Look Both Ways with David & Wes

Episode 21: The Car Industry + What Our Vehicles Say About Us

In this episode of Look Both Ways, David & Wes drive straight into the changing car industry and what today’s vehicles reveal about identity, status, and the future of transportation. From cheap Chinese EVs showing up near the U.S. border to the pressure they could place on Detroit, they explore whether companies like BYD and Geely could bring back the affordable car in America and why U.S. automakers may struggle to compete. It’s also a conversation about how transportation has become deeply tied to culture and identity in the United States, why so many people buy vehicles they barely use for their intended purpose, and what all of that could mean for the future adoption of autonomous vehicles. Other topics: 🔹 Our favorite “buy low” city in America 🔹 Cheap Chinese EVs & whether Detroit can keep them out 🔹 Pickup trucks & the role of identity in vehicle choice 🔹 Rivian’s e-bike spinout Subscribe for biweekly conversations about all things transportation! Additional resources: The U.S. Wants to Ban China’s High-Tech Cars, but They’re Already Here in El Paso [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHZINjBDVUdsdlBuakV3UUs0dU41NUplSEVId3xBQ3Jtc0tseE1SRzJMa2UwUHdGclpYNllqRWx6N3pnc0xfbEhJcEd6YTl4d2xleDhaOUJhR0Nqb0lzRnRrQ0Z1UkpkdVRTMjhTOHpGVHBNbk9iSE11QkFXMjBYRll4SkhSX3RnM09XVzFXS1BpX0d4TG90czQ1RQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Fbusiness%2Fautos%2Fchinese-cars-byd-geely-u-s-mexico-be0dea28&v=blVJD68Pjlk] (Wall Street Journal)  Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbkhsZ1Z4UklneUZqLUpnWjhaNk9QQTlESnZTQXxBQ3Jtc0tsbmpVNXc0bG4zWTl2MUNVdnNWY1RUdFBaeXo3X3lPMi0tc3hGcWNlLTZDRzZqZHJ2R3VWc1JESmItbS05Skc1UWN5M0EzZkVTY2tnX25haWJmVXNkbGFWcnJhY1l2R25yQzRNbmg5eVJsY2dmajMtYw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fus.macmillan.com%2Fbooks%2F9780312420314%2Fupsidedown%2F&v=blVJD68Pjlk] by Eduardo Galeano You Don’t Need A Full-Size Pickup Truck, You Need a Cowboy Costume [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWZTMHN0ZDlWUzlyU2lqY2U5Q3pGTE00VDQ0UXxBQ3Jtc0trS1VrU283QmJZLXkzc0JLbnVrNVVjYnkzaHNLM0ZoRGF0RjZyeW44V08xS1JERWRzRzB6cUlsYXJGcE1sSWtNZUtmby1EZnNJendON2JLMndpWWhIdTFZY19pU0ZObTg3QndTRUpRYlFwMEctV3VnRQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fnews%2F26907%2Fyou-dont-need-a-full-size-pickup-truck-you-need-a-cowboy-costume&v=blVJD68Pjlk] (The Drive)  This Rivian spinoff is reinventing e-bikes in California with screens, software and swappable seats [https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqa0lBLWpZa25ZUlB1dWNBLVdraVVJTm5iUFZWUXxBQ3Jtc0tubXQ1SnUtc05yVWU4RkhmZFRrcXdGeWNDNU1SQ3MxZHhsMTZHVnRGNzRjWmQ2VXhhakNDX3J6Vi1zQ0Y5anBxWnRiNnZrU2lLRUpzaVFoWjF0akhybU5sbWxYcFljYnNRNVBDd2RDTVpITW9QMXkwUQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fbusiness%2Fstory%2F2026-05-01%2Fthis-rivian-spinoff-is-reinventing-e-bikes-with-screens-software&v=blVJD68Pjlk] (LA Times)   Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound) Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.lookbothwayspodcast.com [http://www.lookbothwayspodcast.com], www.davidzipper.com [http://www.davidzipper.com], and www.wesmarshall.org [http://www.wesmarshall.org]

BONUS EPISODE: “Freedom to Drive” + Everyone Deserves Sidewalks (Live from Denver)

Freedom to Drive - In this very special episode of Look Both Ways recorded in front of a live audience on a rooftop in Denver, Jill Locantore of the Denver Streets Partnership joins David & Wes to dig into the Trump Administration’s “Freedom to Drive” initiative and what it says about how we think about congestion, mobility, and who the transportation system is really for. They contrast that national framing with a local story, Denver’s successful “Denver Deserves Sidewalks” campaign, which shifted responsibility for sidewalks from property owners to the city. It’s a conversation about competing visions of freedom, what it actually takes to build better cities, and how policy choices shape everyday experience on our streets. Thanks to everyone that came out for a really fun event! Other topics: 🔹 The surprising U.S. city where we could see ourselves living 🔹 We also take some questions from the audience Subscribe for biweekly conversations about all things transportation.  Additional resources:  The Freedom to Drive Initiative [https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freedom-to-drive-initiative.htm]   David’s articles about sidewalks: Who Should Pay to Fix the Sidewalk? [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-02-20/denver-takes-a-rare-step-to-fund-sidewalks-public-fees-for-repairs] The High Cost of Bad Sidewalks [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-16/it-s-time-to-fix-america-s-urban-sidewalk-gap]   Some of Wes’ research on sidewalks: Sidewalk Static Obstructions and Their Impact on Clear Width [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0361198121991833] Disparate Approaches to Maintaining Roads and Sidewalks: An Interview Study of 16 US Cities [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03611981221087239] An Evaluation of Sidewalk Availability and Width: Analyzing Municipal Policy and Disparities [https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784483152.002] Where the Sidewalks End: Evaluating Pedestrian Infrastructure and Equality [https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/60351] Evaluating Sidewalk Infrastructure & Prioritizing Investment [https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/68688]   And a couple of Wes' sidewalk articles: Bad Sidewalks? City says it’s a YOU problem [https://denver.streetsblog.org/2021/07/08/bad-sidewalks-city-says-its-a-you-problem/] Denver’s Sidewalks Need a lot of Help: Where Do We Start? [https://denver.streetsblog.org/2021/07/15/denvers-sidewalks-need-a-lot-of-help-where-do-we-start/]   Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound) Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.lookbothwayspodcast.com [http://www.lookbothwayspodcast.com], www.davidzipper.com [http://www.davidzipper.com], and www.wesmarshall.org [http://www.wesmarshall.org]

