I suspect those who would go to this are already aware, but for those out of the loop... Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear of the podcast The War on Cars released a book this year, "Life After Cars", and will be at Hot Docs Cinema tomorrow (Thursday) 5 Feb 2026 at 7pm to talk about it and the effect of cars on cities.
It's being organized by CycleTO and The Biking Lawyer has sponsored the event. The two hosts will be joined by Andrew Lewis and Bronwyn Roe, lawyers representing CycleTO in court against Bill 212, as well as local writer Shawn Micalef.
Tickets are $36:
https://boxoffice.hotdocs.ca/websales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=589836
From the Hot Docs site:
The War on Cars LIVE is generously sponsored by The Biking Lawyer.
The War on Cars is a podcast that delivers news and commentary on the latest developments in the worldwide fight to undo a century’s worth of damage wrought by the automobile, approaching the topic from all angles, from politics to pop culture.
Hosts Doug Gordon and Sarah Goodyear are coming live to Toronto on February 5 at the Hot Docs Cinema for a discussion on urban design and transportation as explored in their new book,
Life After Cars.
Toronto holds a special place for the New York City-based podcast. Back in 2010, Toronto mayor Rob Ford infamously declared that “the war on the car is over,” and vowed to halt the city’s expansion of bike lanes, transit, and anything that inconvenienced motorists even slightly.
Fifteen years later, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has resumed this family crusade against bike lanes. In July 2025, the advocacy group
Cycle Toronto won a historic legal challenge that blocked the province from ripping out 19 kilometres of bike lanes (including along Bloor Street outside the Hot Docs Cinema). Internal government documents released through the court case show the province was aware that the removal of bike lanes would not have a meaningful impact on congestion and would increase collisions for everyone on the roads, including cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.
Heralded as a world-changing invention, automobiles promised a dream of freedom and independence. Instead of unbounded freedom, the never-ending proliferation of automobiles has delivered a host of costs, among them the demolition of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities to make way for car infrastructure; an epidemic of violent death; countless hours lost in traffic; isolation from our fellow human beings; and the ongoing destruction of the natural world. Toronto is not unique among major North American cities, but it has often served as a prescient case study in the ongoing challenge of rebalancing streets for people.
Stay tuned for special guests joining Doug and Sarah.
Copies of
Life After Cars are available to purchase with your ticket order, to be picked up at the event.
toronto.citynews.ca
