The War on Cars3 Kesä 2025

John Mulaney, Natasha Lyonne and the Battle of the Bike Lanes

Recently, on an episode of the Netflix show Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, the subject turned to bike lanes. Or rather, the subject was turned to bike lanes by Natasha Lyonne. The actress, writer, director and producer said that bike lanes should be "shut down" and claimed that there is no space for them in Manhattan. Journalist Alissa Walker of Torched was on Everybody's Live as a "public transit expert" to talk about Uber, but soon found herself — as a public-transit-riding Los Angeles resident — defending bike lanes and explaining the rational apportionment of urban space to some pretty famous New Yorkers, all of them brilliant and talented. So why is it that otherwise intelligent people often say unintelligent things about bikes? Why do nearly all conversations about transportation, even one that's not about bicycles, devolve into NIMBY-style complaints about cyclists? What can advocates learn from a conversation that, if you strip away the big stars and the studio audience, was indistinguishable from a community board meeting?

***Our new book, Life After Cars: Freeing Ourselves from the Tyranny of the Automobile, will be published on October 21, 2025 by Thesis, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Pre-order now.***

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This episode was produced with the generous support of the Helen & William Mazer Foundation.

This episode was also supported by Cleverhood. Listen to the episode for the latest discount on the best and most stylish rain gear for walking and cycling.

Learn more about how an electric cargo bike can change your life and save $500 off a new bike with code WARONCARS500 at Xtracycle.

LINKS:

Support Alissa Walker's outstanding journalism by becoming an annual subscriber to Torched... and save $10!

Follow Alissa on Instagram.

Read Doug Gordon's take on the Everybody's Live episode in Streetsblog.

Watch Everybody's Live with John Mulaney on Netflix.

Read the reaction to the episode on Reddit.

thewaroncars.org / lifeaftercars.com

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