Will is the CEO and a major shareholder of one of the most iconic bicycle brands in the world, Brompton.

These folding bikes with small wheels and a unique kink in their frame’s top tube were invented by Guy Ritchie in London and first sold in 1975. Although they’ve been much refined the design is still largely unchanged, half a century on.

You’d probably surprised to learn that Brompton employs over 750 people worldwide and has made as many as 90,000 bikes in a single year.

These quirky bicycles are sold globally but remarkably, still all made in London.

That’s where I recently visited Will.

After a fascinating factory tour hosted by one of his team members, Will kindly gave me an uninterrupted hour of his valuable time, followed by posing for photos that you’ll see in our show notes.

I’d met Will previously and already knew two things about him, that he’s a great communicator and that he’s passionate. Of course, he passionate about the company that he’s devoted a quarter century of his life to, but even more so he’s passionate about what bikes can do for humanity.

Just days after I recorded this interview with Will, Actor Cate Blanchett was caught on video riding her Brompton home after giving a theatre performance in London.

It was a scene not unlike when Timothée Chalamet rode a Lime Bike to the London premiere of A Complete Unknown.

What’s Up

Phil and Sara recently attended the National Transport Conference, in Brisbane, Australia. It was held at the Brisbane Convention Centre, which is directly across the Brisbane River from the city centre. There are no less than four car free bridges linking the city to the opposite bank of this wide river, all of them relatively newly built. This one, the Kangaroo Point Bridge, is recording about 10,000 pedestrians and wheelers of all descriptions, per day.

On the opening morning of the conference Phil met Squeaky Wheel Podcast listener Marina Alexander, who is undertaking a PhD studying shared paths. She said her favourite podcast episodes so far have been with Prue Oswin (Season 2 Episode 9) and Ana Carboni (Season 3 Episode 5).

Phil and Sara loved the conference but missed riding their bikes…

Will is the CEO and a major shareholder of one of the most iconic bicycle brands in the world, Brompton.
These folding bikes with small wheels and a unique kink in their frame&rsquo;s top tube were invented by Guy Ritchie in London and first sold in 1975. Although they&rsquo;ve been much refined the design is still largely unchanged, half a century on.
You&rsquo;d probably surprised to learn that Brompton employs over 750 people worldwide and has made as many as 90,000 bikes in a single year.
These quirky bicycles are sold globally but remarkably, still all made in London.
That&rsquo;s where I recently visited Will.
After a fascinating factory tour hosted by one of his team members, Will kindly gave me an uninterrupted hour of his valuable time, followed by posing for photos that you&rsquo;ll see in our show notes.
I&rsquo;d met Will previously and already knew two things about him, that he&rsquo;s a great communicator and that he&rsquo;s passionate. Of course, he passionate about the company that he&rsquo;s devoted a quarter century of his life to, but even more so he&rsquo;s passionate about what bikes can do for humanity.
Just days after I recorded this interview with Will, Actor <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Video+of+Cate+Blanchett+Riding+a+Brompton+Bicycle#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:23c907a1-0642-4d4a-b02b-6cdd67496278_8a3d3a7a,vid:8NJnXkFNVSM,st:4">Cate Blanchett</a> was caught on video riding her Brompton home after giving a theatre performance in London.
It was a scene not unlike when <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca47YJbyA9A">Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet</a> rode a Lime Bike to the London premiere of A Complete Unknown.
What&rsquo;s Up
Phil and Sara recently attended the National Transport Conference, in Brisbane, Australia. It was held at the Brisbane Convention Centre, which is directly across the Brisbane River from the city centre. There are no less than four car free bridges linking the city to the opposite bank of this wide river, all of them relatively newly built. This one, the Kangaroo Point Bridge, is recording about 10,000 pedestrians and wheelers of all descriptions, per day.
On the opening morning of the conference Phil met Squeaky Wheel Podcast listener Marina Alexander, who is undertaking a PhD studying shared paths. She said her favourite podcast episodes so far have been with Prue Oswin (Season 2 Episode 9) and Ana Carboni (Season 3 Episode 5).
Phil and Sara loved the conference but missed riding their bikes&hellip;

The “Weird Little Bike” That Changed Will Butler-Adams’ Life

When you listen to this month’s interview, you’ll understand why Marco te Brömmelstroet is a true lateral thinker and brilliant communicator.

Marco is Professor in Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam. He’s also Academic director of the Lab of Thought and Board Chair of the Urban Cycling Institute.

With approximately a million followers on social media across his personal and organisation accounts, Marco is one of the world's most prominent advocates for liveable cities and is a sought-after keynote speaker for events around the world.

Here are three of the many original ideas that Marco discusses during our conversation.

The Hill of Hysteria ramps up every time a new project is proposed that will involve change such as removing car parking, lowering speed limits or re-allocating a motor vehicle lane for a protected cycling path.

A small but vocal minority of resistance becomes amplified and reaches maximum volume just before the new measure is to be implemented.

Marco and his colleagues have researched this phenomenon and found it to be repeated around the world.

But if elected officials hold their nerve during this critical peak of pressure, they will find that it’s just a hill. The noise quickly goes down once the measure is implemented and people discover that things are actually better.

The importance of language – rather than say, “We need to implement paid parking” say, “We need to stop subsidising parking.” Because all parking comes at a cost, so there’s no such thing as free parking.

Marco also talks about “More meaningful mobility”. Engineers often look at journey time as a pure cost, with no intrinsic utility. But research found that most people who travelled by active modes (walking, cycling, public transport) missed their commute during covid lockdown.

Marco calls this “friction”. The journey has meaning.

These are just three of many highlights in this compelling conversation.

Marco is also the author of multiple books and many academic papers.

Two of his books that we discuss during the interview are:

“Movement – how to take back our streets and transform our lives”

“Mobility Language Matters – how language shapes our cities and lives”

Marco recommended two books by other authors:

“The Anxious Generation” by Johnathon Haidt, warning about the danger of social media for adolescents. The first part of the book addresses the loss of their freedom to roam.

“To Save Everything Click Here” by Evgeny Morozov, questioning that the digital age can fix everything.

 

What’s Up

Towards the end of each episode, Sara and Phil share news of the day and events they’ve been taking part in.

Phil has just returned from a month in the UK and Ireland.

One highlight was cycling all over London and seeing scenes like these:

Phil observed a big jump in cycling activity and noticeably improved infrastructure in the two years since he previously rode around London. If only more other cities could take notice and follow London’s lead!

By the time this episode goes live, Phil and Sara will have just returned from the National Transport Conference in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – look out for a future episode with one of the keynote speakers!

Sara is currently in the middle or running three marathons in three months! Most recently the Gold Coast Marathon, followed by the Sydney Marathon and to be completed with the Berlin Marathon.

Sara had a great experience running the Sydney Marathon that she said was a great example of enjoying the journey. Plus, Sara and some fellow supporters of Better Streets successfully raised about $15,000 so far for the ongoing advocacy work of this national Australian-based organisation. Their donations page is still open here.

She’s hoping to run a personal best in Berlin of under 3 hours 15 minutes and will report back in a future podcast, so stay tuned!

