RPC Bulletin #30, July 2020

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in July 2020. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed.

SHARE VALUES

And so the unplanned social experiment in Richmond Park continues – with wonderful results. The ongoing ban on cars combined with reopening most of the roadway to cycling throughout the day on weekdays has produced an environment in which every type of rider, from the most vulnerable to the highly experienced, is peacefully sharing the space together. This video, sent by one of our followers on social media, perfectly captures the atmosphere in the park at the moment. Cyclists are getting along with the business of getting along. It feels safe because it is safe. It is a success that The Royal Parks should be proud of and surely cannot ignore.

Feedback from our subscribers shows that many of you would like TRP to do more. But during our ongoing conversations with TRP, it has become clear that whatever happens next might have to occur in stages. So here we have set out for the good people who run the park how that gradual change could happen – with every type of cyclist benefitting.

The eastern roadway should be fully reopened. TRP may have hoped to reduce the number of sports cyclists by making it impossible to ride full laps, perhaps believing that their faster speeds would present a hazard to less experienced riders, particularly newcomers who have started coming to the park since the lockdown began. But sports cyclists have continued coming and they are, by and large, riding respectfully. The considerable presence of vulnerable road users shows they are not put off by their speedier counterparts. TRP should not be either.  

The harmonious blend of vulnerable road users and experienced cyclists has been achieved with a minimum of supportive messaging from us or anybody else – although we have offered TRP support in this area and stand ready to do so, especially when the park is reopened to cycling at weekends.

The other justification for shutting the eastern roads was to avoid breaches of the two-metre rule, which is unavoidable on the crowded hills. But the Government is reducing distancing to “one metre-plus”, and publicly available guides to staying safe now consistently state that transmission is much less likely outdoors. Moreover, “people should not be overly concerned about passing cyclists”  because the speed of movement produces a much smaller contactzzzz time than, say, passing someone walking down the street.

There is a more fundamental reason to open the eastern roadway. Traditionally, the most vulnerable road users, such as very young children learning to ride a bike, would use the quietway through the centre of the park, while the most confident riders would enjoy exercising up and down Broomfield and Dark Hill as part of their normal laps. Now the two parties have been swapped into each other’s natural environment and, predictably, it suits neither. Inexperienced riders get two big hills which many of them could do without while sports cyclists cause congestion on the much narrower quietway and have been yelled at by pedestrians for doing so. Shouldn’t TRP just let the bike traffic flow in its natural way?

The suspension of cars’ access to the park should continue for a while longer. We understand TRP is carefully considering how and when to allow motor vehicles back into the park. In theory, with social distancing down to “one metre-plus” from this Saturday, the carrying capacity of the park and its roads can be safely restored to what it was pre-crisis. 

We have concerns about this. Our reasons have a lot to do with the Movement Strategy – part of which, as longtime subscribers will know, includes TRP’s goal to significantly reduce shortcut journeys made in motor vehicles through Richmond Park and its seven other green spaces. The next stage of the process is the publication in the coming days of a document which will inform specific ideas to be implemented in Richmond Park at a later date. TRP is committed to working with the boroughs surrounding the park to reduce the impact of the traffic that will be displaced once measures are decided upon and put in place. So why not trial it now to inform those discussions? The Government has recently granted all local authorities power to temporarily restrict motor vehicle use of roads to facilitate more walking and cycling. If required, can TRP draw on that legislation to do the same?

Many people have enjoyed the absence of motor cars and now favour prolonging the suspension. In a recent poll on the NextDoor community forum – not usually known for being a hotbed of cycling support – users in Kingston plumped for “ban cars” as the most popular of five different types of access restriction to the park. Could this be a small sign of a shift in wider public opinion?

People are slowly starting to return to their place of work, but many big companies are offering their employees the chance to work from home – and, sadly, there are also those who are now or will shortly become unemployed. Patterns of commuter travel will undoubtedly differ from those prior to the pandemic, so borough leaders now have a golden opportunity to find out if their roads can sustain the new normal traffic levels. Only if they can’t should TRP consider allowing through movement again, in which case we would then revisit our ideas around Intelligent Road Charging – levying a fee for shortcut journeys made in motor vehicles.  

