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

#2544 Reform the System

November 7, 2025

Emails: the bike life of musical director Tim Dyet, and Steve Weyland’s counsel on ticketing riders, not blaming delivery apps in NYC (congratulations NYC by the way) (1:58).

Faulty bike infrastructure and a drunk driver blamed for deaths of cyclists Kerry Bonner, 25, and Egor Popov, 31 at Vigil and response by Patty Wiens, Bike Mayor of Winnipeg (7:25).

Charlie’s news: Carbrained NYC Councilmember Vicky Paladino (had) a challenger, FDNY urged to make safer streets, Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway safety makeover TBD, Kilian Jornet rides to 72 US summits in 31 days (10:04).

A children’s book about Annie Cohen Kopchovsky, AKA Annie Londonderry, who rode her bike around the world in 1885, is banned by the Pentagon for violating Trump’s DEI policy. With author Mary Boone (12:20).

Northampton’s 34th annual Cyclocross event with Penny and Chloe. JAM fund explained by racers Tanya Boulanova and Ellen Noble (24:28).

Bike LA’s Bikefest with Bike LA Director Eli Akira Kaufman (34:51).

Planning Taylor’s Bike Tour, Part III, with Josh Bowden of Adventure Cycling (45:45).

bikefest, biketour, bikevigil, bookbanning, cyclocross, fdny, pedalpusher
#2543 Ebikelash

October 31, 2025

Charlie’s News: NYC sets a 15mph limit on ebikes, a new Seattle bike lane also works for trucks, ultralight emergency response cargo bikes, and the impact of tariffs on the bike industry (3:00).

A No Drive Halloween campaign (4:26).

Ontario, Canada Premier Doug Ford is trying to ban speed cameras and bike lanes in an all out war on safety and active transportation- but there’s active resistance from Dr. Carrie Mitchell, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo who started a petition calling for the speed camera ban to be reversed (5:08).

The classifications of ebikes in New York City is confusing, and riders are paying the cost. Nick talks with Sophia Lebowitz about her article in Streetsblog NYC – “The ‘Problem’ With E-Bikes? The Super Fast Illegal Ones” (13:20).

A brief on the legal implications of misleading ebike categories with James Pocrass, Personal Injury attorney (26:46).

NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is questioned on ticketing ebike riders in a debate with opponents Cuomo and Sliwa, who want more ticketing, but Mamdani’d rather look at incentives to speed from food delivery app companies like DoorDash and Grubhub (32:04).

Planning Taylor’s bike tour, Part 2: logistics and planning. With Josh Bowden, Experiences Operations Specialist of Adventure Cycling (34:03).

bikelash, biketour, ebike, mamdani, Toronto
#2542 Cycling Solidarity

October 24, 2025

Bike Talk Listener Survey (0:23)

People on bikes are “Nature’s Most Efficient Traveler,” reveals Scientific American (1:42)

Charlie’s News: League of American Bicyclists’ Advocacy Toolkit, Calbike’s Independent Electric Mobility Council, and Portland’s emergency World Naked Bike Ride (3:43).

MAGA Speaker Mike Johnson calls the World Naked Bike Ride “the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet,” inspiring a Kermit The Frog song on the Jimmy Kimmel show (5:30).

Cycling Solidarity buys out vendors targeted by ICE in Chicago and distributes the food to hungry people by bike. We talk with Rick Rosales, AKA “Captain Jack Sharrow,” a Cycling Solidarity organizer and Critical Mass rider (7:44).

Women Changing Cities is a book on women leaders shaping their cities “From Paris to Bogota, Manila to Montreal… reclaiming streets, reimagining mobility, and designing safer, more inclusive public spaces.” Vancouver leader and bike activist Lucy Maloney interviews co-author Melissa Bruntlett in the second part of last week’s interview by Diane Alisa (14:26).

Taylor plans a bike tour from San Francisco to Michigan with Josh Bowden, Adventure Cycling Experiences Operations Specialist (35:36)

Coffee on a cargo bike with Adrian of Satellite Coffee (52:32).

advocacy, biketravel, protest, WNBR
#2541 Countering Car Culture

October 17, 2025

Bike tech: Dynamo lights and pocket compressors (0:19).

Charlie’s News (4:21).

Two authors on what we’ve lost by making kids car dependent: author of A Love Letter to Suburbia Diane Alisa interviews co-author of Curbing Traffic Melissa Bruntlett on her chapter, The Child-Friendly City (6:51).

The delights of a Slovenian bike tour with Hour Away guide Nejc Peternelj and Taylor’s brother John & Sister in Law Alice, who took the tour by ebike (22:34).

Bike Ped Committee Chair Kristen Sykes interviews Holyoke, Massachusetts Mayor Joshua Garcia about countering car culture with complete streets on the 3rd annual Holyoke Mayoral ride (43:18).

bikelights, bikenews, biketour, completestreets, kidmobility
#2540 The Deadly Status Quo

October 10, 2025

Ride For Your Life is a Washington, D.C. memorial ride in honor of Sarah Langenkamp, whose husband, Dan, worked to pass a law protecting cyclists in her name after she was killed riding in a bike lane. Taylor talks to Dan Langenkamp (2:04).

After Bike Talk thinker Stacey Randecker was hit while riding, we asked why personal injury lawsuits take so long to pay out. Our lawyer, Jim Pocrass, tells all (18:35).

Charlie’s Bike News (24:40).

A report called “The Powerless Brokers” by Circulate San Diego finds “California can’t build transit.” Lindsay talks to Circulate SD CEO Colin Parent (27:05).