When you listen to this month&rsquo;s interview, you&rsquo;ll understand why Marco te Br&ouml;mmelstroet is a true lateral thinker and brilliant communicator.
Marco is Professor in Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam. He&rsquo;s also Academic director of the <a href="https://thelabofthought.co/">Lab of Thought</a> and Board Chair of the <a href="https://urbancyclinginstitute.org/">Urban Cycling Institute</a>.
With approximately a million followers on social media across his personal and organisation accounts, Marco is one of the world's most prominent advocates for liveable cities and is a sought-after keynote speaker for events around the world.
Here are three of the many original ideas that Marco discusses during our conversation.
The Hill of Hysteria ramps up every time a new project is proposed that will involve change such as removing car parking, lowering speed limits or re-allocating a motor vehicle lane for a protected cycling path.
A small but vocal minority of resistance becomes amplified and reaches maximum volume just before the new measure is to be implemented.
Marco and his colleagues have researched this phenomenon and found it to be repeated around the world.
But if elected officials hold their nerve during this critical peak of pressure, they will find that it&rsquo;s just a hill. The noise quickly goes down once the measure is implemented and people discover that things are actually better.
The importance of language &ndash; rather than say, &ldquo;We need to implement paid parking&rdquo; say, &ldquo;We need to stop subsidising parking.&rdquo; Because all parking comes at a cost, so there&rsquo;s no such thing as free parking.
Marco also talks about &ldquo;More meaningful mobility&rdquo;. Engineers often look at journey time as a pure cost, with no intrinsic utility. But research found that most people who travelled by active modes (walking, cycling, public transport) missed their commute during covid lockdown.
Marco calls this &ldquo;friction&rdquo;. The journey has meaning.
These are just three of many highlights in this compelling conversation.
Marco is also the author of multiple books and many academic papers.
Two of his books that we discuss during the interview are:
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Movement-take-streets-transform-lives-ebook/dp/B09JTW58M4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2WCYZ18VD3U2R&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nHmPYTQNwCsfI1JFNpE2eqduH0ujvdOyHUfh1g2QLN_78lUovjMfTk_h1h0--F-ZqNP9D_wNlbVjLd5YZ_mOZ-YBUhV-kd3W08yKpyhNfTd3KlGH8GglpaswDKzi3Skh.v3N567Fpdo39DhI6Dj42Mpjsn24GvRhMaQdOxYnM38w&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=Marco+Te+Brommelstroet&amp;qid=1788739236&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=marco+te+brommelstroet%2Cstripbooks%2C203&amp;sr=1-1">Movement &ndash; how to take back our streets and transform our lives</a>&rdquo;
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Mobility-Language-Matters-Marco-Br%C3%B6mmelstroet/dp/B0GX5BT47L/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2WCYZ18VD3U2R&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nHmPYTQNwCsfI1JFNpE2eqduH0ujvdOyHUfh1g2QLN_78lUovjMfTk_h1h0--F-ZqNP9D_wNlbVjLd5YZ_mOZ-YBUhV-kd3W08yKpyhNfTd3KlGH8GglpaswDKzi3Skh.v3N567Fpdo39DhI6Dj42Mpjsn24GvRhMaQdOxYnM38w&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=Marco+Te+Brommelstroet&amp;qid=1788739236&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=marco+te+brommelstroet%2Cstripbooks%2C203&amp;sr=1-2">Mobility Language Matters &ndash; how language shapes our cities and lives</a>&rdquo;
Marco recommended two books by other authors:
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/">The Anxious Generation</a>&rdquo; by Johnathon Haidt, warning about the danger of social media for adolescents. The first part of the book addresses the loss of their freedom to roam.
&ldquo;<a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Save-Everything-Click-Here-Technological/dp/1610393708">To Save Everything Click Here</a>&rdquo; by Evgeny Morozov, questioning that the digital age can fix everything.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s Up
Towards the end of each episode, Sara and Phil share news of the day and events they&rsquo;ve been taking part in.
Phil has just returned from a month in the UK and Ireland.
One highlight was cycling all over London and seeing scenes like these:
Phil observed a big jump in cycling activity and noticeably improved infrastructure in the two years since he previously rode around London. If only more other cities could take notice and follow London&rsquo;s lead!
By the time this episode goes live, Phil and Sara will have just returned from the National Transport Conference in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia &ndash; look out for a future episode with one of the keynote speakers!
Sara is currently in the middle or running three marathons in three months! Most recently the Gold Coast Marathon, followed by the Sydney Marathon and to be completed with the Berlin Marathon.
Sara had a great experience running the Sydney Marathon that she said was a great example of enjoying the journey. Plus, Sara and some fellow supporters of <a href="https://www.betterstreets.org.au/">Better Streets</a> successfully raised about $15,000 so far for the ongoing advocacy work of this national Australian-based organisation. Their donations page is still open <a href="https://www.betterstreets.org.au/whats-happening/sydney-marathon-2026-fundraiser">here</a>.
She&rsquo;s hoping to run a personal best in Berlin of under 3 hours 15 minutes and will report back in a future podcast, so stay tuned!

Marco te Brömmelstroet Explains How You Can Overcome the Hill of Hysteria.

Roxanne De Beaux is a highly skilled, energetic and enduring cycling advocate who has been making a difference in her adopted home town of Cambridge, UK.

As the first employee and later CEO of Camcycle – the Cambridge Cycling Campaign, Roxy spent a decade building the capacity of the organisation. Staff grew from one to seven and income increased approximately 10 fold.

Meanwhile Camcycle achieved some major “concrete” achievements in and around the university city of Cambridge. One major piece in this puzzle, the Chisholm Trail, took no less than 20 years of campaigning to bring into reality.

In our interview with Roxanne, she shares many great insights into how to build an effective organisation.

Roxanne has also been a co-organiser of the Active Travel Café – a vibrant online meeting place for a wide range of people across the UK.

She accepted an invitation to become a Board Trustee of Cycling UK – one of the largest and oldest national cycling organisations in the world.

All of these activities were coming to a conclusion at the time of our interview because Roxanne is about to move back to her home town of Perth, Western Australia to take up an important State Government transport role. We wonder if the WA establishment is ready for the whirlwind of energy and ideas that is about to blow in their direction!

What’s Up?

Towards the end of each episode, Sara and Phil share news of the day and events they’ve been taking part in.

In this episode Sara shares about a ground-breaking project carried out in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. It involved giving a diverse group of previously non-cycling women subsidised access to e-bikes, skills training and other support, then monitoring and reporting upon their changes in travel habits.

This link takes you to a YouTube video of the evaluation report launch:  Transforming transport in Western Sydney 

Unfortunately the audio in that video is not ideal.

Here’s a link via which you can download a .pdf of the report itself

Meanwhile, Phil honoured two leading active transport planners, Riley O’Neil and Louisa Gag, located in Chicago and Boston respectively, who were both tragically killed by motorists in separate incidents barely one month apart. Both were riding their bicycles at the time, either to or from work.

Streetsblog Chicago’s long-time writer, John Greenfield wrote this excellent article honouring the two young experts who were making a difference in their cities.

Greenfield calls for their deaths to become a turning point in the ongoing battle for safe streets.

The article also contains many links where you can see more specific stories about the lives of Riley and Louisa and reports of events that have been held in their honour.

Roxanne De Beaux is a highly skilled, energetic and enduring cycling advocate who has been making a difference in her adopted home town of Cambridge, UK.
As the first employee and later CEO of Camcycle &ndash; the Cambridge Cycling Campaign, Roxy spent a decade building the capacity of the organisation. Staff grew from one to seven and income increased approximately 10 fold.
Meanwhile Camcycle achieved some major &ldquo;concrete&rdquo; achievements in and around the university city of Cambridge. One major piece in this puzzle, the Chisholm Trail, took no less than 20 years of campaigning to bring into reality.
In our interview with Roxanne, she shares many great insights into how to build an effective organisation.
Roxanne has also been a co-organiser of the Active Travel Caf&eacute; &ndash; a vibrant online meeting place for a wide range of people across the UK.
She accepted an invitation to become a Board Trustee of Cycling UK &ndash; one of the largest and oldest national cycling organisations in the world.
All of these activities were coming to a conclusion at the time of our interview because Roxanne is about to move back to her home town of Perth, Western Australia to take up an important State Government transport role. We wonder if the WA establishment is ready for the whirlwind of energy and ideas that is about to blow in their direction!
What&rsquo;s Up?
Towards the end of each episode, Sara and Phil share news of the day and events they&rsquo;ve been taking part in.
In this episode Sara shares about a ground-breaking project carried out in the western suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales. It involved giving a diverse group of previously non-cycling women subsidised access to e-bikes, skills training and other support, then monitoring and reporting upon their changes in travel habits.
This link takes you to a YouTube video of the evaluation report launch:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAq461oBONA">Transforming transport in Western Sydney </a>
Unfortunately the audio in that video is not ideal.
Here&rsquo;s a <a href="https://www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2026/07/15/new-study-recommends-how-governments-promote-active-transport--.html">link</a> via which you can download a .pdf of the report itself
Meanwhile, Phil honoured two leading active transport planners, Riley O&rsquo;Neil and Louisa Gag, located in Chicago and Boston respectively, who were both tragically killed by motorists in separate incidents barely one month apart. Both were riding their bicycles at the time, either to or from work.
Streetsblog Chicago&rsquo;s long-time writer, John Greenfield wrote this <a href="https://chi.streetsblog.org/2026/07/17/the-bike-crash-deaths-of-transportation-planners-riley-oneil-and-louisa-gag-should-be-a-turning-point-for-safe-streets">excellent article</a> honouring the two young experts who were making a difference in their cities.
Greenfield calls for their deaths to become a turning point in the ongoing battle for safe streets.
The article also contains many links where you can see more specific stories about the lives of Riley and Louisa and reports of events that have been held in their honour.

