Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the edition that we sent in November 2023. If you like it, please sign up on our Get Involved section – you will be showing your support for our work and you will receive our free monthly bulletins a month before they appear here.
IN THIS ISSUE… +++ Deer cull starts TONIGHT +++ Car-free day proposal +++ Safer Riding Guide launch +++ Rundown of road incidents from police stats +++ New bike racks +++ Roads swept ahead of winter +++ Concerns over anger directed at motorists on restricted roads +++
Visit our sponsors: Bella Velo, Cycle Exchange, Kingston Wheelers, London Dynamo, Look Mum No Hands!, Pearson Cycles, Richmond Cycles, Sigma Sports Electric
REMEMBER, REMEMBER…
…it’s the first of November, which means that the park will be completely closed from 8pm tonight as the biannual deer cull begins. As usual, the gates will be shut daily for the public’s safety between 8pm and 7.30am for approximately six weeks. If you arrive at any of the gates shortly before locking time, you should not enter unless you are absolutely certain you can easily reach your exit before 8pm – or you may end up waiting a long time to be let out. See our website for full details.
A DECENT PROPOSAL
You can’t keep a good idea down. We first floated the idea of a car-free day in Richmond Park at the end of 2019, and in August 2021 we signed up to the initiative drawn up by a number of local cycling and environmental groups (which, sadly, did not get off the ground, mainly because The Royal Parks was in the middle of the traffic restriction trials at the time). Now, to our delight, the park’s manager Paul Richards has asked us to put together a proposal for a car-free day after we outlined the concept at our last quarterly meeting, which took place a couple of weeks ago.
The concept is a family-friendly event enabling all types of cyclists and pedestrians to share use of the park’s roadways, regardless of their levels of confidence or experience. We hope the day, which requires TRP’s approval, will inspire visitors to come to the park more regularly on foot and on two wheels.
We have started to approach local stakeholder groups to gather support. In the meantime, mark the proposed date in your diary – Sunday, September 22, which is World Car-Free Day.
GUIDING FORCE
The Safer Riding Guide is another project which has been a long time in the making. The updated version of our recommendations for safe, courteous riding was scheduled to be finalised at the beginning of this year, until various issues, including the installation of the much-criticised traffic infrastructure, took our eye off the ball. But the park’s police have now agreed the final wording, which means we can now present the new and improved version on our website.
Here is a rundown of the main changes.
Most obviously, the name is now the Safer Riding Guide. The original version was called the Code of Conduct, which led some to wrongly assume that it was a set of enforced or policed rules when it is actually just basic recommendations for safe, courteous riding. The word “safer” now correctly implies that most cyclists already ride reasonably safely.
In line with changes to the Highway Code enacted in January last year which help make cycling safer, the advice on riding in the centre of the lane and riding two abreast has been updated.
The guidance on speed now clarifies that speed limits in the park do not apply to cyclists, while emphasising that you should slow down or possibly stop if safe to do so for potential hazards, otherwise you risk falling foul of the park’s regulations.
Among the new items under Care and Courtesy, three are notable. One is: “Be a gentleman. Guys, if a cyclist ahead of you appears to be a woman, avoid the temptation to draft. Being in close proximity to a male stranger could be disconcerting for that person.” This reflects conversations we have had with women who ride in the park, and a debate on social media last year.
The second significant addition to the Care and Courtesy section advises: “Never try to intimidate or confront a motorist, verbally or physically, even if you think they may be in the wrong.” This is particularly timely, given the concern over incidents of anger directed at drivers who are permitted to drive in the restricted areas of the roadway. More on this later in the bulletin.
The third main addition to Care and Courtesy stipulates that you should not ride in the right-hand lane on parts of the roadway that are closed to cars. Some people have cycled on the wrong side of the road on Broomfield Hill, thinking it would not be an issue as it is closed to traffic, only to find that they were in the path of oncoming emergency vehicles trying to get to incidents.
Thank you to the park’s police and our subscribers who made suggestions, many of which we incorporated into the Guide. Like the first iteration, a condensed credit-card-sized version will be distributed through various cycling-related local businesses, including some of our co-sponsors, and the full text will be displayed on the noticeboard on the decking outside Colicci. In the meantime, please feel free to share the link to the Guide on our website, which is here.
INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS
Time now for our quarterly look at the incidents in the park that the police attended over the past three months, as detailed in their report to the Safer Parks Police Panel. As ever, we are grateful to Sgt Sturgess and his team for collating the figures and helping to keep the roadway safer for cycling. Please note that while cycling accidents outnumber motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents, they are largely self-inflicted, and motor vehicle offences far outnumber everything else.
Over the next quarter we hope to gather data, if available, on reported cycling accidents in Richmond Park per estimated number of miles ridden, compared with those outside. We ride many more miles outside the park than inside it and feel safer in there than out. We have also had fewer falls on the park’s roadway per mile travelled than those outside. Let’s see if the data reflects that experience.