In the meantime, we would concede that cars should be allowed to enter Richmond Park at Kingston, Richmond, East Sheen and Roehampton gates, but only to access the nearest car park in order to relieve parking pressures outside the gates. The car parks at Pen Ponds, Robin Hood Gate and at the top of Broomfield Hill should remain closed to motor cars as should the roads between the four remaining car parks.

Reintroduce weekend cycling. With the return to work and school, many people are unable to cycle for fun in Richmond Park under the current rules.  We don’t think that’s fair, and we would like to see TRP lift the current ban on cycling at weekends.

Restrict group riding.  If the eastern roadway is reopened, sports cyclists will obviously get their laps back – but it can be intimidating being passed at speed by a group of riders, even at a safe distance. So to keep the roadway a hospitable environment for vulnerable road users, many of whom may have only started riding in the park during lockdown, we would like to see group riding restricted to mornings and evenings only and in groups of six maximum to comply with social distancing, moving up to no more than eight when social contact rules allow. We have good communication with the major cycling clubs in the area, and we can work with them to encourage their members to follow this guidance. Which brings us to our final idea...

We should have a code of conduct. Whatever happens in the next few weeks or months regarding the pandemic, the long-term goal that Richmond Park Cyclists and The Royal Parks share is to make the park an even better place to ride your bike. In the current context, that surely now means maintaining the newly established diversity of users. Keeping the suspension of cars using the park as a through route would go a long way to achieving that aim, but all of us can help too.

A simple set of guidelines for riding in the park, backed by the big local cycling clubs, would ensure that less confident riders always feel at home. To give one example, you may give enough space when passing safely, but could you give a bit more when going round a mum riding with her young child?

The code would be self-policed by you and us. In practical terms, it would mean politely approaching cyclists who you see riding in an unhelpful way and asking them to adjust their behaviour. A similar scheme in Regents Park has, in TRP’s view, improved riders’ conduct.

We would like TRP to endorse whatever guidelines we agree on. It would be a clear sign that the organisation wants to keep cycling in the park safe for all. In turn, establishing a code of conduct would, we hope, show TRP that cyclists are the most passionate and enthusiastic of all the visitors to Richmond Park, and they appreciate its value as the capital’s greatest free cycling resource.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox – and a special thank you to our many new subscribers who signed up over the past few weeks. Let us know what you think about the ideas outlined above – 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #29, June 2020

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in June 2020. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed.

SUPER TUESDAY

It finally happened – cycling has returned to Richmond Park! Like many others, Richmond Park Cyclists got out of bed early and rode straight in on Tuesday morning to enjoy the car-free environment in glorious sunshine, and it was pleasing to see so many kinds of cyclists easily accommodating each other’s presence on roads which had been unavailable to most of us for more than a month. 

Now we have got this fabulous asset to health and wellbeing back, it’s incumbent on all of us to show respect and courtesy to other park visitors, whether they are on two wheels or on foot, by passing at a considerate speed and keeping a distance of two metres at all times in accordance with Government advice. If you want to exercise without too many other cyclists to distract you, try to get to the park when there will be fewer riders on the road. We rode in the park at 6.30pm for over an hour and the roads were fairly clear.

And as everyone gets used to the change of rules on cycling in the park, let’s show courtesy to the people who help enforce them. Yesterday, the security personnel at Sheen Gate told us cycling was not permitted on the gravel path next to the road – when, in fact, it is. It turned out that crossed wires in the briefing they had been given was the source of confusion, and the problem was ironed out after we whipped out our phones to show them the official advice The Royal Parks had given on social media regarding the path. It is perfectly understandable that with so much new guidance to process at this early stage there will be some misunderstandings, so please deal with the situation patiently if you find yourself in a similar position – and stick to the rules at all times.