Mini to Mighty! How a Cycle Campaign Transformed Itself, Then Britain’s Cycling Capital.

Henk Swarttouw had a distinguished career as a diplomat in the Dutch foreign service,
serving in the US, France and the UK.
This culminated in becoming Dutch ambassador to Finland and later, to Denmark.
At the end of his term as ambassador to Finland the President of Finland granted Henk with
Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland. This is an extremely select honour.
Henk is now an independent advisor on sustainable mobility and international cooperation.
In 2019, Henk joined the board of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF), and became
President in 2021, a voluntary role that he still serves in today.
Henk is also a certified EuroVelo long distance cycle tourism route inspector and served on
the EuroVelo Council from 2019 to 2025.
He’s married with two grown-up daughters and when not on the road, divides his time
between Amsterdam and Helsingborg, in Sweden.
In our conversation Henk talks about his transition from diplomat to cycling advocate, that
began while his was still serving the Netherlands as Ambassador to Finland.
He then shares about some of the biggest wins and challenges during his seven years on the
board of the ECF, which is one of the world’s largest and most influential cycling advocacy
organisations.
Henk also talks about the wonderful annual Velo-city conference that the ECF owns and
oversees, first held in 1980 and why they choose to hold it in relatively far-flung locations
such as Matsuyama, Japan next year, rather than sticking to central, safer bets such as
London, Paris or Berlin.

What’s Up?
We always finish each podcast with “What’s Up?” in which Sara and Phil share what they’ve
be doing, about to do, or interesting things they’ve seen.
Sara is in the middle of running three marathons in three months, Gold Coast, Sydney and
Berlin and raising funds for Better Streets.
Phil is not nearly so athletic these days, but about to head for four weeks’ holidays to the UK
and Ireland that, all going to plan, will include a in person factory visit and podcast interview
with the CEO of one of the UK’s most iconic bicycle brands.
Meanwhile, Phil also spoke about the successful Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the
NASDAQ exchange in New York City of bike and scooter share operator Lime. This IPO
valued Lime at over US$1.7 billion and is a financial vote of confidence in the future of bike
and scooter share schemes.

Henk Swarttouw had a distinguished career as a diplomat in the Dutch foreign service, serving in the US, France and the UK. This culminated in becoming Dutch ambassador to Finland and later, to Denmark. At the end of his term as ambassador to Finland the President of Finland granted Henk with Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland. This is an extremely select honour. Henk is now an independent advisor on sustainable mobility and international cooperation. In 2019, Henk joined the board of the European Cyclists&rsquo; Federation (ECF), and became President in 2021, a voluntary role that he still serves in today. Henk is also a certified EuroVelo long distance cycle tourism route inspector and served on the EuroVelo Council from 2019 to 2025. He&rsquo;s married with two grown-up daughters and when not on the road, divides his time between Amsterdam and Helsingborg, in Sweden. In our conversation Henk talks about his transition from diplomat to cycling advocate, that began while his was still serving the Netherlands as Ambassador to Finland. He then shares about some of the biggest wins and challenges during his seven years on the board of the ECF, which is one of the world&rsquo;s largest and most influential cycling advocacy organisations. Henk also talks about the wonderful annual Velo-city conference that the ECF owns and oversees, first held in 1980 and why they choose to hold it in relatively far-flung locations such as Matsuyama, Japan next year, rather than sticking to central, safer bets such as London, Paris or Berlin.
What&rsquo;s Up? We always finish each podcast with &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Up?&rdquo; in which Sara and Phil share what they&rsquo;ve be doing, about to do, or interesting things they&rsquo;ve seen. Sara is in the middle of running three marathons in three months, Gold Coast, Sydney and Berlin and raising funds for Better Streets. Phil is not nearly so athletic these days, but about to head for four weeks&rsquo; holidays to the UK and Ireland that, all going to plan, will include a in person factory visit and podcast interview with the CEO of one of the UK&rsquo;s most iconic bicycle brands. Meanwhile, Phil also spoke about the successful Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ exchange in New York City of bike and scooter share operator Lime. This IPO valued Lime at over US$1.7 billion and is a financial vote of confidence in the future of bike and scooter share schemes.

Henk’s Journey to Lead the World’s Most Influential Cycling Advocacy Organisation

Marker 04

Marker 03

Marker 02

Marker 01

Ana Carboni is a cycling advocate living and working in a super-challenging environment. Brasilia is the purpose-built capital of Brazil. It has some famous modern architecture including its sculptural parliament building.

But Brasilia was designed in the 1950’s, entirely around the automobile. The result is a sprawling, high speed car-dominated city that is deadly for cyclists and pedestrians and very poor public transport options.

Ana graduated and later practised as a clinical psychologist, before moving to a career in human resources. She moved to London where she worked at the Brazilian Embassy and also completed a masters degree in Human Resource Management and Organisational Analysis at Kings College London.

Upon returning to her home city of Niterói which is a beautiful coastal part of the greater Rio di Janeiro urban area, Ana became deeply involved in advocacy.

She later moved to Brasilia where she is a Project Manager for the UCB (Brazilian Cyclists Union), the peak national lobbying organisation in this vast country of over 200 million citizens.

Very rarely do cycling podcasts, including ours, stray far from the usual pattern of guests from Europe or North America. So it was both fascinating to learn more about Brazil, but shocking to hear how bad things are there, compared to many other developed nations.

Here are some stark statistics that we share during this episode:

Cyclists

Between 2014 and 2024, Brazil recorded 14,834 cyclist deaths, maintaining a tragic and steady average of roughly four fatalities per day nationwide.

Fifteen years ago, cyclist fatalities made up less than 1% of total traffic deaths. Today, they account for roughly 3.5% of all road fatalities.

Most victims are male, working-class citizens, who rely on bicycles for transport. By far the largest cause of death is being hit by motor vehicles.

Pedestrians

The annual pedestrian death toll ranges from 5,000 to 6,500 per year.

In 2023 5,340 pedestrians were killed, comprising 15.6% of the total road toll that was a staggering 34,110 people killed.

Overall

Brazil’s death rate through traffic violence was 15.7 people per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021, ranking it 118th in the world.

By comparison, “best practice” countries such as Japan, UK, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries are in the range of two to three deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per year. The Netherlands has 4.1 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Canada is 4.7 the USA, 14.4.

Niterói’s Exceptional Example

Niterói is a coastal city of about half a million residents located just across the bay from the centre of Rio de Janeiro. It is the wealthiest city in Brazil on a per capita basis.

It has a citywide speed limit of 30 kph, extensive bike infrastructure including the three busiest bike lanes in Brazil. At least one of these lanes counts over 7,000 riders per day.

In stark contrast to the rest of Brazil, between 2020 and 2024 there were no cyclist fatalities at all in the city of Niterói.

Useful Links

If you’d like to learn more about advocacy in Brazil, Ana provided us with the following extensive collection of links:

Social media links: 
https://www.instagram.com/uniaodeciclistas/
https://www.instagram.com/sistemas.seguros/
https://www.instagram.com/rodasdapaz/ 
https://www.instagram.com/biciculturabr/

UCB's website: https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/ 

UCB's Projects: 
Safe Street's Bill: https://pldasvelocidadesseguras.org.br/ 
National Cycling Strategy: https://estrategiadabicicleta.org.br/
Bicycle Observatory: https://observatoriodabicicleta.org.br/
Cycling map: https://ciclomapa.app/ 
Sustainable Mobility in the Election Campaign (started as Bicycle in the Election Campaign): https://mobilidadenaseleicoes.org.br/municipal/a-campanha/
Best Practices Guide for Bicycle Parking: Bicycle Racks and Bicycle Parking Facilities (2nd edition): https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/biblioteca/guia-estacionamento-bicicletas/
Manifesto from the Brazilian Cyclists’ Union for COP 30: 
https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/geral/pedalando-por-justica-climatica-equidade-e-um-futuro-sustentavel-possivel/
The Bicycle as a Promoter of the 18 Sustainable Development Goals in the Brazilian Context: https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/geral/a-bicicleta-como-promotora-dos-18-ods/
Legislative Advocacy Manual: Promoting Bicycles in the Legislative Branch: https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/biblioteca/manual-de-incidencia-legislativa/ World Bicycle Forum Memory Secretariat: https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/memoria-fmb/


What’s Up?

