Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: 3 Weeks in the Mountain West Without a Car

podcast icon logo

This week I chat with author and city planner Tim Sullivan about his new book, Ways to the West. The book documents his attempt to take a three week road trip without a car, and his encounters with various planners, city officials, and other characters along the way.

Tim talks about the history of the Western grid network and its origins in the expediency of selling land, as opposed to making great and well-functioning places. The region's river networks and watersheds are ignored by a grid tailored to the car. "We’ve only thought of one network, how cars are getting around," Tim says. We also go back and forth over Salt Lake’s rail expansion and whether walkability should come before or after large capital projects.

I hope you enjoy this discussion of bikes, walking, wagon trains, and wide streets.  Hopefully in the future, you won’t have to wave a surrender flag when crossing one of Salt Lake’s oversized roads.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Tuesday’s Headlines State the Obvious

Governing highlights some of the essential state and local transportation votes that will be on the ballot in November.

October 8, 2024

Six Reasons Why a Big Truck, SUV or Van is More Likely to Kill You in a Crash

We knew massive vehicles were killing us, but some of the reasons why might surprise you.

October 8, 2024

Turn and Face the Strange Ch-ch-changes: Observations and Recommendations from a Week Without Driving

I used my age-appropriate tricycle and quickly discovered that a line on the side of the street is not adequate to let me feel safe riding on a moderately busy street.

October 7, 2024

Monday’s Headlines Pick Up Where They Left Off

Auto designers will have to rethink their approach to pickup trucks in the electric age, according to the BBC.

October 7, 2024

Is Amtrak’s Big Dig Harming West Baltimore’s Black Neighborhoods?

Amtrak's single biggest infrastructure project got hit with a civil rights complaint. How should sustainable transportation advocates get involved in the conversation?

October 7, 2024
See all posts