That said, there are some aspects of the restrictions that are concerning. The gravel path by Sheen Gate is one of two areas we are quite apprehensive about; the other is the section of the quietway by Pen Ponds. Both are narrow and shared with pedestrians, creating great difficulty in attempts to socially distance. The gravel on the Sheen Gate path makes it dangerous to ride on, and the density of people on the quietway is a major issue. These issues, and others further on in this bulletin, will be the subject of a letter which we will be sending to Tom Jarvis, TRP’s head of parks, in the next couple of days. If you want us to bring up any other issues, please reply to this email.

In the meantime, have a look at our Q&A guide to the new restrictions, which includes some background on how they came into being and an analysis of what could happen next...

Can I now ride my bike in the park?

Yes you can! Two months after cycling was suspended, Richmond Park is now open again to ALL cyclists. Hooray!

Are motor vehicles allowed back in?

No. You can enjoy the unique opportunity to ride on roads that are still car-free!

Are there any restrictions to riding on the park’s roads?

Yes. You are only permitted to ride on the roads before 10am and after 4pm weekdays, and you cannot use the eastern stretch of the roadway from Roehampton Gate to Kingston Gate – the part that covers Dark Hill and Broomfield Hill. The road between Sheen Gate and Sheen Cross is also off-limits – although since The Royal Parks announced the reintroduction of cycling last week, it has emerged that you CAN enter and exit via the gate and ride on the shared-use gravel path next to the road. All the roads you can ride on are clearly marked on this handy map.

Who is exempt from the restrictions?

Key workers and children age 12 and under can ride their bikes on all of the park’s roads.

Can I ride on the Tamsin Trail?

Yes. The park’s off-road trail and other permitted paths are open. As usual, cyclists share them with pedestrians.

Why are the restrictions in place?

There was a huge increase in the number of cyclists in the park after permission for motor vehicles to enter was temporarily rescinded in March. Some were new to cycling or inexperienced. TRP felt the sheer volume of bike riders of greatly different abilities, combined with their presence among walkers and runners, posed a danger to safety.

So TRP has established restrictions to avoid accidents (which would place an additional burden on the NHS) and to keep people at least two metres apart so they abide by the advice set out by the Government.

The eastern roads, which are now a no-go area, cover the hilliest side of the park. Dark Hill and Broomfield Hill create greater differences in speed, mainly due to their descents, making breaches of the 2m rule impossible to avoid during overtaking on the road at busier times.  Like the rest of the park’s roadway, the hills had become densely populated after the roads became car-free. 

As well as suiting commuters, allowing cycling only on weekday mornings and evenings could limit the number of cyclists who would normally visit throughout the week (including the weekends which are traditionally much busier) thereby making it easier to socially distance. 

But in the case of Sheen Gate to Sheen Cross, it’s not immediately apparent how this road closure could help achieve TRP’s goals. It is not a fast stretch, and as a limb taking traffic to and from the main loop, it is not particularly busy. Cyclists can use the parallel gravel path between the gate and the roundabout, but this is a cause for concern as it is too narrow to support social distancing.

Can access be further improved?

In terms of accommodating vulnerable road users and achieving TRP’s aim of maintaining the 2m rule, the answer, we think, is yes.

A Richmond-based group called Mothers Against Muggings contacted us asking if the age limit to the suspension rules could be lifted to 18 which would give more teens the opportunity to ride their bikes in a safe environment. A subscriber who works with the Weir Archer Academy for disabled athletes tells us that lack of access to the park has severely restricted their access to exercise.

All disabled cyclists and those aged 18 and under are vulnerable groups on the open roads, especially now traffic levels are rising again, and the times when the park is currently available for cycling could be a hurdle for some of them. Before the lifting of the suspension, we spoke to TRP about giving both groups full access to all the park’s roads at all times, and we’ll keep making the case for both parties.