We always finish each podcast with “What’s Up?” in which Sara and Phil share what they’ve be doing, about to do, or interesting things they’ve seen.

Sara began with World Bicycle Day, that was held the same day we were recording. Here are photos of events that provided by Sara’s colleagues on the World Cycling Alliance board:

Sara’s What’s Up also included news of the Australian federal government’s historic announcement of half a billion dollars for cycling and walking infrastructure funding.

Here is an announcement from the peak advocacy group We Ride Australia about the initial funding. And here is a follow up announcement that the funding will be “front loaded” to speed up its impact.

Phil spoke about attending the massive China Cycle expo next year, instead of his usual annual trip to Eurobike. We previously had an interview with Sam Johnson from the World Bank who spoke about a resurgence of cycling in some of China’s major cities after decades of decline due to policies favouring cars over bicycles. You can listen to that episode here.

Ana Carboni is a cycling advocate living and working in a super-challenging environment. Brasilia is the purpose-built capital of Brazil. It has some famous modern architecture including its sculptural parliament building.
But Brasilia was designed in the 1950&rsquo;s, entirely around the automobile. The result is a sprawling, high speed car-dominated city that is deadly for cyclists and pedestrians and very poor public transport options.
Ana graduated and later practised as a clinical psychologist, before moving to a career in human resources. She moved to London where she worked at the Brazilian Embassy and also completed a masters degree in Human Resource Management and Organisational Analysis at Kings College London.
Upon returning to her home city of Niter&oacute;i which is a beautiful coastal part of the greater Rio di Janeiro urban area, Ana became deeply involved in advocacy.
She later moved to Brasilia where she is a Project Manager for the UCB (Brazilian Cyclists Union), the peak national lobbying organisation in this vast country of over 200 million citizens.
Very rarely do cycling podcasts, including ours, stray far from the usual pattern of guests from Europe or North America. So it was both fascinating to learn more about Brazil, but shocking to hear how bad things are there, compared to many other developed nations.
Here are some stark statistics that we share during this episode:
Cyclists
Between 2014 and 2024, Brazil recorded 14,834 cyclist deaths, maintaining a tragic and steady average of roughly four fatalities per day nationwide.
Fifteen years ago, cyclist fatalities made up less than 1% of total traffic deaths. Today, they account for roughly 3.5% of all road fatalities.
Most victims are male, working-class citizens, who rely on bicycles for transport. By far the largest cause of death is being hit by motor vehicles.
Pedestrians
The annual pedestrian death toll ranges from 5,000 to 6,500 per year.
In 2023 5,340 pedestrians were killed, comprising 15.6% of the total road toll that was a staggering 34,110 people killed.
Overall
Brazil&rsquo;s death rate through traffic violence was 15.7 people per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021, ranking it 118th in the world.
By comparison, &ldquo;best practice&rdquo; countries such as Japan, UK, Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries are in the range of two to three deaths per 100,000 inhabitants per year. The Netherlands has 4.1 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Canada is 4.7 the USA, 14.4.
Niter&oacute;i&rsquo;s Exceptional Example
Niter&oacute;i is a coastal city of about half a million residents located just across the bay from the centre of Rio de Janeiro. It is the wealthiest city in Brazil on a per capita basis.
It has a citywide speed limit of 30 kph, extensive bike infrastructure including the three busiest bike lanes in Brazil. At least one of these lanes counts over 7,000 riders per day.
In stark contrast to the rest of Brazil, between 2020 and 2024 there were no cyclist fatalities at all in the city of Niter&oacute;i.
Useful Links
If you&rsquo;d like to learn more about advocacy in Brazil, Ana provided us with the following extensive collection of links:
Social media links:&nbsp; <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uniaodeciclistas/">https://www.instagram.com/uniaodeciclistas/</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sistemas.seguros/">https://www.instagram.com/sistemas.seguros/</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rodasdapaz/">https://www.instagram.com/rodasdapaz/&nbsp;</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/biciculturabr/">https://www.instagram.com/biciculturabr/</a> UCB's&nbsp;website:&nbsp;<a href="https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/">https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/&nbsp;</a> UCB's Projects:&nbsp; Safe Street's Bill:&nbsp;<a href="https://pldasvelocidadesseguras.org.br/">https://pldasvelocidadesseguras.org.br/&nbsp;</a> National Cycling Strategy:&nbsp;<a href="https://estrategiadabicicleta.org.br/">https://estrategiadabicicleta.org.br/</a> Bicycle Observatory:&nbsp;<a href="https://observatoriodabicicleta.org.br/">https://observatoriodabicicleta.org.br/</a> Cycling map:&nbsp;<a href="https://ciclomapa.app/">https://ciclomapa.app/&nbsp;</a> Sustainable Mobility in the Election Campaign (started as Bicycle in the Election Campaign):&nbsp;<a href="https://mobilidadenaseleicoes.org.br/municipal/a-campanha/">https://mobilidadenaseleicoes.org.br/municipal/a-campanha/</a> Best Practices Guide for Bicycle Parking: Bicycle Racks and Bicycle Parking Facilities (2nd edition):&nbsp;<a href="https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/biblioteca/guia-estacionamento-bicicletas/">https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/biblioteca/guia-estacionamento-bicicletas/</a> Manifesto from the Brazilian Cyclists&rsquo; Union for COP 30:&nbsp; <a href="https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/geral/pedalando-por-justica-climatica-equidade-e-um-futuro-sustentavel-possivel/">https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/geral/pedalando-por-justica-climatica-equidade-e-um-futuro-sustentavel-possivel/</a> The Bicycle as a Promoter of the 18 Sustainable Development Goals in the Brazilian Context:&nbsp;<a href="https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/geral/a-bicicleta-como-promotora-dos-18-ods/">https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/geral/a-bicicleta-como-promotora-dos-18-ods/</a> Legislative Advocacy Manual: Promoting Bicycles in the Legislative Branch:&nbsp;<a href="https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/biblioteca/manual-de-incidencia-legislativa/">https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/biblioteca/manual-de-incidencia-legislativa/ </a>World Bicycle Forum Memory Secretariat:&nbsp;<a href="https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/memoria-fmb/">https://uniaodeciclistas.org.br/memoria-fmb/</a> 
What&rsquo;s Up?
We always finish each podcast with &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Up?&rdquo; in which Sara and Phil share what they&rsquo;ve be doing, about to do, or interesting things they&rsquo;ve seen.
Sara began with World Bicycle Day, that was held the same day we were recording. Here are photos of events that provided by Sara&rsquo;s colleagues on the World Cycling Alliance board:
Sara&rsquo;s What&rsquo;s Up also included news of the Australian federal government&rsquo;s historic announcement of half a billion dollars for cycling and walking infrastructure funding.
Here is an <a href="https://www.weride.org.au/government-relations/a-half-billion-dollar-win-for-walking-and-riding-in-the-budget/">announcement</a> from the peak advocacy group We Ride Australia about the initial funding. And here is a <a href="https://www.weride.org.au/policy-planning/500m-fund-front-loaded-for-max-impact/">follow up announcement</a> that the funding will be &ldquo;front loaded&rdquo; to speed up its impact.
Phil spoke about attending the massive China Cycle expo next year, instead of his usual annual trip to Eurobike. We previously had an interview with Sam Johnson from the World Bank who spoke about a resurgence of cycling in some of China&rsquo;s major cities after decades of decline due to policies favouring cars over bicycles. You can listen to that episode&nbsp;<a href="https://squeakywheelpodcast.com/season-2-episode-7-sam-johnson/">here</a>.

