Look Both Ways with David & Wes

Episode 17: The Big Ol’ Mailbag Episode + David’s Forthcoming Book!

Mailbag! – David & Wes take listener questions on any and all things transportation. Before doing so, they talk about why David is at the Northwestern Transportation Library. The answer? He’s writing a book about congestion pricing called The Price of Traffic.
Other topics include: 🔹 Sovereignty Implications of Cars🔹 Bentley’s Law 🔹 Headlights 🔹 Insurance Companies Subsidizing Rural AVs 🔹 Our Favorite Intersections 🔹 Does Traffic Congestion Help or Hurt Safety? 🔹 BRT vs Subway 🔹 Value Capture Under- or Overused 🔹 Murder She Wrote (yup)
Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org 

BONUS EPISODE: Live on Stage at the 2026 Safe Roads Summit in Ft. Lauderdale with Greg Stuart

Florida Men – David & Wes venture down to Fort Lauderdale for the 2026 Safe Roads Summit. After their respective talks, they jump on stage to record a live podcast episode with Broward MPO Executive Director, Greg Stuart.
Topics include: 🔹 The Brightline Train Destroying a Delivery Robot🔹 The Long History of Unsafe Streets in Florida🔹 Managed Lanes Moving from Nonstarter to Normal
Additional resources:
Delivery robot demolished by train in South Florida
Dangerous By Design Report by Smart Growth America
Find out more about Greg Stuart
And the Safe Roads Summit
Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org
 

Episode 16: The Future (& Past) of Rural Transportation + The War on Bikes

Rural AVs – David & Wes take a deep dive into the future of rural transportation and why mobility challenges outside our cities deserve far more attention. From David’s experience trying to get around West Virginia to Wes’ take on “rural urbanism” and the awesomeness of some rural Main Streets, they explore what rural villages get right, where and why rural areas struggle, and how autonomous vehicles might help the cause even more so than in urban areas.
Other topics:
🔹 Iowa’s Anti-Bike Bill 🔹 Rural Transportation 🔹 The 2026 Safe Roads Summit
Additional resources:'The most anti-biking bill in history' — Iowa’s near-total bike ban proposal is bizarre and alarming
New Jersey Passes Most Restrictive E-Bike Law in the U.S.
Some Florida lawmakers look to strengthen e-bike laws
Disturbing Utah ‘Bikelash’ Bill Takes Aim at Salt Lake City Traffic Calming
David’s related articles: AV companies are ignoring rural America. That's a shame.
The Town That Took Downtown Renewal to the Next Level
Wes’ related research: Assessing urban/rural road safety disparities in the US
Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org

Episode 15: The High Cost of Parking Meters + Devaluing that Asset (Taylor’s Version)

Parking Meters – David & Wes unpack the recent multi-billion-dollar resale of Chicago’s parking meter lease and why it matters. They explain the contract, including the compensation clause, and how it continues to hamstring Chicago’s ability to improve transportation. They also explore the less-discussed reality that some good has come from the deal such as a city that actually charges market rates for curbside parking. Then, borrowing a lesson from Taylor Swift, they explore how Chicago could someday afford to buy back their meters.
Other topics: 🔹 Amtrak quiet cars… and maybe some party cars?🔹 The future of useful transit🔹 Trump’s love for mini-cars (he may be right)
Stay tuned for biweekly conversations about all things transportation.
Additional resources:Chicago parking meter deal: City's meters sold to another private company, Mayor Johnson says
Henry Grabar’s Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World
RTD’s CEO says charging for parking, focusing on events could help transit recover
And David’s Mini-Car Stories...Tiny Cars, Big Opportunity 
What Do US Vehicle Regulators Have Against Tiny Cars?
 
Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org
 

Episode 14: The Great Autonomous Vehicle Debate + David Under Fire

AV Safety – David & Wes explain why an online kerfuffle about autonomous vehicle safety unexpectedly put David himself in the spotlight. They unpack why autonomous vehicle debates so often generate more noise than insight, how narratives take on a life of their own, and what cities should be paying attention to right now. Listeners will come away with a clear sense of where autonomous vehicles truly stand and why context, logic, and governance matter more than bold promises.
Other topics:🔹 The quick start to the Mamdani era in NYC 🔹 Listener questions & what mode of transportation would win Survivor 🔹 A rehash of our first ever in-person Rail Drinks in DC
Stay tuned for biweekly conversations about all things transportation.
Additional resources:Officials showed off a robo-bus in D.C. It got hit by a Tesla driver
NCHRP Project 17-97: “Strategies to Improve Pedestrian Safety at Night”
David’s Original Stories… Bloomberg: We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers
Financial Times: Europe doesn’t need driverless cars
And the back-and-forth... Why David Zipper is Wrong
Why David Zipper is Right (by Peter Norton)
NYC doing things… Mamdani Takes the Bite Out of ‘the Bump,’ Paving Over Hated Road Hazard
Mayor Mamdani Announces City to Complete Redesign on McGuinness Boulevard
Fast Buses: Mamdani Administration Moves Forward With Stalled Madison Avenue Bus Lane Project
 
Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org

Episode 13: Lessons From a Robotaxi Meltdown + How We Bike All Winter (or Not)

