In this episode of Auto Asphyxiation, we dig into the future of bike lanes, urban infrastructure, and transportation advocacy in New Jersey, New York, and beyond.

We start with a question bike advocacy doesn’t want to answer: what happens when the same tech companies funding “innovation” decide they need our bike lanes for delivery robots? From Jersey City to NYC, we look at how public space is being quietly repurposed, often without public consent—while cyclists and pedestrians are expected to adapt.

We also unpack the so-called victory of the NJ Turnpike widening being canceled—but only in Jersey City. Newark still gets widened highways, and we’re told to celebrate anyway. This is home rule in New Jersey: fragmented wins, competition instead of solidarity, and non-driving infrastructure treated as optional.

Finally, we revisit national bike advocacy and ask why the League of American Bicyclists is partnered with Waymo and Uber. What does it mean when organizations claiming to fight for safer streets are financially tied to companies building car-first, profit-driven transportation systems? We argue that this compromises advocacy—and that corporate money is shaping urbanism, transportation policy, and even our elections.

Bike lanes are public space.
Urbanism should serve people, not platforms.
And corporate dollars don’t belong in our streets—or our democracy.