Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Friday Video

Friday Video: How America Got Hooked on Cars

CNBC put together a solid 15-minute explainer on car dependency that's perfect for sending to anyone who's never thought about the role of automobility in their life.

Photo: Still from CNBC

It's Valentine's Day — but U.S. residents aren't all driving for the love of it. And on a recent episode of the CNBC series "Shifting Gears," experts unpacked exactly how more than a century worth of polices have put so many of us in long-term relationships with automobiles, whether we like it or not.

Featuring Peter Norton, Greg Shill, and a few other faces that will be familiar to longtime Streetsblog readers, it's the perfect video to send to folks who have never thought about why Americans rely so heavily on their cars, and what our country might look like if we supported a wider range of options — even if we don't break up with driving outright.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Forget Free Buses: NYC Should Instead Seek ‘Audacious’ Subway Expansion

The same billion-dollar outlay that Mayor Mamdani hopes to allocate for fare-free buses should be spent instead on rewriting the subway map.

February 4, 2026

Op-Ed: Is N.J.-Style Bikelash Coming For Your State Next?

"If a doctor treated every patient with chest pain by amputating a limb, we would call it medical malpractice. When legislators do the policy equivalent, it deserves the same label."

February 4, 2026

Tuesday’s Weaponized Headlines

The Trump administration's authoritarianism extends to transportation.

February 3, 2026

Commentary: US DOT’s Misguided War on Bikeways

"European genes do not produce some kind of innate affinity for human-powered mobility — [and] people on any continent will use bike infrastructure if it is safe."

February 3, 2026

Shoveling a Snowy Sidewalk Is An Act of Resistance

Shoveling a sidewalk in winter is always a critical act of community care — but in an era of government assault on civil liberties, it's also an act of resistance.

February 2, 2026

Monday’s Headlines Are for Alex Pretti

Cyclists banded together in cities across the country to honor the ICE victim.

February 2, 2026
See all posts