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

Streets Are for People

December 6, 2022

START
Intro: Lindsay Sturman, Taylor Nichols, and Nick Richert

3:25 on.soundcloud.com/vxvXG
Roads Kill: Emily Badger on her viral NY Times Article, “The Exceptionally American Problem of Rising Roadway Deaths,” and how American Foreign Service agents are more likely to be killed by cars at home than overseas. Taylor Nichols interviews.

32:52 on.soundcloud.com/RcB8E
Catch-22: Miriam Pinsky on her article in the SF Chronicle, “Why does California revoke licenses as punishment for things that have nothing to do with driving,” but not so much reckless driving?

48:42 on.soundcloud.com/3sZ6w
Massachusetts Frame of Mind: MassBike ED Galen Mook provides Boston context for the driver’s license conversation and transitions to open streets events like CicLAvia.

50:23 on.soundcloud.com/jevax
Breathing Room: Tafarai Bayne, Chief Strategist of the Los Angeles open streets event CicLAvia, on the December 4 South LA ride.

55:56 on.soundcloud.com/yjXBf
Party Time: LA rider Lynn Ingram’s interviews from November’s Critical Mass ride.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

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Eye Opening Eye Opening

November 29, 2022

START
Global Connections: At Bike Lab, a DIY workshop in Northampton, Massachusetts, Ruthy Woodring collects bikes for projects in Trinidad and Haiti.

8:47 on.soundcloud.com/HppWE
BFF: The Bicycle Film Festival’s Founding Director, Brendt Barbur, interviewed by Taylor Nichols.

27:33 on.soundcloud.com/27tvN
Windshield Bias: NYC bicyclist lawyer Adam White tells how he was thrown in jail for removing a piece of plastic which obscured a license plate number (the driver wasn’t ticketed).

50:55 on.soundcloud.com/jNNVT
Snot Rockets: WMBR Bike Talk’s Galen Mook and Mixmaster Mully on how to clear your nose when riding with gloves.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

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Inspire

November 21, 2022

START
School Bus: a bike bus run by P.E. teacher Sam Balto in Portland, OR has been emulated and celebrated in social media. Interviews with Bus volunteers and Portland Bike Loud members Cathy Tuttle and Paul Buchanan.

10:51 on.soundcloud.com/f3CCj
The Oven Is Open: after years of hanging on by a thread, the Bicycle Oven collective of Northeast Los Angeles is back. Joe Borfo shares his thoughts.

18:08 on.soundcloud.com/Xr26X
Cyclocrossed: This year’s Verge Northampton International Cyclocross was the 31st edition of the race, and the oldest UCI cyclocross race in North America. Interviews with artist Dug Dale and commentator Ellen Noble.

27:11 on.soundcloud.com/Wo8E8
Pilgrimage: Los Angeles Bike Talk host Taylor Nichols on his recent visit to Amsterdam.

43:12 on.soundcloud.com/ZzPmi
Bike & Eat: an interview with “Pastry Queen” on homemade snacks for long distance biking, by Cambridge Bike Talk hosts Galen Mook and Laura Gray.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

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Together

November 15, 2022

START
Happy Trails: friends of non-Internal Combustion Engine transportation converged at the MassTrails conference last Saturday. MassBike E.D. Galen Mook interviews Namrit Kapur of HubLove.
www.masstrailsconference.com/

6:29 on.soundcloud.com/d8UzS
Almost here: Eli Kaufman on Fig for all’s years-long effort of making 3.2 miles of iconic Sunset blvd a 2-way protected bike lane, transforming the “high injury network” street into a transit and pedestrian friendly one…also, LACBC’s name change to “Bike LA.”
www.sunset4all.com/

13:47 on.soundcloud.com/p3ohG
SF Props: voters say the Great Walkway and a stretch of Golden Gate Park’s JFK Drive shall remain car free. Luke Bornheimer reports.

Oldie But Goodie: “Yes On J” by John Elliot.

24:13 on.soundcloud.com/4Bcb4
The Wong Way: storied bike advocate, safe streets educator, t.v. producer and politician Dorothy Wong on the bike advocacy piece. Taylor Nichols interviews.