In July, a cyclist who had been cut up by a driver on Richmond Hill followed them into the park and spat at the vehicle, which hit the motorist, resulting in the rider being charged with common assault. On Queen’s Road, a cyclist ran into the back of another who had stopped, and in another incident on Priory Lane, a U-turning cyclist was hit by two following riders. Both incidents resulted in broken bones. A cyclist lost control on Broomfield Hill and broke their collarbone, while two cyclists in separate incidents in slow-moving traffic went into the back of a car, and swerved to avoid a slow-moving car, colliding with a wooden bollard on Sawyer’s Hill. The incidents resulted in facial cuts and a broken collarbone respectively.
In August, a cyclist lost control on the shared use path on Sawyer’s Hill, suffering lost teeth and a fractured eye socket. In two separate incidents, cyclists lost control on Broomfield Hill and had suspected broken collarbones, and at Ham Cross a stationary cyclist was hit by another cyclist, causing bruising. The cyclist who went into the stationary cyclist did not provide contact details.
In September, there were two falls on Broomfield Hill: one cyclist lost control and broke their collarbone, while the other suffered grazes after a fox ran out in front of them. On Dark Hill, a motorist pulled into the car park, and a descending cyclist collided with the car, cutting their lip and grazing their face. A cyclist descending Sawyer’s Hill rode into the back of a Royal Parks vehicle, with resultant dental injuries, and a vehicle failed to give way to a cyclist at Sheen Cross resulting in the rider crashing and hurting their back.
As for offences, five motorists were reported for dangerous driving or driving in a manner to endanger others or themselves. A total of 52 motorists were reported for speeding and 119 trade vehicle drivers were reported. Three motorists were found to not have a valid license, and 11 had no insurance. There were also 82 tickets issued for unauthorised parking and seven for contravening signs, including No Entry, on the roads closed to traffic.
There were ten cyclists reported for riding off-track and 53 motorists for driving “not on a road”.
Finally, a cyclist on the Tamsin Trail ran into a dog walker and afterwards grabbed their arm, resulting in a charge of Aggravated Bodily Harm.
The police no longer provide data on the number of verbal warnings they give due to changing the system for collecting data.
Police priorities for the next quarter, as agreed by the Panel, include pedestrian safety, especially on the courtesy crossings and on the shared-use middle road. Please slow down and if necessary stop to give way if it is safe to do so. Another priority is focussing on road users contravening the priority flow system on the Beverley Brook Bridge, which applies to cyclists as well as motorists. RPC is working on a proposal to introduce a slip lane for cyclists travelling to Roehampton, but in the meantime please wait until there is a safe gap to proceed, or switch to the adjacent shared use path.
SCHOOL RULES
There was widespread concern at last month’s Safer Parks Police Panel over the poor conduct of a small minority of cyclists who have directed abuse at drivers heading to and from the ballet school, as well as thumping their cars. It should go without saying that these types of actions are illegal.
As mentioned in previous bulletins, motorists such as these have permission to drive on the restricted parts of the roadway, so if you see anyone acting aggressively towards them, please ask them politely to desist, as their behaviour causes significant distress to their targets in addition to affecting the reputation of all cyclists who use the park. It is also worth bearing in mind that the police regularly check that drivers in restricted areas have permission to be there. Over the coming weeks and months we will publicise this issue on social media and seek the input of the ballet school to maximise the effectiveness of the message.
Adding to the issue of rider behaviour, there were a number of cyclists who berated volunteers manning the gates at the London Duathlon in September after being told that, unlike previous years, only event participants were allowed access to the park that day. Some gate staff relented and let them in, which resulted in a few cyclists riding unauthorised on the course, causing safety concerns by going in the opposite direction to the race. Clearly, there is more work to be done on messaging around the event – for both the organisers and ourselves.
A final note on safety. One of the drivers of the free RP1 bus, which helps visitors access the park, reports that some cyclists are slipstreaming the vehicle – and he can’t see them in his rear-view mirrors. Obviously, in this situation, the driver suddenly braking or slowing down could have fatal consequences, so please do not ride close behind the bus.
RACK ’EM UP
If you go down to the refreshment kiosks in Richmond Park, you’re in for a nice surprise. The Royal Parks has installed new racks at Pen Ponds, Ham Gate, Kingston Gate and Broomfield Hill, totalling 40 parking spaces for bikes. There will soon be 20 more spaces each at Richmond Gate and Sheen Gate. Our thanks to park manager Paul Richards for this initiative, which encourages more people to visit the park by bike.
CLEAN SWEEP
On a final note, please keep an eye out for changing road conditions now that autumn has arrived. The Royal Parks’ team has begun salting the roads as the temperature drops, as well as carrying out sweeps to clear slippery wet leaves, and we thank them for doing so. Last year many cyclists fell on the roundabouts which had become greasy, and similar conditions may occur this year. So as we head into winter, please take extra care.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...
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All the best,
Richmond Park Cyclists