‘Moto-normativity’: why cycling professor wants Australians to rethink how we use our roads

Dutch social scientist Prof Marco Te Brömmelstroet believes that cycling opponents can be won over to the cause if bike lanes are proposed as a balm to common concerns. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

For Marco te Brömmelstroet, the so-called cycling professor, good roads aren’t just about getting us from A to B.

“Where’s the greenery and the sense of social connectedness? Where can children walk freely, where can they play cricket on the street?” wonders te Brömmelstroet, who is on a speaking tour of Australia.