Transit Topics

Tire Pollution - David & Wes look at tire pollution and why the harms may be broader than most people realize. What started as a story about 6PPD-Q washing into streams and devastating coho salmon is now raising new questions about human health, including a recent study linking tire-related pollution to Alzheimer’s-related pathways. They talk through what we know, what we still do not know, and why tire wear should be part of the transportation pollution conversation, even in a world with more e...

Pedestrian Deaths – David & Wes dig into a surprising shift in pedestrian safety and ask a harder question: are streets actually getting safer, or are we just seeing a temporary drop in risk? After years of rising fatalities, recent numbers suggest a modest improvement, but the pattern is anything but consistent. They explore whether this reflects real progress from design changes and enforcement, shifting travel behavior, or simply volatility in a system that still produces predictable danger. ...

Parking Meters – David & Wes unpack the recent multi-billion-dollar resale of Chicago’s parking meter lease and why it matters. They explain the contract, including the compensation clause, and how it continues to hamstring Chicago’s ability to improve transportation. They also explore the less-discussed reality that some good has come from the deal such as a city that actually charges market rates for curbside parking. Then, borrowing a lesson from Taylor Swift, they explore how Chicago could s...

Defunding Transit – David & Wes examine the growing efforts to defund transit through mechanisms like the Highway Trust Fund. What happens when transit funding is threatened and slowly hollowed out? Rather than treating these moves as abstract budget debates, they focus on the real-world consequences for reliability, coverage, and who gets left behind. Today, we also talk about: 🔹 How we learn about transportation in a new city & what those first impressions reveal 🔹 What we mean when we say ...

Transit Funding – David & Wes dive into the growing threats to U.S. transit funding and why they matter far beyond agency balance sheets. By looking at how federal decisions shape what cities can build and operate, they unpack why transit in the United States costs so much, delivers so little, and remains perpetually vulnerable to political whims. Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of how funding structures quietly undermine reliability, access, and public trust in transit sys...

Traffic Cameras – David & Wes take a closer look at traffic cameras and why they consistently poll better than most people expect. Rather than treating automated enforcement as a political third rail, they explore what the data actually show about public support, behavior change, and safety outcomes. Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of why traffic cameras succeed where many other safety interventions stall, and what that popularity reveals about how people experience streets...

This is episode 1 of Look Both Ways with David & Wes, a new transportation podcast by David Zipper & Wes Marshall