Ana’s Fight To Fix Her Country’s 34,000 Annual Road Deaths

Marker 07

Marker 05

Marker 06

New European Cycling Industries CEO Gets Proactive on Advocacy

Our guest this month is Paul Walsh.

Paul is originally from Ireland, has lived in Brussels for over 20 years and brings more than 12 years of experience working in Brussels-based industry associations.

He holds a master's degree in Association Management and has worked across a wide range of sectors, including aviation, research and innovation, tourism, and medical devices.

Exactly one year prior to our conversation, Paul took on the CEO role of Cycling Industries Europe, which since then has merged with Europe’s oldest industry group, CONEBI, to form European Cycling Industries (ECI).

Paul was appointed CEO of the new group and has bold ambitions for this new, larger, united organisation.

Multiple times throughout our conversation, Paul mentions the European Cyclist Federation (ECF) which is an advocacy group that Paul’s industry association not only works closely with, but also donates significant funds towards.

We previously interviewed Jill Warren the former CEO of the ECF and if you’re interested in in learning more about that organisation you can find that interview here.

Cycling faces an opportunity for increased government support and growth thanks to the current “oil crisis” In our conversation Paul refers to the 10 point plan to help reduce oil dependency, recently released by the ECF which Paul’s organisation and others have endorsed. Here is the ECF Manifesto

He also outlined ECI’s Strategic Priorities:
To create regulatory certainty for e-bikes.
To do a better job on data, including bicycle sales.
Infrastructure for cycling.
Leasing – favourable for bicycle purchases. Reproducing existing successful German and Belgium schemes Europe-wide.
Developing a Bicycle Industry Strategy that is adopted by the European Commission.

We asked Paul about any recent increases in bike sales in Europe do to the current “oil crisis”. He said it was too early to have data about this. But here is a chart of what happened to bicycle sales in the USA as a result of the “Arab Oil Embargo” of the early 1970’s. It will be interesting to see what happens to bicycle demand over the coming months.

Paul described a new “I cycle to work” campaign that the ECI will be launching soon. You’ll be able to see it via their website here: European Cycling Industries

What’s Up?

Sara mentions the new Oxford St protected cycleway, which is newly opened on a six lane arterial road into the heart of Sydney’s city centre, that’s getting thousands of rides per day.

Sara also mentions the huge growth in share bike ridership.

Phil mentions Lime and thought that they have exceeded US$1 billion in annual revenue. This may be true now due to their massive recent growth, but the latest published data shows US$646 million revenue for calendar year 2024. In October 2025 Lime announced that they had seen 1 billion total rides since their launch in 2017.

Clarification

Towards the start of our conversation with Paul, Sara says that there are more bicycle sales than car sales in Australia. That’s only partly correct… although it was true in the decade prior to covid and during the two covid years, since then car sales have slightly exceeded bicycle sales, even when combining analogue and e-bike sales.

New European Cycling Industries CEO Gets Proactive on Advocacy
Our guest this month is Paul Walsh.
Paul is originally from Ireland, has lived in Brussels for over 20 years and brings more than 12 years of experience working in Brussels-based industry associations.
He holds a master's degree in Association Management and has worked across a wide range of sectors, including aviation, research and innovation, tourism, and medical devices.
Exactly one year prior to our conversation, Paul took on the CEO role of Cycling Industries Europe, which since then has merged with Europe&rsquo;s oldest industry group, CONEBI, to form European Cycling Industries (ECI).
Paul was appointed CEO of the new group and has bold ambitions for this new, larger, united organisation.
Multiple times throughout our conversation, Paul mentions the European Cyclist Federation (ECF) which is an advocacy group that Paul&rsquo;s industry association not only works closely with, but also donates significant funds towards.
We previously interviewed Jill Warren the former CEO of the ECF and if you&rsquo;re interested in in learning more about that organisation you can find that interview <a href="https://squeakywheelpodcast.com/season-2-episode-4-jill-warren/">here</a>.
Cycling faces an opportunity for increased government support and growth thanks to the current &ldquo;oil crisis&rdquo; In our conversation Paul refers to the 10 point plan to help reduce oil dependency, recently released by the ECF which Paul&rsquo;s organisation and others have endorsed. Here is the <a href="https://www.ecf.com/en/news/cycling-manifesto-energy-independence-affordable-transport/">ECF Manifesto</a>
He also outlined ECI&rsquo;s Strategic Priorities:
<ol>
<li>To create regulatory certainty for e-bikes.</li>
<li>To do a better job on data, including bicycle sales.</li>
<li>Infrastructure for cycling.</li>
<li>Leasing &ndash; favourable for bicycle purchases. Reproducing existing successful German and Belgium schemes Europe-wide.</li>
<li>Developing a Bicycle Industry Strategy that is adopted by the European Commission.</li>
</ol>
We asked Paul about any recent increases in bike sales in Europe do to the current &ldquo;oil crisis&rdquo;. He said it was too early to have data about this. But here is a chart of what happened to bicycle sales in the USA as a result of the &ldquo;Arab Oil Embargo&rdquo; of the early 1970&rsquo;s. It will be interesting to see what happens to bicycle demand over the coming months.
Paul described a new &ldquo;I cycle to work&rdquo; campaign that the ECI will be launching soon. You&rsquo;ll be able to see it via their website here: <a href="https://cyclingindustries.com/">European Cycling Industries</a>
What&rsquo;s Up?
Sara mentions the new Oxford St protected cycleway, which is newly opened on a six lane arterial road into the heart of Sydney&rsquo;s city centre, that&rsquo;s getting thousands of rides per day.
Sara also mentions the huge growth in share bike ridership.
Phil mentions Lime and thought that they have exceeded US$1 billion in annual revenue. This may be true now due to their massive recent growth, but the latest published data shows US$646 million revenue for calendar year 2024. In October 2025 Lime announced that they had seen 1 billion total rides since their launch in 2017.
Clarification
Towards the start of our conversation with Paul, Sara says that there are more bicycle sales than car sales in Australia. That&rsquo;s only partly correct&hellip; although it was true in the decade prior to covid and during the two covid years, since then car sales have slightly exceeded bicycle sales, even when combining analogue and e-bike sales.

New European Cycling Industries CEO Gets Proactive on Advocacy

Why It’s Time for 30 Now!

Jullietta Jung and Jennifer Kent are launching a new campaign in Australia that is equally relevant around the world.

30Now will be calling for the speed limit on all local streets to be lowered to 30 kilometres per hour (20 miles per hour).

Jennifer Kent is Associate Professor, Urbanism at the University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. She’s also Honorary Associate Professor, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS).

Her research interests are at the intersections between urban planning, transport and human health.

Jullietta Jung has been President of the Australia-wide grass roots group Better Streets since November 2025.

Prior to that she was a Program Manager at the Global Designing Streets Initiative and has worked in various active transport roles in the New South Wales state government.

Jullietta founded Sydney Night Rides in 2015 as a safe way for people, particularly women to ride together at night.

During our conversation, Jennifer mentions the Global Road Safety Partnership. You can find out more about it here.

You can find out more about Better Streets, the organisation that Jullietta leads, here.

At the time of producing this podcast, the 30Now website was not yet live, but there is a Position Paper about the topic here.

During our conversation we refer to an episode that we previously recorded with Lee Waters, who was the driving force behind the country of Wales adopting 20 mile per hour speed limits nationwide. You can listen to that podcast here.

There have been several reports that document the reduction in road deaths and serious injuries in Wales since the speed limit was reduced.

This report is from the Welsh Government, who also produced this slightly more summarised report.

This report by the BBC says there have been 900 fewer injuries and few Councils have applied for higher speed limits but that the change is still not universally popular.

Meanwhile, Jullietta talked about the Safe Active Streets program in Perth, Western Australia.

Jullietta also talked about evidence that many in the community want slower speed limits. In particular home owners have put stickers on their rubbish bins to ask motorists to slow down.

 

What’s Up?

In our “What’s Up” section at the end of each podcast we share what we’ve been doing or about to do.

