New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie has been riding an electric-assist bicycle around Charlottesville, Virginia for almost a year now, and he is convinced: E-bikes are the future of transportation. Not only has the e-bike transformed his own personal mobility, it has changed the way he looks at his city and gotten him more deeply involved in local planning and policy-making. In this one-on-one conversation, Jamelle and Aaron start off discussing e-bikes and end up talking about what it’s going to take to push America’s sclerotic political system to solve increasingly urgent housing and transportation crises in U.S. cities. Plus, Jamelle offers some helpful advice to anyone accused of waging a war on cars or fanning the flames of America’s culture wars.

This episode was sponsored in part by Cleverhood. To celebrate the arrival of spring, War on Cars listers can now receive 25% off of stylish, functional rain gear designed specifically for walking and biking. Enter coupon code WARONCARS at checkout.

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SHOW NOTES: 

Find Jamelle Bouie’s New York Times column here, a lot of his photography is here, his Twitter account is here, and his personal web site is here. 

Feb. 17, 2020: “Our next major household purchase is going to be an e-bike!”

Feb. 26, 2021: “seriously i’m convinced that e-bikes are the future of transportation”

Why housing in Charlottesville is so expensive. 

“Ted Cruz’s Excellent Adventure” (New York Times)

“2020 Shows Why the Electoral College Is Stupid and Immoral” (New York Times)

Slate’s Jamelle Bouie is also a pretty good street photographer (Washingtonian) 

Pillsbury Funfetti Cereal, Reviewed (Serious Eats)

The Tern GSD e-bike. 

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This episode was produced by Aaron Naparstek and edited by Ali Lemer. Our music is by Nathaniel Goodyear. Our logo is by Dani Finkel of Crucial D.

Find us on Twitter: @TheWarOnCars, Doug Gordon @BrooklynSpoke, Sarah Goodyear @buttermilk1, Aaron Naparstek @Naparstek.

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