Episode 20: Driver Assistance Isn’t Making Us Safer + Shrinking

Driver Assistance – David & Wes dig into driver assistance systems and the question of whether they’re actually making our roads safer. Following a recent NTSB hearing, they explore both the promise and the problems, from real potential safety benefits to the very real ways these systems can encourage overtrust. They talk through how “hands-off” can become “mind-off,” why supervising automation is harder than it sounds, and where responsibility really lies when things go wrong.  Other topics: 🔹 The big U.S. city we DON’T want to live in 🔹 The Apple TV show Shrinking & the collateral damage of fatal crashes 🔹 We then open up the mailbag to answer some listener questions Subscribe for biweekly conversations about all things transportation. If you happen to be in Denver on April 21st, come out and see us! Look Both Ways LIVE Podcast Recording + Fundraiser [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-podcast-recording-rooftop-fundraiser-look-both-ways-in-denver-tickets-1986676826869] for the Denver Streets Partnership David speaking earlier that same day at The Road Ahead 2026 [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-road-ahead-2026-tickets-1983551279272] Additional resources: Systems that let drivers take their hands off the wheel don’t improve safety, NTSB head says [https://apnews.com/article/ford-blue-cruise-ntsb-autonomous-crash-00680c04c9201f3967848b6316ff6a90] Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound) Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.lookbothwayspodcast.com [http://www.lookbothwayspodcast.com], www.davidzipper.com [http://www.davidzipper.com], and www.wesmarshall.org [http://www.wesmarshall.org]

Episode 19: Pedestrian Deaths are Finally Dropping? + Johnny Transportation Comes to Town

Pedestrian Deaths – David & Wes dig into a surprising shift in pedestrian safety and ask a harder question: are streets actually getting safer, or are we just seeing a temporary drop in risk? After years of rising fatalities, recent numbers suggest a modest improvement, but the pattern is anything but consistent. They explore whether this reflects real progress from design changes and enforcement, shifting travel behavior, or simply volatility in a system that still produces predictable danger. It’s a conversation about what it would actually look like if we knew how to make streets safer, and why the data do not quite tell that story yet. Other topics: 🔹 The Secretary of Transportation’s road trip reality show 🔹 Gas prices & the resiliency value of transit 🔹 Should we be subsidizing ridehail commutes? Check out our new website! And subscribe for biweekly conversations about all things transportation. Additional resources: GHSA’s Report on Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2025 Preliminary Data (January-June) Wes Marshall & Alejandro Henao. "The shock heard round the suburb [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3141/2531-08]s: Assessing the vulnerability, resilience, and transportation affordability of higher fuel price scenarios." Transportation Research Record (2015).  Rachael Bronson & Wes Marshall. "Alternative and adaptive transportation [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13762-014-0583-2]: What household factors support recovery from a drastic increase in gas price?." International Journal of Environmental Science & Technology (2014).  Lyft brings pre-tax commuter benefits [https://mashable.com/article/lyft-line-commter-benefits-expanded] deal to 14 more cities  Bruce Schaller. "Can sharing a ride make for less traffic? [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2020.12.015] Evidence from Uber and Lyft and implications for cities." Transport Policy (2021).  Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound) Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com [lookbothwayspod@gmail.com] or find us at www.lookbothwayspodcast.com [http://www.lookbothwayspodcast.com], www.davidzipper.com [http://www.davidzipper.com], and www.wesmarshall.org [http://www.wesmarshall.org]

Episode 18: The Upside of High Gas Prices + 190 MPH down Pennsylvania Avenue

Gas Prices – David & Wes dig into the upside of high gas prices and why the story is more nuanced than it often seems. While rising costs at the pump can create real challenges, they also explore how higher prices can make other modes more attractive, reinforce location efficiency, and shift how people think about transportation more broadly. It’s a conversation about how gas prices shape behavior, influence our transportation system, and what gets lost when we only talk about them as a political problem. Other topics: 🔹 Our most harrowing driving experiences 🔹 How we mismeasure road safety 🔹 Indy cars on real Washington, DC streets 🔹 St. Patrick’s Day Rail Drinks Additional resources: Check out Chapter 23 (The Mirage of More Mileage) in Wes' Book [https://www.kbate.org/]: & David's Recent Article: The US Is Counting Traffic Deaths Wrong [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-10/how-deadly-are-us-roads-it-depends-on-how-you-count-traffic-fatalities] International Transport Forum Road Safety Annual Report 2025 [https://www.itf-oecd.org/road-safety-annual-report-2025] ‘Freedom revs’: Trump administration, DC mayor unveil details of Washington IndyCar race [https://www.courthousenews.com/freedom-revs-trump-administration-dc-mayor-unveil-details-of-washington-indycar-race/] Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound) Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com [lookbothwayspod@gmail.com] or find us at www.davidzipper.com [http://www.davidzipper.com] and www.wesmarshall.org [http://www.wesmarshall.org]