More fundamentally, large numbers of cyclists will now have to ride around pedestrians and runners on the roadway. The park’s roads are only about 1% of its total space, and it is where most of those who arrive by bike choose to ride. Could TRP politely ask runners and pedestrians to distance from cyclists by using the other 99%? When we highlighted this issue on Twitter last week, it was the most popular tweet on the thread about the reintroduction of cycling, so rest assured we will bring this up with TRP.

Another baffling element is the Tamsin Trail. Our advice is to temporarily make it a no-go for cycling as its narrowness leads to frequent breaches of the 2m rule, and excluding cyclists would create extra capacity for pedestrians. TRP said it wouldn’t be able to police such a restriction. But with little policing of the suspension, visitors largely stuck to it. Why would they not do the same on the Tamsin Trail?

What happens next?

TRP is going to monitor usage. Part of that process will involve data gathered from electronic traffic monitoring devices placed on the roads (you can see their locations marked in yellow on the map). We believe a first review is likely in two weeks.

A change in Government advice would also affect the next stage. Lessening the nationwide restrictions could lead to more cycling in the park, or vice versa. 

Either way, it will be interesting to see how everyone behaves in this latest chapter of the fascinating real-world experiment of cycling on traffic-free roads. Will we see families rushing back in the numbers we saw prior to the suspension? Now that sports cyclists cannot do laps, will they be less likely to ride in the park? How will cyclists and pedestrians alike socially distance on the narrow path through the centre of the park and on the shared use trails? Might it be sensible to re-open the roads on the hillier eastern section of the park to support social distancing which is proving to be a challenge on the shared use roadways and paths?

It is a reasonable assumption that all of us will witness something similar to those five wonderful days in March, between the ban on cars and the cycling suspension, when Richmond Park became a haven for every type of cyclist. Women, children, families and the elderly arrived on bikes, many for the first time. They felt safe because, by and large, it was safe.

Whatever happens, Richmond Park Cyclists would like to see reasoned evidence for whatever decisions TRP makes. There were many raised eyebrows when a Freedom Of Information request revealed that TRP had counted 1,072 cyclists pass Roehampton Gate Roundabout in one hour – a figure that could surely only have been reached by double- and triple-counting some cyclists who were doing laps – while its fears regarding accidents seem to have been heavily influenced by just one relatively minor incident. But both of those aspects featured in an internal report written at a tense moment nationally in the pandemic crisis when the organisation was forced to make difficult decisions for public safety in just a few days. With two weeks of monitoring – and with you telling us about your experiences of cycling in Richmond Park – we hope TRP has a broader, fairer picture on which to base their decisions.

Finally, it is worth remembering that regardless of what the next stage may bring, the restrictions on cycling triggered by lockdown are merely temporary. In contrast, The Royal Parks’ ongoing Movement Strategy is committed to change which is both welcome and permanent, including the reduction of shortcut journeys made in motor vehicles, and throughout the process Richmond Park Cyclists will continue to help make the park an even better place for you to ride your bike.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox – and a special thank you to our many new subscribers who signed up over the past month. 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #28, May 2020

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in May 2020. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed and why we are progressing the idea of reducing traffic in the park by charging for shortcut journeys.

TIME OUT 

Are you missing riding in Richmond Park as much as we are? While the suspension of cycling under the current circumstances of the pandemic is understandable, witnessing the absence of riders flowing daily through the roadway and the Tamsin Trail still seems strange to many who would usually include it in their normal everyday life. One small positive aspect of the situation is that many more fans of riding bikes in the park have now discovered Richmond Park Cyclists and signed up to our monthly bulletin or started following us on social media. Thank you if you are one of the new recruits to our merry band, and a big hello to you! 

The park may be closed to all cyclists, save NHS key workers and children under 12, but our small organisation has never been busier. In a bid to get the suspension lifted, we have been in regular contact with key people in charge of the park, culminating in a phone call yesterday with Tom Jarvis, who is the head of all eight royal parks. Despite our best efforts, Tom told us that The Royal Parks is keeping the temporary cycling suspension in Richmond Park. You can learn more about what was discussed and the outcome further on in this bulletin. 