This episode was recorded with guest co-host Sara Stace. Sara is Director of Cities at Vivendi Consulting

Sara is part of a team embarking on a three year project to look at how cycling infrastructure can be delivered more effectively. They’re running a one hour online workshop with the Liveable Cities Collective on 30th April 2026. You can find out more about the Liveable Cities Collective here or register for the “Let’s Accelerate Cycleway Delivery!” workshop via Humanitix here.

Phil talked about his recent visit to Taipei, Taiwan including both good and bad aspects of their transport system in this incredibly densely populated city of about seven million people across its greater urban area.

Here as some of his photos from his visit in late March 2026:

This is a “suburban” area of Taipei, not the city centre.

Taipei’s U-Bike system is very heavily used day and night. The orange bike in the foreground is their new e-bike version which can be rented at slightly higher cost than the super-cheap to rent yellow analogue bikes.

This is a roadside Gogoro battery swapping station for motor scooter riders. There are over 12,500 of these stations across Taiwan.

This is one of two adjacent expo buildings that host the annual Taipei Cycle show. The driverless above ground metro line in the foreground is actually one of the oldest lines in Taipei. This venue is also served by a second, larger, faster metro line with a station underground.

It’s common to see one, two or three young children being transported on motor scooters in Taipei. These scooters outnumber cars. The white scooter in the background is an electric Gogoro model, but most scooters are still noisy petrol models like the one in foreground.

Parking fines are cheap in Taipei, so people with money often park in intersections or other illegal places, like this unattended Porsche.

As always, we’d love to hear from you with guest suggestions or any other feedback. Please use the Contact Us page on this website.

Until next month, keep squeaking!

Why It&rsquo;s Time for 30 Now!
Jullietta Jung and Jennifer Kent are launching a new campaign in Australia that is equally relevant around the world.
30Now will be calling for the speed limit on all local streets to be lowered to 30 kilometres per hour (20 miles per hour).
Jennifer Kent is Associate Professor, Urbanism at the University of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. She&rsquo;s also Honorary Associate Professor, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS).
Her research interests are at the intersections between urban planning, transport and human health.
Jullietta Jung has been President of the Australia-wide grass roots group Better Streets since November 2025.
Prior to that she was a Program Manager at the Global Designing Streets Initiative and has worked in various active transport roles in the New South Wales state government.
Jullietta founded Sydney Night Rides in 2015 as a safe way for people, particularly women to ride together at night.
During our conversation, Jennifer mentions the Global Road Safety Partnership. You can find out more about it <a href="https://www.grsproadsafety.org/">here</a>.
You can find out more about Better Streets, the organisation that Jullietta leads, <a href="https://www.betterstreets.org.au/">here</a>.
At the time of producing this podcast, the 30Now website was not yet live, but there is a Position Paper about the topic <a href="https://www.betterstreets.org.au/safe-speeds-position-paper">here</a>.
During our conversation we refer to an episode that we previously recorded with Lee Waters, who was the driving force behind the country of Wales adopting 20 mile per hour speed limits nationwide. You can listen to that podcast <a href="https://squeakywheelpodcast.com/s1e4-lee-waters/">here</a>.
There have been several reports that document the reduction in road deaths and serious injuries in Wales since the speed limit was reduced.
<a href="https://www.gov.wales/reported-road-casualties-2024-html">This report</a> is from the Welsh Government, who also produced <a href="https://research.senedd.wales/research-articles/what-impact-has-20mph-had-on-road-safety-in-wales/">this slightly more summarised report.</a>
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm286pyjml7o">This report</a> by the BBC says there have been 900 fewer injuries and few Councils have applied for higher speed limits but that the change is still not universally popular.
Meanwhile, Jullietta talked about the <a href="https://transport.wa.gov.au/active-transport/riding-walking-wheeling/safety-guidelines-faqs/sharing/navigating#anchor-link-2">Safe Active Streets</a> program in Perth, Western Australia.
Jullietta also talked about evidence that many in the community want slower speed limits. In particular home owners have put stickers on their rubbish bins to ask motorists to slow down.
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s Up?
In our &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Up&rdquo; section at the end of each podcast we share what we&rsquo;ve been doing or about to do.
This episode was recorded with guest co-host Sara Stace. Sara is Director of Cities at <a href="https://vivendiconsulting.com/">Vivendi Consulting</a>
Sara is part of a team embarking on a three year project to look at how cycling infrastructure can be delivered more effectively. They&rsquo;re running a one hour online workshop with the Liveable Cities Collective on 30th April 2026. You can find out more about the Liveable Cities Collective <a href="https://www.facebook.com/liveablecitiescollective/">here</a> or register for the &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s Accelerate Cycleway Delivery!&rdquo; workshop via Humanitix <a href="https://events.humanitix.com/lcc-accelerate-cycleway-delivery">here</a>.
Phil talked about his recent visit to Taipei, Taiwan including both good and bad aspects of their transport system in this incredibly densely populated city of about seven million people across its greater urban area.
Here as some of his photos from his visit in late March 2026:
This is a &ldquo;suburban&rdquo; area of Taipei, not the city centre.
Taipei&rsquo;s U-Bike system is very heavily used day and night. The orange bike in the foreground is their new e-bike version which can be rented at slightly higher cost than the super-cheap to rent yellow analogue bikes.
This is a roadside Gogoro battery swapping station for motor scooter riders. There are over 12,500 of these stations across Taiwan.
This is one of two adjacent expo buildings that host the annual Taipei Cycle show. The driverless above ground metro line in the foreground is actually one of the oldest lines in Taipei. This venue is also served by a second, larger, faster metro line with a station underground.
It&rsquo;s common to see one, two or three young children being transported on motor scooters in Taipei. These scooters outnumber cars. The white scooter in the background is an electric Gogoro model, but most scooters are still noisy petrol models like the one in foreground.
Parking fines are cheap in Taipei, so people with money often park in intersections or other illegal places, like this unattended Porsche.
As always, we&rsquo;d love to hear from you with guest suggestions or any other feedback. Please use the Contact Us page on this website.
Until next month, keep squeaking!

Why It’s Time for 30 Now!

Our guest this month is Skye Duncan, a brilliant communicator who is Executive Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI).

This innovative and impactful organisation is primarily funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies with a worldwide team of over 45 expert staff. It has its roots in New York City, stemming from the era when Mike Bloomberg was mayor and oversaw huge advances in active transportation and liveable street design.

Skye was “inside the tent” holding a key design role within the NYC administration for much of this time. After Bloomberg’s term in office ended, Skye moved to NACTO (the National Association of City Transportation Officials) from which the GDCI was eventually spun off as a stand-alone entity.

Throughout all three of these organisations, a common thread has been Skye working with Janette Sadik-Khan, who was NYC Transportation Commissioner and is now Board Chair at GDCI.

Skye’s life has been full of adventure from day one, having been born in Papua New Guinea. This very poor developing South East Asian island nation would have only had a population of about 3 million at that time, of which a fraction of 1% at any time were “expats” from other countries and a much smaller subset again would have their children there.

After being raised in New Zealand, graduating in architecture and winning a major design competition, Skye successfully applied for a Fulbright Scholarship.

Sponsored by US government since 1946, only about 4,000 foreign students per year win Fullbright scholarships to attend some of the most prestigious USA universities. So the competition is intense and only about 20 New Zealanders are successful each year.

After graduating with master’s degree from Columbia University in New York City, Skye joined the NYC administration during the Mike Bloomberg mayoral era when dramatic changes were made, often using a “quick, light, cheap” strategy to prove their concept, such as most famously depicted here in Times Square.

After Bloomberg finished his final term, Skye moved to NACTO, then to head up the Global Designing Cities Initiative that has published three major global guides: the Global Street Design Guide, the Designing Streets for Kids Guide and the Designing for Safe Speeds.

In our interview, Skye gives unique perspectives on what we need to do to make our cities work better for everyone. As Skye’s presentation slide above so graphically illustrates, different members of our communities have widely varying needs from our city designs and transportation options.

What’s Up?


In our “What’s Up” section at the end of this podcast, Phil talks about riding the newly opened Iris Dixon Veloway, that includes this dramatic bright green curving bridge. Not surprisingly, it has been unofficially named “The Caterpillar”.

As always, we’d love to hear from you with guest suggestions or any other feedback. Please use the Contact Us page on this website.

Until next month, keep squeaking!