46:52 on.soundcloud.com/QBLKB
See Me: UK’s More Than A Cyclist campaign puts familiar faces on cyclists to combat windshield blindness. With Robert Andersen.
www.morethanacyclist.org/

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

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Parallel_politics

November 8, 2022

START
Our Champions: an Assemblymember from urban Los Angeles and a Representative of a primarily small-town Massachusetts district are fighting for safe streets and biking in similar ways.

California’s 43rd Assemblymember and Transportation Committee Chair Laura Friedman wrote the revolutionary legislation that ended parking minimums near transit in the state of Califlornia. If that weren’t enough, her “Omnibike” law addresses a number of California bicycle laws to improve safety and save lives, requiring cars to change lanes when possible to pass cyclists, permitting cyclists to go when a walk sign is on at intersections, prohibiting local municipalities from requiring bike registration, and permitting e-bike riders to use city bike paths.

On the opposite coast, Massachusetts’ 1st District Representative Lindsay Sabadosa’s Act to Reduce Traffic Fatalities requires that motorists leave a safe distance when passing vulnerable road users, requires MassDOT to develop a reporting system for crashes involving vulnerable road users, lets towns and cities establish a 25 mph speed limit on state-owned roads, and requires any large vehicle owned or leased by the state to have a set of safety devices. Sabadosa’s 148/H.286 facilitates and expands conversion of abandoned rail lines into public trails for use as pedestrian walkways and bicycle paths.

Galen Mook, Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition’s Executive Director, hosts this conversation with Laura Friedman and Lindsay Sabadosa.

46:05 on.soundcloud.com/Jyie4
Joys of Summer: Galen Mook and Laura Gray, AKA DJ Two Wheels, gather “bike joys” at last summer’s Boston Bike Party. Plus: Galen shares a bike joy from his recent trip to Nova Scotia.

53:15 on.soundcloud.com/1ehzR
Bike Styling: Taylor Nichols at Purcy’s Bikes in Amsterdam.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

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Measures

November 1, 2022

START
Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition E.D. Galen Mook on safe streets-related ballot questions 1 (the “Fair Share Amendment”) and 4 (driver licenses for undocumented immigrants) in the Massachusetts election.

2:18 on.soundcloud.com/3DJwQ
Road Kill: Prop “J” would keep The Great Walkway and JFK Drive in San Francisco car free for community; Prop “I” would steal smiles from children. Zach Lipton, Yes on Prop J organizer, talks with Stacey Randecker.
twitter.com/zachlipton

19:37 on.soundcloud.com/n4DMA
Car Free Anthem: John Elliot’s “No On J” song.

23:28 on.soundcloud.com/NvraR
Greener Pasture: Bike East Bay Advocacy Director Dave Campbell reflects on his time in bike advocacy as he leaves Bike East Bay.
bikeeastbay.org/

35:25 on.soundcloud.com/xdX69
Take It With You: There’s a new bike share service starting in the E.U. that provides e-cargo bikes. Erik DeWinter shares the story of Cargoroo with Taylor Nichols.
cargoroo.nl/en/

50:42 on.soundcloud.com/YMYr4
Bike Joy: Tony’s D.I.Y. e-bike.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

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Were on a Roll

October 25, 2022

START
Stay Car Free: San Francisco will vote on whether to keep JFK Drive car free November 8th. Stacey Randecker interviews Prop J organizer Zachary Lipton.
sf.streetsblog.org/2022/08/30/save…-n-and-no-on-i/

2:05
In Closing: Los Angeles Councilmember Mike Bonin has been a friend to Los Angeles bikes and pedestrians. Bonin fought two recall efforts, one of which was over traffic calming he implemented in his district. Recently, a recording was released revealing his fellow Councilmembers’ and Council President’s racist remarks about his son and others. Councilmember Bonin will not seek a third term. Here are some of Mike Bonin’s comments relating to safe streets infrastructure in an October 19, 2022 virtual happy hour hosted by Streets For All.

