30

Taylor interviews a group of older e-bike riders on getting e-assisted through the famous pitch black tunnels of the Elroy Sparta trail in Sparta.

49:06

Taylor reflects on his trip.

52:40

AVs, biketour, ebike, trafficviolence
Ride Safe 26/27

July 10, 2026

Back on the bike and headed East in Minneapolis, Taylor finds out what’s next from Brian and Mary Georgia on day 33 of their ride West from the Outer Banks of N.C.

2:23

Tom O’Brien goes over the 2-day ride Nick’s about to do on the Western New England Greenway, a bike-friendly route from Norwalk, CT to Canada.

6:09

Listener emails: a boost from Baltimore Fred, concerned Karen in L.A., and Jens in Norway on the politics of bikelash.

9:00

Families For Safe Streets on who they are, their Stop Superspeeders laws in 18 states, their framework requiring Autonomous Vehicle travel to be as safe as air travel, and increased insurance requirements in D.C. With D.C. FSS chapter leader Sam Trumbull.

16:19

News: Conservationists ride 2,500 miles for whooping cranes. Cape Verdeans in New Bedford, Mass. celebrate 51 years of independence with their 47th annual community bike ride. Edmonton, Canada bike path plans hit resistance from parking advocates. The US Transportation Secretary will redirect $1.73 billion in Biden-era grants away from establishing “DEI bike lanes” to build car infrastructure.

30:25

Taylor talks with Minneapolis bike advocates Laura Mitchell, Luke Van Santin and Brett McGraw about whether there are too many bike advocacy organizations.

33:08

Fellow traveler Jake Hess on the transition back to normal from a big bike tour.

39:56

advocacy, bikelash, greenway, Speed, tour
26/26 Taylor’s Trip Interrupted

July 3, 2026

Taylor unwinds with Dylan, Laura, and Brett Mcgraw after they escort him into Minneapolis.

2:38

Taylor talks to Jules, Mel, and Brian at Minneapolis’ People’s Pride Ride.

10:01

Taylor talks to Christina, a Hennepin County DOT Bike & Ped planner, at the Minneapolis Pride Ride.

16:28

Taylor talks to the manager at Venture Bikes, more than a bike shop in Minneapolis.

21:05

Advice for a listener, Kimberly, planning a bike tour in North Dakota.

24:15

News: Carlsbad launches an online portal to report dangerous e-bike riders.

Virginia and Arizona will be the first states to incorporate speed-limiting devices for dangerous drivers.

The Dutch National Soccer team bought 17 bikes from a Kansas City shop (after Momentum magazine ranked the 16 World Cup venues by bike access and KC came in last).

28:50

Families For Safe Streets released a framework for regulating autonomous vehicles like the aviation industry. Marco Connor summarizes the framework.

31:21

Taylor meets Bob, a rider touring America from East to West coast.

45:18

AVs, tour

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