Our guest this month is Skye Duncan, a brilliant communicator who is Executive Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI).
This innovative and impactful organisation is primarily funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies with a worldwide team of over 45 expert staff. It has its roots in New York City, stemming from the era when Mike Bloomberg was mayor and oversaw huge advances in active transportation and liveable street design.
Skye was &ldquo;inside the tent&rdquo; holding a key design role within the NYC administration for much of this time. After Bloomberg&rsquo;s term in office ended, Skye moved to NACTO (the National Association of City Transportation Officials) from which the GDCI was eventually spun off as a stand-alone entity.
Throughout all three of these organisations, a common thread has been Skye working with Janette Sadik-Khan, who was NYC Transportation Commissioner and is now Board Chair at GDCI.
Skye&rsquo;s life has been full of adventure from day one, having been born in Papua New Guinea. This very poor developing South East Asian island nation would have only had a population of about 3 million at that time, of which a fraction of 1% at any time were &ldquo;expats&rdquo; from other countries and a much smaller subset again would have their children there.
After being raised in New Zealand, graduating in architecture and winning a major design competition, Skye successfully applied for a Fulbright Scholarship.
Sponsored by US government since 1946, only about 4,000 foreign students per year win Fullbright scholarships to attend some of the most prestigious USA universities. So the competition is intense and only about 20 New Zealanders are successful each year.
After graduating with master&rsquo;s degree from Columbia University in New York City, Skye joined the NYC administration during the Mike Bloomberg mayoral era when dramatic changes were made, often using a &ldquo;quick, light, cheap&rdquo; strategy to prove their concept, such as most famously depicted here in Times Square.
After Bloomberg finished his final term, Skye moved to NACTO, then to head up the <a href="https://globaldesigningcities.org">Global Designing Cities Initiative</a> that has published three major global guides: the <a href="https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/global-street-design-guide/">Global Street Design Guide</a>, the <a href="https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/designing-streets-for-kids/">Designing Streets for Kids Guide</a> and the <a href="https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/designing-for-safe-speeds/">Designing for Safe Speeds</a>.
In our interview, Skye gives unique perspectives on what we need to do to make our cities work better for everyone. As Skye&rsquo;s presentation slide above so graphically illustrates, different members of our communities have widely varying needs from our city designs and transportation options.
What&rsquo;s Up? 
In our &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Up&rdquo; section at the end of this podcast, Phil talks about riding the newly opened Iris Dixon Veloway, that includes this dramatic bright green curving bridge. Not surprisingly, it has been unofficially named &ldquo;The Caterpillar&rdquo;.
As always, we&rsquo;d love to hear from you with guest suggestions or any other feedback. Please use the Contact Us page on this website.
Until next month, keep squeaking!

How Skye Duncan is Globally Multiplying Lessons She Learned in NYC.

Welcome to season three of The Squeaky Wheel Podcast!

We’re starting the year with an amazing guest who’s from San Francisco, USA, but lives in Paris, France and lectures for a university based in Melbourne, Australia!

Grant also speaks five languages and has previously worked for international aid agencies in a wide range of countries around the world including Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay, Honduras, Kenya and Syria.

Since 2020 Grant has been an adjunct Lecturer at Monash University. Grant’s teaching and research focuses on the political and commercial determinants of health, primarily exploring the political influence of the sugar, road, and fossil fuel lobbies.

Grant has written the acclaimed book Dark PR: How Corporate Disinformation Undermines Our Health and the Environment. His work has been referenced in the Journal of Transport & Health, Traffic Safety Research, Alcohol Clinical & Experimental Research, the Australian, Michael West, the Australian Financial Review, the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, the Irish Independent, among others.

Grant’s scholarship has had international reach and has contributed to parliamentary discussions related to nutrition and transport in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Dark PR includes details of “Nine devious frames” used by corporations and in particular their highly paid public relations consultants to effectively fight back against members of the public who are advocating for positive change, for example to make our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

In our conversation we deliberately don’t go into these in detail, because there has already been an excellent interview recorded with Grant, that does unpack each frame in order, one by one. It was done by The War on Cars, a podcast that we highly recommend and are Patreon supporters of. You can listen to that podcast episode here.

In our conversation, Grant fires off many references to earlier research and reports. Here are the relevant links:
F Nuance https://kieranhealy.org/files/papers/fuck-nuance.pdf
Twitter and Tear Gas https://www.ted.com/talks/zeynep_tufekci_online_social_change_easy_to_organize_hard_to_win
If We Burn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_We_Burn
Renationalisation of British Rail https://www.lemonde.fr/en/transport/article/2024/12/04/uk-set-to-nationalize-train-operators-from-may_6735167_216.html
President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez https://latinolens.tonolatino.com/p/a-message-to-the-far-right-from-spain
IMF Report on US$7 Trillion in Fossil Fuel Subsidies  https://www.imf.org/en/topics/climate-change/energy-subsidies
Chartists https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartism
Hands off our charities alliance https://unitingcare.org.au/submission/hands-off-our-charities-alliance-australian-charities-and-not-for-profits-commission-amendment-2021-measures-no-2-regulations-2021/
Sharon Beder - https://youtu.be/gAQKXmUnc4Y Alliance for a Paving Moratorium  / Jan Lundberg https://www.culturechange.org/apm_page.htm
Reactionary Centrism https://www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-reactionary-centrism

 

What’s Up?

Unfortunately Squeaky Wheel Podcast co-host Irene McAleese is stepping away for a little while to deal with some personal commitments. The show will carry on with just Phil Latz for the moment, which means a much shorter What’s Up section.

Phil mentions World Bicycle Relief has just passed an amazing milestone of building and delivering over one million bicycles into the field. Here’s a great video that shows what this means to the one million recipients.

Look out for our next episode, due out on the third Thursday of March.

Until then, keep squeaking!

Welcome to season three of The Squeaky Wheel Podcast!
We&rsquo;re starting the year with an amazing guest who&rsquo;s from San Francisco, USA, but lives in Paris, France and lectures for a university based in Melbourne, Australia!
Grant also speaks five languages and has previously worked for international aid agencies in a wide range of countries around the world including Mexico, Brazil, Paraguay, Honduras, Kenya and Syria.
Since 2020 Grant has been an adjunct Lecturer at Monash University. Grant&rsquo;s teaching and research focuses on the political and commercial determinants of health, primarily exploring the political influence of the sugar, road, and fossil fuel lobbies.
Grant has written the acclaimed book Dark PR: How Corporate Disinformation Undermines Our Health and the Environment. His work has been referenced in the Journal of Transport &amp; Health, Traffic Safety Research, Alcohol Clinical &amp; Experimental Research, the Australian, Michael West, the Australian Financial Review, the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, the Irish Independent, among others.
Grant&rsquo;s scholarship has had international reach and has contributed to parliamentary discussions related to nutrition and transport in Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
Dark PR includes details of &ldquo;Nine devious frames&rdquo; used by corporations and in particular their highly paid public relations consultants to effectively fight back against members of the public who are advocating for positive change, for example to make our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
In our conversation we deliberately don&rsquo;t go into these in detail, because there has already been an excellent interview recorded with Grant, that does unpack each frame in order, one by one. It was done by The War on Cars, a podcast that we highly recommend and are Patreon supporters of. You can listen to that podcast episode <a href="https://thewaroncars.org/2023/10/24/113-dark-pr-with-grant-ennis/">here</a>.
In our conversation, Grant fires off many references to earlier research and reports. Here are the relevant links:
<ul>
<li>F Nuance <a href="https://kieranhealy.org/files/papers/fuck-nuance.pdf">https://kieranhealy.org/files/papers/fuck-nuance.pdf</a></li>
<li>Twitter and Tear Gas <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/zeynep_tufekci_online_social_change_easy_to_organize_hard_to_win">https://www.ted.com/talks/zeynep_tufekci_online_social_change_easy_to_organize_hard_to_win</a></li>
<li>If We Burn <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_We_Burn">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_We_Burn</a></li>
<li>Renationalisation of British Rail <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/transport/article/2024/12/04/uk-set-to-nationalize-train-operators-from-may_6735167_216.html">https://www.lemonde.fr/en/transport/article/2024/12/04/uk-set-to-nationalize-train-operators-from-may_6735167_216.html</a></li>
<li>President of Spain, Pedro S&aacute;nchez <a href="https://latinolens.tonolatino.com/p/a-message-to-the-far-right-from-spain">https://latinolens.tonolatino.com/p/a-message-to-the-far-right-from-spain</a></li>
<li>IMF Report on US$7 Trillion in Fossil Fuel Subsidies&nbsp; <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/topics/climate-change/energy-subsidies">https://www.imf.org/en/topics/climate-change/energy-subsidies</a></li>
<li>Chartists <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartism">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartism</a></li>
<li>Hands off our charities alliance <a href="https://unitingcare.org.au/submission/hands-off-our-charities-alliance-australian-charities-and-not-for-profits-commission-amendment-2021-measures-no-2-regulations-2021/">https://unitingcare.org.au/submission/hands-off-our-charities-alliance-australian-charities-and-not-for-profits-commission-amendment-2021-measures-no-2-regulations-2021/</a></li>
<li>Sharon Beder - <a href="https://youtu.be/gAQKXmUnc4Y">https://youtu.be/gAQKXmUnc4Y</a> Alliance for a Paving Moratorium&nbsp; / Jan Lundberg <a href="https://www.culturechange.org/apm_page.htm">https://www.culturechange.org/apm_page.htm</a></li>
<li>Reactionary Centrism&nbsp;<a href="https://www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-reactionary-centrism">https://www.volts.wtf/p/all-about-reactionary-centrism</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
What&rsquo;s Up?
Unfortunately Squeaky Wheel Podcast co-host Irene McAleese is stepping away for a little while to deal with some personal commitments. The show will carry on with just Phil Latz for the moment, which means a much shorter What&rsquo;s Up section.
Phil mentions World Bicycle Relief has just passed an amazing milestone of building and delivering over one million bicycles into the field. Here&rsquo;s a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLBoP2YyvLQ">great video</a> that shows what this means to the one million recipients.
Look out for our next episode, due out on the third Thursday of March.
Until then, keep squeaking!