8:53
Healthy Streets: Michael Schneider, Founder of Streets For All, on Mike Bonin and trying to get Healthy Streets LA through a City Council dominated by unhealthy minds.
www.healthystreetsla.com/

23:22
Crosshairs: Winthrop, Massachusetts bike lane advocate Julia Wallerce’s opponents targeted her with an image of her infant on social media. Bike Talk cohost Galen Mook interviews.
twitter.com/juliawallerce

38:13
It Takes a Village: Joshua Poppel on the Village Bicycle Project, a self-sustaining and capacity building development project in Africa which gives people a tool to improve their lives by offering access to affordable and sustainable transportation.
Interview by Taylor Nichols.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

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The Future Is Here

October 18, 2022

START
No Free Parking: California reverses its policy on parking minimums, and parking reformer Tony Jordan is celebrating with Lindsay Sturman.
parkingreform.org/los-angeles-party/

11:25 on.soundcloud.com/Be13k
Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail: California Senator Anthony Portantino’s newly signed “Plan For The Future” law requires cities and counties to include bicycle and pedestrian plans, multimodal networks, and traffic calming for any urbanized area. Senator Portantino talks about how his views – and weight – changed since he took up biking, with Tunette Porter.

23:00 on.soundcloud.com/RDGi5
Networking: Andy Boenau’s tweet pointed out there’s no push for bicycle infrastructure like there is for a national EV charging network. It went viral, with over 19,000 likes. Andy describes some of the reactions as scripted, “Non Player Character” types of responses. He explains which “NPCs” he engaged, and why. twitter.com/Boenau/status/15784…v-65IFPVnA9g1UO2NZw

36:43 on.soundcloud.com/VirmC
Electrifying: Ruthy Woodring, co-founder of Pedal People (a worker-owned human-powered delivery and hauling service in Northampton, Massachusetts) on whether the People will start using EVs to haul trash.

Editing by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

bicycle, bike, bikelanes, bikes, biking, car, cities, drive, ebike, evs, infrastructure, minimums, parking, pedal, people, ride, streets, talk
Chicago and Humanity

October 12, 2022

START
Lay it Out: Rony Islam and Daniel Streicher on Bike Grid Now’s tactics (Bike Jams, Bike Buses, Jamapalooza) and goal (10% of Chicago streets capped at 10mph).
https://bikegridnow.org

20:15 https://on.soundcloud.com/mTkKm
Rip It Out: Michael Podgers, Jeremy Frisch, and Kyle Lucas of Better Streets Chicago on the plan for Lakeshore Drive, a highway on Lake Michigan. With Stacey Randecker of San Francisco.
https://www.betterstreetschicago.org/

41:11 https://on.soundcloud.com/rScYV
Work it Out: Melinda Shaw’s Humanity Pods in Northampton, Massachusetts were a great idea: bike camper shelters for the unhoused. They just lacked the right space. With Humanity Pod and Northampton resident PJ.
https://humanitypods.org/

Edited by Kevin Burton.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

bike, chicago, Humanity, jam, people
Other Peoples Podcasts and Will Bike 4 Food

October 2, 2022

START
Activated: John Simmerman on producing his urbanism and healthy streets podcast, “Active Towns.”
www.activetowns.org/articles/

14:30
Uh-Oh, Omaha: Sarah Johnson on Carfree Midwest, her “Omaha based podcast exploring the stories, barriers and joys of getting around the midwest without a car.” One barrier is the anti-bike Omaha Mayor ripping out the city’s only protected bike lane despite its unanimous support in city council.
anchor.fm/carfreemidwest

26:15
Bike Civilized: Leo Spinetto on producing Bicicivilizadxs Radio, a podcast on urban biking and going by bike in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
www.bicivilizados.org/

36:06
Bike Help: Interviews from the finish line of “a day of biking to raise money to help neighbors experiencing food insecurity” in Western Massachusetts.
www.foodbankwma.org/events/will-bike-4-food/

Translation by Barbara Richert.
Closing Song, “Bike,” by Mal Webb.
Interstitial music, “Just Moving,” by Don Ward.
Visit BikeTalk.org to be involved.

bike, bikelane, people, ride