Robotaxi Meltdown – David & Wes discuss how robotaxis affect urban resilience after a blackout brought mayhem to San Francisco’s streets. As robotaxis expand in cities across the United States and Europe, how will they react to emergencies and unforeseen events? If autonomous vehicles freeze en masse, transportation networks could grind to a halt.
Other topics:🔹 The quiet power of city sidewalks🔹 Best ways to keep biking in the winter 🔹 The uncertain future of transportation & urban planning research under Trump
Stay tuned for biweekly conversations about all things transportation.
Additional resources:
Info about the Waymo meltdown during the San Francisco blackout
David’s recent Bloomberg article questioning whether AVs really are safer than humans
Wes' paper with Peyton Gibson on the disparate approaches cities take to maintaining roads and sidewalks
Wes' paper with Nick Coppola about municipal policy impacts sidewalk availability & width
Wes' paper with Nick Coppola about how much static obstructions affect the clear width of sidewalks
David’s 2025 article in Bloomberg about Denver’s innovative sidewalk program
Crossroads, the “TRB alternative” taking place in DC Jan 15
David’s 2025 article about transportation research censorship under Trump
 
Music by Charlie Van Stee (courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.com or find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org
 

Episode 12: The End of Year Extravaganza!

End of Year Extravaganza – David & Wes toss the usual format aside to look back at the transportation stories that defined 2025. From policies and headlines that made them hopeful to moments that were equal parts absurd and infuriating, they reflect on what the past year revealed about the state of streets, transit, and transportation more broadly. Listeners will come away with a clearer sense of the trends that mattered, the narratives that fell apart, and the questions that still haven’t been answered.
The episode wraps with a look ahead to 2026, including what we will be watching closely in the coming year and why some unresolved fights are likely to resurface. And yes, we still close things out with a few rail drinks.
Stay tuned for biweekly conversations about all things transportation.
Some additional resources:David’s biggest laugh of the year (pedestrians told to keep to the left in Melbourne)
David’s favorite dress from Toronto’s 2025 bike wars
David’s most promising innovation: DADSS
David’s favorite article of the year, about vehicle blind zones changing over time
David’s most thought-provoking book: More and More and More by Jean-Baptiste Fressoz
 
Music by Charlie Van Stee(courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.comor find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org 
 

Episode 11: Cities Pushing Back on Waymo + Our Most Memorable Road Trips

Waymo in Cities – David & Wes explore why cities are beginning to push back on Waymo and other robotaxi companies, and what that resistance reveals about local control, safety, and trust in emerging technologies. Using Boston’s response as a case study, they dig into the tensions between innovation narratives and municipal responsibility. Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of why cities are asserting themselves now, what’s at stake in these confrontations, and how regulation shapes the future of automated mobility.
Today, we're also talking about:🔹 Memorable road trips & how they shaped our thinking about transportation, freedom, & access🔹 The purported death of a major eBike player & what that signals about the micromobility market🔹 New words for access & why the language we use matters for how transportation problems get framed
Then, we take listener questions and partake in some rail drinks... stay tuned for bi-weekly conversations about transportation. 
Some additional resources: ‘Attack on our way of life’: Debate around autonomous vehicles heats up in Boston
The rise and fall of Rad Power Bikes: From breakout success to the brink of shutdown
CPSC Warns Consumers to Immediately Stop Using Batteries for E-Bikes from Rad Power Bikes Due to Fire Hazard; Risk of Serious Injury or Death
 
Music by Charlie Van Stee(courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.comor find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org 
 

Episode 10: What Happens When We Defund Transit + Rethinking Access

Defunding Transit – David & Wes examine the growing efforts to defund transit through mechanisms like the Highway Trust Fund. What happens when transit funding is threatened and slowly hollowed out? Rather than treating these moves as abstract budget debates, they focus on the real-world consequences for reliability, coverage, and who gets left behind. 
Today, we also talk about:🔹 How we learn about transportation in a new city & what those first impressions reveal🔹 What we mean when we say access & why the word often obscures more than it explains🔹 Transportation trends in Europe that are not going the way we’d hope 
Then, some listener questions and rail drinks... stay tuned for bi-weekly conversations about all things transportation!
Some additional resources: Elements of Access: Transport Planning for Engineers, Transport Engineering for Planners (2017) by David Levinson, Wes Marshall, & Kay Axhausen
Politico Article: Trump administration proposals seek to eliminate transit funding
Politico Article: Graves pans DOT proposal axing mass transit account
 
Music by Charlie Van Stee(courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.comor find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org 

Episode 9: The New New York City Transportation Agenda + Back to the Future

New York City – David & Wes break down Mamdani's New York City’s new transportation agenda and & the priorities it elevates and avoids. We examine how political vision, implementation, and street-level realities align or clash... and what all this signals about where cities may be headed next. Listeners will come away with a clearer sense of what’s genuinely new in the agenda, what feels recycled, and why meaningful change often arrives later than promised.
Today, we also talk about:🔹 Where we went, what we saw, & how seeing cities up close shapes our transportation thinking 🔹 Back to the Future & how flying cars seem long overdue, but do we even want Marty McFly's future?
Then we dive into the mailbag & have some rail drinks... stay tuned for bi-weekly conversations about all things transportation!
Music by Charlie Van Stee(courtesy of bensound)
Email us at lookbothwayspod@gmail.comor find us at www.davidzipper.com and www.wesmarshall.org