Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the edition that we sent in February 2025. 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 back again – and it starts TONIGHT +++ Seen suspected bike-jackers? Report them! +++ Three park-related offences to be added to Road Traffic Offenders Act +++ Where and when – tell us about your group rides +++
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BACK WITH A BANG
It doesn’t seem that long since the final deer cull of 2024 ended – and now the faint, distant sound of gunshot is about to drift through the nighttime air around Richmond Park once more.
Throughout the next seven weeks, starting from TONIGHT, the gates close at 8pm and reopen at 7.30am – which means, for your own safety, you will not be able to ride your bike in the park during those times.
The usual rules apply. If you arrive shortly before closing time, please do not enter unless you are absolutely certain you can easily reach your exit before 8pm – otherwise you may find yourself temporarily locked in. Similarly, in the morning, you may find your chosen entrance open before 7.30am – but your exit could still be closed when you get to it. For more details, see our website.
MAKE THAT CALL
There has been another wave of bike-jackings near Regent’s Park – and although no similar crimes have taken place in Richmond Park recently, we have received disturbing reports of suspicious groups riding high-powered e-bikes, some of them with bladed weapons visible.
One rider tells us they often seem to be present between Roehampton Gate, where they enter the park, and Kingston Gate. Meanwhile, on the Tamsin Trail, a female cyclist was targeted two weeks ago by three balaclava-clad youths, one on a souped-up e-bike and another on a moped, who scattered after she flagged down a female stranger, pretending that she was a friend (an effective tactic should you find yourself in this situation).
Despite much discussion among cyclists on social media, the police tell us no one has informed them directly of any sightings or incidents – which is why we would urge you to file a report if you have witnessed or experienced anything they should know about.
To report an incident or anything suspicious, call 101.
You can also fill in a report online here (this link is also in the bio of our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook).
We have permission to give the mobile number of the park’s police unit to group leaders of clubs who ride regularly in the park. Get in touch if you feel it would be useful (although please note officers are not able to answer calls if they are already dealing with an incident).
If you are in danger, call 999.
The police recommend that, if you are being followed, you should go to a heavily populated area, such as one of the cafes in the park – and in the event of a confrontation, hand over your bike to the thieves rather than risk serious injury or worse.
The last sustained spate of violent bike thefts took place almost four years ago, and the roads in Richmond Park are generally far safer than those outside it. Nevertheless, if you do see anything suspicious, please contact the police – it is the only way to escalate patrols.
DUE COURSES
The Home Office has announced proposed legislation for a raft of cycling offences which will be dealt with by fines or courses – three of which apply specifically to the Royal Parks. They are:
Failure to comply with any direction given by a constable or by a notice exhibited by order of the Secretary of State regarding the use of a pedal cycle in a Royal Park or other specified land.
Using a pedal cycle in [a] manner that endangers or is likely to endanger any person in a Royal Park or other specified land.
Using a vehicle or pedal cycle between sunset and sunrise, or in seriously reduced visibility between sunrise and sunset, with no lights in a Royal Park or other specified land.
You can read the full list by clicking here and scrolling down.
The above additions to the Road Traffic Offenders Act are already covered by our Safer Riding Guide, so we welcome the move to deal with the small minority who persist in riding discourteously or unsafely. But all three aspects are also covered by the park regulations, so it would seem the police are now being given the option to use fines or courses as a punishment instead of dishing out warnings or pursuing matters through the courts. We will consult with Sgt Pete Sturgess from the park’s police unit to find out more.
There is also the matter of how the offences would be policed, given that Sgt Sturgess’s team is under threat due to the Met having to find money to plug a £450million funding gap. The unit could be cut to half its size or disbanded, in which case its officers would be deployed elsewhere and responsibility for the park given to local wards.
We value our good relations with the park’s police, the knowledge base that they have built up over the years aided by their low turnover of staff, and the hard work they have put in to keep the park safe. We are very concerned about how well Richmond Park will be policed without a dedicated command unit but will work with whoever is in charge of policing in the future. A decision is due within weeks.
GROUP WORK
Our ongoing but slow-moving discussions with The Royal Parks regarding changes to its cycling policy and a proposed 20mph limit for cyclists has meant that a few projects fell by the wayside. One of them was putting information about group rides in the park on our website – but we’re back on the case.
If you run a regular ride in the park, please send us the details, stating when you meet and where, and if you have a group for beginners, along with a link to all the relevant information. We aim to get the list up by the end of the month.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...
As ever, thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox, and let us know what you think about anything related to cycling in Richmond Park – we reply personally to every email you send us. If you enjoyed this bulletin, please share it with your cycling friends – and if they like what they read, encourage them to sign up to our mailing list too. The more subscribers we have, the bigger our voice.
All the best,
Richmond Park Cyclists