It’s worth remembering, though, that the very nature of the cycling suspension is that it will not last forever – and long before it began, wheels were set in motion to implement changes that will ultimately make Richmond Park an even better place to ride your bike once those five magnificent pairs of wrought-iron gates finally swing open for us all again. So let’s go back to those heady far-off days before the lockdown started for an update on The Royal Parks’ Movement Strategy – the ambitious, far-reaching plan to prioritise the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENTS

Regular subscribers will already know that the second and final phase of the Movement Strategy’s public consultation finished at the end of March. Any individual was able to email TRP with their thoughts on the ideas that had been generated by the survey which formed the basis of the first phase. Additionally, TRP invited stakeholder groups to respond – and RPC was one of them.

In our submission, we reiterated that Richmond Park Cyclists has long argued for the implementation of Intelligent Road Charging – a cost-effective means of reducing traffic by levying a fee for shortcut journeys made in motor vehicles. We would also like to see family-friendly car-free days that would be suited to children learning to ride a bike, and suggested using the day of the Prudential RideLondon for a trial as the park’s roadway has always remained closed to motor traffic after participants in the event have all passed through.

Some park riders have been injured by dogs straying into their path, so we proposed all of them should be kept on a lead within 100 metres of the roadway.

Our letter to TRP also included ideas that could benefit everyone – not just cyclists. A proactive joint effort from RPC and TRP to improve the behaviour of those who ride inconsiderately would create a more welcoming environment, while shared space zones near the gates and car parks would make it easier for pedestrians to cross. But we also warned against traffic calming measures that would impact cyclists who train in the park as it would discourage them from using it and push them on to roads outside which are less safe.

TRP now hopes to get the Movement Strategy signed off at a board meeting this month, although it is currently experiencing issues with cash flow that may take priority. 

After the strategy is signed off, an opportunity may also arise to consult with us and other stakeholders on the positive lessons learned from the access restrictions. The ban on motor vehicles and the subsequent brief period where all kinds of cyclists appeared in greater numbers, as well as the current influx of pedestrians, have been an unplanned, real-world experiment in how visitors move around the park – which has always been the focus of the strategy. TRP’s observations on whatever successes these unusual circumstances produce should, we hope, shape its long-term goals.

MAINTAINING DISTANCE

We published our letter to Tom Jarvis, TRP’s Director of Parks, on social media last week, in which we encouraged a trial reintroduction of cycling on Richmond Park’s roadway and offered assistance to make sure the two-metre rule is observed. The key messages were that many ordinary people still do not feel safe cycling on regular roads, particularly as some motorists are now taking advantage of low traffic levels to speed, and riding in the park – exploring its unique environment at distances not achievable by running or walking – creates a brief sense of escape that is vital for mental wellbeing in these testing times. 

But TRP was not convinced. It argues that removing pedestrians from the road, where currently they are allowed to walk, would lead to social distancing problems on the paths. We suggested discouraging the use of the roadway for serious training, which could make it more attractive to families and other groups of cyclists whose presence is less typical in normal circumstances. TRP does not believe that we would be able to persuade enough sporty cyclists to use roads outside the park, and some cyclists who visit at busy times would breach social distancing rules when the roads are more crowded.

Obviously, keeping the suspension in place is disappointing for many people who ride a bike in the park, especially as no one knows when social distancing restrictions will be relaxed.  Government advice will change as Covid-19 is eventually brought under control.  We have offered our support and advice to TRP in advance of  Richmond Park being opened once again for cycling.

BACK OF THE KEW

Those of you who would usually enter or leave the park by cycling through Ham Gate will probably not have seen that Ham Gate Avenue and Church Road now have shiny new signs saying “20mph”. They are, of course, part of Richmond Council’s year-long rollout of the new borough-wide speed limit which began last August and which this humble bulletin reported on three months prior to that. The scheme seems to be making good progress – judging by information on the council’s website and the map it references, Kew is the only area that is still waiting to get its 20mph signage. 

