Streets and People

S3E9 PnP Peter Norton on how we became car dependent


Listen Later

Why do our streets belong to cars? It wasn’t always this way—and it wasn’t an accident.

In this eye-opening episode of Get Around Caboolture, we’rejoined by Professor Peter Norton, historian and author of Fighting Traffic, to uncover the shocking truth about how car dependence was engineered—not by public demand, but by powerful industries, clever language, and forgotten protests.

What You’ll Discover:

✅ The Great Street Heist: How a 1920s Los Angeles ordinance (written by a car dealer!) stole streets from pedestrians—and why Australia followed suit.
✅ The Language of Control: Why we call crashes "accidents" and pedestrians "jaywalkers"—and how these words shape who we blame.
✅ The Forgotten Rebels: The mothers and women who blocked streets with prams to demand safety—and why their story was erased from history.
✅The Next Scam? Why autonomous vehicles might just be car dependence 2.0—and what we’re missing in the rush for "progress."

Why This Matters for Caboolture (and Everywhere Else)

Peter Norton doesn’t just explain history—he hands you the blueprint to question it. And once you hear this, you’ll never look at a street the same way again.

🎧 Listen now to uncover the hidden forces shaping our cities—and what we can do to take our streets back.

Follow Get Around Caboolture for more conversations on walkable, liveable communities—because the future of transport isn’t just about cars. It’s about people.

#CarDependence #UrbanHistory #WalkableCities#TransportJustice

Lessons for a Better Transport Future with Peter Norton |Thursday 19 June 2025, TPA (formerly AITPM) https://youtu.be/OcRuf7gMAFo?si=9I1wUmDWDavufePg

Find Peter on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/pdnorton/

On BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/norton.bsky.social

On Facebook (recommended!) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100033858551663

At work https://engineering.virginia.edu/faculty/peter-norton

Check out our website for more info: https://getaroundcaboolture.au/car-dependence-captive-driver-history/

Podcast theme music: Doctor Yes | Yari | Bensound

GetAroundCaboolture.au


...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Streets and PeopleBy Get Around Caboolture