Rethinking Freedom on the Road: Cycling, Law, and Safety
World Bicycle Day, June 3
Overtaking of bicyclists on rural road. Photo: NIC72 / Mostphotos.com
To mark World Bicycle Day, the Swedish Cycling Research Centre at VTI is pleased to host yet another international webinar, this time to explore how laws, regulations, and enforcement shape people’s ability and freedom to use the road.
This event will bring together leading researchers to discuss everything from the values and assumptions behind traffic legislation to concrete findings on how overtaking regulations affect cyclists’ safety. Further, it will show a practical example of how to work on attitudes towards cyclists.
Date: June 3, 2026
The webinar was recorded and the replay is published on our website.
The webinar is free of charge, as always.
Program Highlights
“Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows”: Regulating mobility freedoms and unfreedoms
- Ian Loader, Professor of Criminology, University of Oxford.
Professor Loader will present his latest work on mobility, freedoms, and the constraints that shape how different groups experience public space.
Overtaking of cyclists: Regulation, behaviour and perceptions
- Katja Kircher, Research Leader, VTI.
Dr. Kircher will present her applied research on overtaking behaviour from empirical studies in Sweden and why we need a change of mind towards a lane change.
Operation close pass.
- Sgt Jamie Wilkinson, Vision Zero Operational Lead, UK Police, West Yorkshire.
Sgt Wilkinson will present Operation Close Pass, where the West Yorkshire Police has found a new and interesting way to change driver behaviour and attitudes towards cyclists.
After each presentation, we open for questions and a short panel discussion.
Why attend?
- Gain new perspectives on mobility, freedom, and road justice.
- Learn from cutting-edge research on cycling safety and overtaking regulations.
- Engage in discussions on how enforcement shapes real-world behaviour.
- Explore practical examples of how overtaking laws are applied internationally.
Watch the replay as we rethink what freedom on the road really means — and how regulation can help create safer, fairer mobility systems for everyone.
Photos:
Ian Loader - by John Cairns Photography
Katja Kircher - by Katja Kircher
Jamie Wilkinson - by West Yorkshire Police department