In February, neighbouring Kingston ended its public consultation into a proposed blanket 20mph limit. Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, Wandsworth already has a 20 limit in all residential areas which is likely to soon become borough-wide (with the exception of roads under the control of TfL, which is also the case for Richmond and Kingston). It’s full speed ahead for low speeds!

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox. 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #27, April 2020

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in April 2020. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed and why we are progressing the idea of reducing traffic in the park by charging for shortcut journeys.

BEST OF TIMES, WORST OF TIMES

Everyone will have wished that the huge increase in cycling at Richmond Park recently could have happened for a better reason. But the ban on cars in the wake of the coronavirus crisis provided a brief picture of how cycling in the park could look, with more women, children, and the elderly suddenly experiencing the same freedom on a bike that many of us have enjoyed for years.

Now that cycling has been suspended too, where do we go from here? Richmond Park Cyclists is still speaking to The Royal Parks with a view to letting cyclists back in under safe conditions. We’ll elaborate further on the ideas we are proposing. First, though, here is an explanation of why the suspension came about, the reaction to it behind the scenes, and what could happen in the future.

What led to the temporary suspension of cycling in Richmond Park?

Following the ban on motor vehicles on Sunday 22 March, a great number of people came to the park to enjoy cycling on the car-free roadway. This dramatically increased the density of road users. In light of this and congestion elsewhere, The Royal Parks felt unable to enforce the Government’s two-metre distancing rule, so it temporarily suspended cycling on Saturday 28 March.

There were specific issues that led to the suspension. People, many of them cyclists, queued at the pedestrian gates during peak times, leading to breaches of the two-metre rule – although most were not intentional. Some visitors entering the park were inadvertently brought into closer contact as bikes take longer to wheel through the spring-loaded double gates, which are necessary to keep the deer in at night. Out on the park roads, breaches of distancing rules were caused by close passing – probably inadvertent in most cases – as well as reports of near misses and collisions. Some hazards were created by the influx of scooters, skateboarders, runners and pedestrians – some of whom were in family groups and, perhaps understandably, lulled into a false sense of security by the peaceful environment and not paying full attention. The close proximity of cyclists and pedestrians was a particular issue on the much narrower Tamsin Trail. 

The cycling suspension follows the same principle as TRP’s earlier decisions to ban motor vehicles and close the park’s food and drink outlets: clusters of people would build up in the car parks and among the cafes, so it was necessary to remove them. 

Could the park authorities have done more to enforce the two-metre rule?

TRP has had skeleton staffing in Richmond Park since 2008. There are no wardens in the park and the volunteers who patrol as rangers were suspended two weeks ago. As for a police presence, there are a maximum of four officers in the park at any one time, and they are shared with Bushy Park. With very little manpower, TRP cannot realistically guide nor enforce safe distancing.

Are any cyclists exempt from the suspension?

Yes. Under-12s are allowed to ride and key workers can cycle through provided they carry ID. Visitors can arrive by bike as long as they do not ride once inside the park. Those who choose this option, which discourages car use thereby easing parking pressures as well as congestion in nearby neighbourhoods, can lock their bike to the railings or another sensible place. This should be particularly useful for parents who will, naturally, want to oversee their young children’s riding.

TRP has acknowledged communication of the dispensations was not immediately clear. The full details are now listed on its website.

How did local politicians and other stakeholders react to the suspension?

We detected an overall feeling that TRP had acted in haste, possibly due to fearing a further surge in road-user numbers would overwhelm its limited resources to monitor and control. There was surprise and disappointment that it had made the decision so quickly and with no escalation in prior warnings. One stakeholder said they were “blindsided” while another was “extremely disappointed” – although TRP tells us some were pleased.

Will TRP change its decision to allow some degree of cycling in the park?

We have spoken with Mat Bonomi, TRP’s head of transport and access, and hope that we have made a convincing case to reopen the park’s roadway to cyclists – many of whom are now inevitably riding elsewhere on roads which are undoubtedly not as safe as those in the park. Given the present lockdown is likely to continue for some considerable time, either continuously or in phases, reopening the park roads to cycling for the wellbeing of the hemmed-in local population would, under safe conditions, be a welcome boon.

