TEASER: When Athletes Ditch the Car

TEASER: When Athletes Ditch the Car

Author: The War on Cars, LLC September 24, 2024 Duration: 4:04

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.

During the recent US Open Tennis Championships in New York City, top-seeded American player Jessica Pegula got some attention when she posted an Instagram reel showing her taking the subway from Manhattan to the event venue in Queens. "I don't like taking a car, and I like trains," she said. "So I always try and take the train."

We can relate.

Pegula's post inspired us to have a discussion about other sports stars who, at least occasionally, like to skip the luxury SUV or Lamborghini in favor of non-car modes (LeBron!)—and why we should care about it. 

(As for Pegula, opting for the subway obviously didn't hurt her tournament one bit—she made it to the final, her first time to do so in a Grand Slam!)

If you aren't yet a Patreon subscriber of The War on Cars, maybe now is the time! Subscribe for $3, $5, or $10 per month. We'll send you stickers and you'll have access to ad-free episodes and bonus conversations like this one. We really appreciate the support, and we couldn't produce the podcast without you.


Imagine a world not built around traffic jams and parking lots, but shaped for people. The War on Cars is a dispatch from the front lines of that effort, a collective conversation questioning the automobile’s dominance over our cities, our environment, and our daily lives. Each episode digs into the real-world fight to reclaim public space, examining everything from the politics of a new bike lane to the history of how cars came to rule. You’ll hear from urban planners, activists, historians, and ordinary people pushing back, offering a mix of sharp analysis, on-the-ground reporting, and compelling narratives. This isn’t just about transportation; it’s about the culture and societal choices that have led us here, and the tangible, often inspiring work to create safer, quieter, and more connected communities. Tune in for a thoughtful and necessary critique of the status quo, a podcast dedicated to the idea that our streets can-and should-be for so much more.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The War on Cars
Podcast Episodes
"Cars are Done" with Adam McKay [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:52
Adam McKay is the Academy Award–winning screenwriter, director, and producer behind such movies as Don't Look Up, The Big Short, Vice, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, and more. He is also the founder of Yellow Dot Studios,…
EXTRA: Cars as a Virus with Hermann Knoflacher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:07
***This is a bonus episode that was previously only available to Patreon supporters of The War on Cars. If you want to hear more bonus episodes like this, please sign up today! We'll taking a very short break to work on…
TEASER: Winnipeg Bike Mayor Patty Wiens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:37
This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. Patty Wiens is the Bike Mayor of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Cana…
Key to the City with Sara Bronin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:51
Zoning is an invisible force that dictates how and where we can build housing, offices, factories, parks and more. It dictates how we access such places and can reinforce car dependency, often in ways that burden the com…
Project 2025 and the Stakes for Transportation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:20
There's been a lot of talk this election season about Project 2025, the initiative from the Heritage Foundation to prepare for a potential second Trump administration. Understandably, much of the conversation about Proje…
What We Did on Our Summer Vacation, featuring Rick Steves [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:52
Why do Americans spend lots of money to visit walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly European cities, only to come back to the U.S. and oppose all those things where they live? Rick Steves has some thoughts. Countless peop…
TEASER: Voices of Velo-city [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:43
This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. In June, Doug attended Velo-city, an annual cycling summit…
Listener Origin Stories (Patreon Bonus Re-Release) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:35
Episode 133: Listener Origin Stories (Patreon bonus re-release) We're taking a short break to work on our forthcoming book and some of our upcoming fall shows. We'll be back with new free episodes in early September. In…
TEASER: Walking 4,000 Miles with Holden Ringer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:33
This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. This month's exclusive Patreon bonus episode is an intervie…
Vehicular Cycling and John Forester, Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:07:04
NOTE: This is part two of a two-part episode. To hear both parts right now and without ads, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars. In part two of our deep dive on John Forester and his 1976 book Effective Cycling…