NYC bill Intro 1138 would ban parking within 20 feet of street corners, “daylighting” intersections so drivers and other road users can see what’s coming…but NYC’s DOT exaggerated the parking that would be lost, Upper West Side Council Member Gale Brewer pulled her support for the bill, and now its passage is in danger. All for the love of parking, explains Streetopia Upper West Side Director Carl Mahaney. (39:43).

Ride The Vines is a Temecula, California wine region cycling event that supports charities, schools, and bike safety. Taylor talks with Gary Oddi and Ernie Castro about the ride (46:53).

Stacey’s Bike Thought (54:39).

charityride, daylighting, memorialride, transit
#2539 – Champions of Bike Advocacy

October 3, 2025

Bay Wheels bikeshare in the East Bay lends ebikes for $20/month to qualified residents and $120 for everyone else, reports Bike East Bay co-Executive Director Justin Hu-Nguyen (1:05).

Former San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio on being recalled by drive-happy voters over his support for converting a portion of the Great Highway into the new Sunset Dunes Park (7:08).

Biking, BARTing, and e-scooting at 14 in the Bay Area: Quin Binzak (24:50).

The Federal Government has taken away approved funding for bike and safe streets infrastructure, or anything “hostile to cars.” Caron Whitaker, E.D. of League of American Bicyclists, on its work with lawmakers. Also, League Certified Instructor training (29:56).

Staying positive in bike messaging, as per Dave Snyder’s newsletter (39:39).

Charlie’s News (42:15)

It’s getting darker, dynamo lights are awesome, and other light news from Battle Road Bike Shop mechanic Jim Cadenhead (45:03).

bepositive, bikelash, bikeshare, biketobart, dynamolights, fallriding, lci, recall
#2538 – Reasons to Ride

September 26, 2025

A JAMA study finds biking is associated with lower dementia incidence (23:00).

Should we tell people they ought to bike to COSTCO? A Bluesky user responds to episode #2535 (2:49).

Bike East Bay Advocacy Director Robert Prinz explains why federal bike infrastructure doesn’t have to be “stupid,” in response to Charles Marohn’s comments in episode #2537 (4:49).

A West Hollywood resident defends the famous Fountain Ave bike lane pilot project from the perspective of both “entitled driver” AND “entitled cyclist” (7:13).

Black Girls Do Bike founder Monica Garrison on the Kitty Knox Academy, a program to prepare “Sheroes” to become nationally certified League Cycling Instructors (LCIs) through the League of American Bicyclists (9:06).

Dutch Cycling Embassy International Relations Manager Chris Bruntlett on how China is leapfrogging the Netherlands in bike infrastructure and bikeshare, the popularity of bike transportation versus bikelash fueled by a privileged minority, and Women Changing Cities (22:07).

Pushing Pedals Sundays, a social ride that patronizes black owned businesses in Detroit, closes for winter and football season. Reo Ramsey, bike light and pedicab entrepreneur, tells us about the ride (48:50).

activetransportation, bikeablecity, bikeinfrastructure, cyclingambassador, entitleddriver, lci, sheroes, socialride
#2537 – Validation

September 19, 2025

Listener emails in response to last episode’s bike lane hater from Eric Brightwell, host of the Nobody Drives in LA podcast and Ross, a West Hollywood vehicular cyclist who uses the street on which Bike Lane Hater does not want a lane (0:21).

What are the legal implications for organizing a community bike ride, bike bus, or other non-sponsored event? asks listener Dr. Rick Bosacker. Our lawyer/sponsor Jim Pocrass lays down the law on liability for taco ride organizers (4:43).

Strong Towns founder and Confessions of a Recovering Engineer author Chuck Marohn and the author of A Love Letter to Suburbia Diane Alisa on why we don’t have better bike infrastructure, the right/left divide, and how we’ll get things done (9:40).

Boston’s Bikeway Block Party is an annual inclusive, community-focused festival designed to showcase arts, activities, and culture and celebrate shared space. Jim Cadenhead, original Bike Talk host and BBP organizer, recaps the Party (34:06).

Bay Area Transit’s Biking, Birding, and BART ride: Stacey Randecker with BART Bike Access Program Manager Heath Maddox and BART Bicycle Task Force member Moe Gevirtz (41:05).

bikeinfrastructure, bikelash, bikeparty, biketour, liability, vehicularcycling
#2536 – Answers.

September 12, 2025

Bike tours of Portland, Oregon by Cycle Portland, an interview of Charlotte by listener contributor Jonathan Weiss (1:26).

A Love Letter to Suburbia is a new book on how car dependency, corporate control, and disintegrating community values have eroded the sense of connection and purpose that once defined American neighborhoods, and how to fix that with pedestrian first “villages.” Author/Instagram influencer Diane Alisa talks (6:06).

A longtime listener that happens to be a professional planner responds to some of the arguments raised by the West Hollywood bike hater from our last episode, in script form (28:45).

Northampton, Massachusetts documentary maker Thomas Draudt uses his art to battle the bike haters and support the multimodal complete streets project “Picture Main Street” (48:00).
These Are The People in Your Neighborhood

September 5, 2025

Why, being flat and on Manhattan’s “doorstep,” is Long Island so resistant to all bike infrastructure? asks listener Sean Cirillo (0:53).

West Hollywood bike lane opponent Kyle Brazil debates Taylor about installing a bike lane on Fountain Avenue (6:13).

The author of A Love Letter to Suburbia, Diane Alisa, has empathy for conservatives and suburban people who might want to ease away from car dependency, but are triggered by the word ‘city’ (30:47).

advocacy, cardependency, urbanism