What measures would enable cycling to take place on the roads in the park under present conditions?

With complex issues of public safety paramount, no one has a simple or complete solution. But, based partly on what we have seen in the park during the five days of car-free access, Richmond Park Cyclists is proposing a number of ideas for TRP to consider. 

• Open the vehicle gates, with bollards to block motor vehicles entering. This would ease pressure on bunching at the pedestrian gates.

• Keep the temporary suspension of cycling on the Tamsin Trail to avoid distancing breaches.

• Signage at every gate explaining that cars remain banned, the roads are for cycling only (which includes disabled riders) and a reminder of the two-metre distancing measure as well as other government advice. There should also be a sign explaining that the Tamsin Trail is closed to cyclists. 

• A key message for signage and other communication is that the above measures are a trial – so behave well and it could last until Covid-19 restrictions are eased or lifted.

Will the increase in cycling during the car ban have an effect on the Movement Strategy?

The strategy will, of course, have a far more significant and positive impact on the park than the temporary suspension of cycling. The aim of The Royal Parks’ ongoing process is to create a better environment for walking and cycling in its eight green spaces, which includes Richmond Park. In that respect, the huge surge in cycling following the car ban provided a wonderful glimpse of what could happen. 

It should be stressed that it was an imperfect vision of the future: in normal circumstances there will be group riding to contend with, while a permanent ban on all motor vehicles would lead to more traffic outside the park. But the level of cooperation and peaceful coexistence between all types of cyclists and other road users was far more remarkable than the rule-breaking and inconsiderate behaviour, which was relatively low given how populated the roads were. It suggested that in the event of through traffic being drastically reduced – which is TRP’s aim – cyclists and pedestrians will adjust to each other’s increased presence. The chaos which some fear – pedestrians stepping into the path of cyclists, riders showing no consideration for those crossing the road  – will not come about, given what we saw in the park last week.

But the CV19 restrictions will likely delay the timetable of the strategy. The board meeting to approve it, which was scheduled for next month, will likely be deferred to a later date. We are hopeful that with home-working, TRP and its board will not delay the strategy for long.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox and explain the issues surrounding the cycling suspension. We hope it has shed light on some difficult areas and provided an idea of what can happen next. 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #26, March 2020

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in February 2020. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed and why we are progressing the idea of reducing traffic in the park by charging for shortcut journeys.

TWO GOOD

Exciting times this week as The Royal Parks furthered its vision for the future of transport and movement within its green spaces, setting out aims which are likely to bring about improvements for everyone who rides a bike in Richmond Park. Those of you who took part in the first phase of the public consultation for the Movement Strategy should have already received an outline document from Mat Bonomi, TRP’s head of transport, who hosted a follow-up event at Holly Lodge on Friday which we were privileged to be invited to.

The initial stage of the consultation was incredibly popular, attracting 1,000 more responses than the Mayor’s London-wide draft transport strategy from 2017. Users of Richmond Park provided the greatest proportion of the feedback, with 75 per cent of them backing the reduction of through traffic – a very encouraging development for the concept of Intelligent Road Charging for shortcuts only which we have been exploring with park stakeholders and other interested parties for quite some time. 

Mat’s document looks broadly at all eight parks, while the meeting this week provided some specific viewpoints on Richmond Park. The second and final part of the public consultation is now open, and is less structured than the first – no set questions or boxes to tick this time. Simply read the document and email TRP at movement.strategy@royalparks.org.uk.

You don’t need to have taken part in phase one to contribute to phase two. But to make your contribution count, follow the general ideas outlined in the Movement Strategy document. Accentuating the possibilities for how cycling in the park can develop – less motor traffic and more diverse types of riders, to give two examples – is a more valuable response than rigidly sticking to a specific idea such as detailing how you may think a one-way system would work on the outer road.

