TEASER: More Motonormativity with Marco Te Brommelstroet, aka "The Fietsprofessor."

TEASER: More Motonormativity with Marco Te Brommelstroet, aka "The Fietsprofessor."

Author: The War on Cars, LLC March 25, 2025 Duration: 10:43

This is a preview of a Patreon-exclusive bonus episode. For complete access to this and all of our bonus content, plus ad-free versions of regular episodes, merch discounts, pre-sale tickets to live shows and more, become a Patreon supporter of The War on Cars.

You may remember Marco te Brömmelstroet, also known as "The Fietsprofessor," from episode 65, "Where Are the Bike Lanes In Lego City?"  Marco returns for this special bonus episode to discuss a new study he co-authored with Dr. Ian Walker, another former guest of the podcast.

The study, "Why Do Cars Get a Free Ride? The social-ecological roots of motonormativity," takes a look at a phenomenon where people accept the harms and risks associated with cars in ways they wouldn't in other areas of life and asks where motonormativity comes from and examines the ways in which it manifests itself differently depending on factors such as where a person lives or their perceptions of the beliefs of their friends and family. The results are fascinating.

Marco te Brömmelstroet holds the Chair on Urban Mobility Futures at the University of Amsterdam. He is the founding academic director of the Urban Cycling Institute and uses Dutch cycling culture as a lens to study the two-way relations between mobility, the city and society. He also the co-author, with journalist Thalia Verkade, of an excellent book, "Movement: How to Take Back Our Streets and Transform Our Lives," which challenges readers to radically rethink how we use public spaces and even the language to describe the change we want to see in the world.

Subscribe on Patreon for access to the entire episode.


Imagine a world not built around traffic jams and parking lots, but shaped for people. The War on Cars is a dispatch from the front lines of that effort, a collective conversation questioning the automobile’s dominance over our cities, our environment, and our daily lives. Each episode digs into the real-world fight to reclaim public space, examining everything from the politics of a new bike lane to the history of how cars came to rule. You’ll hear from urban planners, activists, historians, and ordinary people pushing back, offering a mix of sharp analysis, on-the-ground reporting, and compelling narratives. This isn’t just about transportation; it’s about the culture and societal choices that have led us here, and the tangible, often inspiring work to create safer, quieter, and more connected communities. Tune in for a thoughtful and necessary critique of the status quo, a podcast dedicated to the idea that our streets can-and should-be for so much more.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The War on Cars
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