This episode features Grant Ennis discussing how corporate disinformation shapes public health and environmental policy, drawing on his global experience, his book Dark PR, and a range of research that highlights the political and commercial forces influencing advocacy and societal change.

Grant Ennis Explains the Dangers of Corporate Disinformation

This month we’re very excited to be speaking with Associate Professor Peter Norton who is a historian at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.

Peter has authored two highly successful and thought-provoking books, “Fighting Traffic, The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City” and “Autonorama, The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving.”

Peter is a sought after keynote speaker who has given his unique perspective and insights on how we got to where we are today at many conferences around the world.

As he reveals in our conversation, even Waymo, the multi-billion automated vehicle operator owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, has had Peter share his perspectives about automated vehicles with them.

During our conversation, we refer to this amazing video showing everyday life on Market Street, the main street in San Francisco in 1906. In addition to showing how very different street scapes and traffic looked at the dawn of the automobile era compared to today, it’s also poignant in that it was filmed just days before the vibrant city was largely destroyed by a devastating earthquake and subsequent fires.

Later in our conversation we talk about “autonomous vehicles” that as Peter thoughtfully points out, are anything but autonomous and instead should be called “automated vehicles”, we refer to this safety report from Waymo.

In our “What’s Up” section at the end of the episode, Irene refers to the new Kangaroo Point Bridge that, less than a year after opening has already had over three million wheeling and walking trips, averaging about 10,000 people per day, with zero cars. Here’s a link to the Brisbane City Council’s announcement of this milestone.

And here some progress photos of construction that Squeaky Wheel Phil, (ever the active travel infrastructure nerd!) took each time he visited Brisbane, culminating in his first ride across the newly opened bridge.

This is yet another great example of “Build it and they will come.” There certainly weren’t 10,000 people swimming across that stretch of the Brisbane River each day before it opened…

We’ll be taking a Christmas break and wish all of our listeners a merry Christmas and happy new year! Look out for our first podcast of 2026 on Thursday 19th February and then on the third Thursday of each subsequent month.

Until then, keep squeaking!

This month we&rsquo;re very excited to be speaking with Associate Professor Peter Norton who is a historian at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.
Peter has authored two highly successful and thought-provoking books, &ldquo;Fighting Traffic, The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City&rdquo; and &ldquo;Autonorama, The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving.&rdquo;
Peter is a sought after keynote speaker who has given his unique perspective and insights on how we got to where we are today at many conferences around the world.
As he reveals in our conversation, even Waymo, the multi-billion automated vehicle operator owned by Google&rsquo;s parent company Alphabet, has had Peter share his perspectives about automated vehicles with them.
During our conversation, we refer to this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHkc83XA2dY">amazing video</a> showing everyday life on Market Street, the main street in San Francisco in 1906. In addition to showing how very different street scapes and traffic looked at the dawn of the automobile era compared to today, it&rsquo;s also poignant in that it was filmed just days before the vibrant city was largely destroyed by a devastating earthquake and subsequent fires.
Later in our conversation we talk about &ldquo;autonomous vehicles&rdquo; that as Peter thoughtfully points out, are anything but autonomous and instead should be called &ldquo;automated vehicles&rdquo;, we refer to this <a href="https://waymo.com/safety/impact/">safety report from Waymo</a>.
In our &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Up&rdquo; section at the end of the episode, Irene refers to the new Kangaroo Point Bridge that, less than a year after opening has already had over three million wheeling and walking trips, averaging about 10,000 people per day, with zero cars. Here&rsquo;s a link to the Brisbane City Council&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BrisbaneCityCouncil/posts/more-than-3-million-trips-have-been-made-across-the-kangaroo-point-bridge-since-/1277217177773339/">announcement</a> of this milestone.
And here some progress photos of construction that Squeaky Wheel Phil, (ever the active travel infrastructure nerd!) took each time he visited Brisbane, culminating in his first ride across the newly opened bridge.
This is yet another great example of &ldquo;Build it and they will come.&rdquo; There certainly weren&rsquo;t 10,000 people swimming across that stretch of the Brisbane River each day before it opened&hellip;
We&rsquo;ll be taking a Christmas break and wish all of our listeners a merry Christmas and happy new year! Look out for our first podcast of 2026 on Thursday 19th February and then on the third Thursday of each subsequent month.
Until then, keep squeaking!

This month we’re very excited to be speaking with Associate Professor Peter Norton who has authored two highly successful and thought-provoking books, “Fighting Traffic, The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City” and “Autonorama, The Illusory Promise of High-Tech Driving.”

Peter Norton Warns Don’t be Dazzled by the “Magic” of Automated Vehicles

The Squeaky Wheel Podcast is here to inform and inspire through engaging conversations with changemakers shaping the future of active travel and urban mobility. Your hosts, Phil Latz and Irene McAleese, speak with leaders across business, government, academia, and advocacy, sharing insights and ideas that drive real-world impact.

Got something to squeak about? Get in touch with The Squeaky Wheel team via our website: squeakywheelpodcast.com

Follow The Squeaky Wheel on Facebook: facebook.com/squeakywheelpodcast

Follow The Squeaky Wheel on BlueSky: bsky.app/profile/squeaky-wheel.bsky.social

The Squeaky Wheel Podcast&nbsp;is here to inform and inspire through engaging conversations with changemakers shaping the future of&nbsp;active travel and urban mobility. Your hosts, Phil Latz and Irene McAleese, speak with leaders across business, government, academia, and advocacy, sharing insights and ideas that drive real-world impact.
Got something to squeak about? Get in touch with The Squeaky Wheel team via our website: <a href="https://squeakywheelpodcast.com/">squeakywheelpodcast.com</a>
Follow The Squeaky Wheel on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/squeakywheelpodcast/">facebook.com/squeakywheelpodcast</a>
Follow The Squeaky Wheel on BlueSky: <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/squeaky-wheel.bsky.social">bsky.app/profile/squeaky-wheel.bsky.social</a>

The Squeaky Wheel Podcast hosts, Phil Latz and Irene McAleese, are here to inform and inspire through engaging conversations with changemakers shaping the future of active travel and urban mobility

The Squeaky Wheel Podcast

Social links:

Follow the podcast:

27 clip(s)