The War on Cars PREVIEW: What Snow Reveals About Cities (Plus More From Our Book Tour)
Mar 3, 2026
A lively tour recap from Miami to Phoenix that highlights surprising city contrasts. Snow's hush exposes how much street space is really used to store private cars. Listeners hear about parking chaos during storms, sidewalk clearing duties, and how snowed-in vehicles reveal real driving patterns. The conversation teases policy choices like limiting or pricing on-street parking.
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Weather Reveals How Tires Drive Urban Noise
- Rain amplifies tire/rolling noise so roads sound much louder even with the same traffic levels.
- Doug Gordon notes about 50% of car noise comes from tires and rolling noise dominates above ~30 mph, making weather a key factor in urban soundscapes.
Snow Shows Curbspace Is De Facto Car Storage
- Snow exposes how much curbspace is effectively subsidized to store private cars on public streets.
- Doug Gordon explains homeowners must shovel sidewalks yet cities clear streets, highlighting an asymmetry in public maintenance responsibilities.
Neighborhood Snow Survival Tactics
- Residents adopt tactics like parking on one side, propping wipers, and shoveling during storms to avoid being snowed in.
- Doug Gordon recounts neighbors shoveling proactively and using windshield wipers up like little antennae to protect cars.