To help you, here are the key points from the document and the meeting, along with some of our own insights that you may want to consider in your contribution:

• For the first time in the process, TRP has explicitly stated that Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras could be trained on traffic within its parks. ANPR can be used for road charging, although the Movement Strategy document only gives it as an example of controlling the restrictions on commercial vehicles – and at the meeting we were told that Richmond Park would need to change its regulations to keep the income generated by the cameras which would be necessary to make the system economically viable. A regulation change is achievable, and the document also mentions “exploring opportunities to close or restrict park roads to through traffic”. Could the use of ANPR for reducing shortcut journeys in Richmond Park be that far off? 

• The document states TRP will “reduce speed throughout our parks” using, among other measures, “additional physical infrastructure where appropriate”. Those final two words are key: do you think it would be appropriate to introduce, for example, priority passing areas on the outer road of Richmond Park? It would certainly stop and slow down some vehicles as they let oncoming traffic pass, but cyclists who use the road for exercise would no longer be able to enjoy uninterrupted laps. It should be stressed that there are no specific plans to implement this idea, but an unintended consequence of immovable traffic calming measures could be that those cyclists who value the park as a safe place to maintain their fitness would have to use more hazardous roads outside the park instead. 

• Last year we said that one of our long-term goals was to have a “slow day” in Richmond Park which would give every type of cyclist the opportunity to use the outer road without the obstacle of motor traffic – so we are pleased to see that TRP also wants to “implement car-free days”, noting: “Many of our parks already do this.” A slow day would give less confident riders the opportunity to improve their skills and enjoy the park. This could provide a means to begin diversifying cycling in Richmond Park to include more women, children, the disabled and the elderly. 

• TRP will be “undertaking a behaviour change campaign” to improve the conduct of “some cyclists”. At the meeting, Mat said he would be looking to Richmond Park Cyclists to help with this, and that it would probably be based around a code of conduct combined with self-policing – well-behaved cyclists (which is most of us) politely calling out bad or inconsiderate actions when they see them. As well as improving the image of cycling in the park, this would strengthen our bond with TRP, giving us a bigger voice to represent your interests.

You have until 25 March to send TRP your comments to movement.strategy@royalparks.org.uk. It’s literally your last chance to have your say, chums! The final decisions will be put to TRP’s executive in March, the trustees in April and the finalised strategy should be out in June. How long park-specific plans take to complete depends on how big or small they turn out to be – although we have now been assured the schedule will be much quicker than the seven-year timescale that we spotted at the end of last year in Richmond Park’s Management Plan, which was drawn up some time before the Movement Strategy began in earnest. 

In the meantime, though, have a gander at the document and email TRP today. Let’s make the contribution of Richmond Park’s users to the second phase even bigger than the first!

CAM AND GET IT

At another meeting this week, we got to speak to Sergeant Peter Sturgess and Dedicated Park Officer Paul Barber who gave us a handy hint for anyone who rides with a GoPro or similar camera. You can submit footage to the police of bad or dangerous driving in the park – or anywhere else – by going to www.met.police.uk/dashcam, pinpointing the location of the offence and filling in a form. Thank you, officers!

Sergeant Sturgess is in charge of policing Bushy Park, Greenwich and Richmond Park, while DPO Barber, as his title suggests, is based solely in Richmond Park. Another interesting piece of information we got from them was an update on the bike thief who we mentioned they had apprehended in last month’s bulletin. The bike’s owner apparently accepted a Community Resolution as redress, involving a meeting and a letter of apology from the juvenile who was caught trying to offload the bicycle which he had taken from Richmond Park. He has since been moved away from London with his family. 

The main reason for our meeting, though, was to discuss the disproportionate number of roadside warnings, usually for speed, given to cyclists in the park compared with motorists which we highlighted in last November’s bulletin. They pointed out that cars usually travel singly and the vehicle becomes a traffic hazard the moment it is parked, whereas a cyclist is more likely to be riding with others and they can be moved safely off the road to be spoken to. Groups of riders are not often stopped but (as we speculated last year) it is enough to skew the figures and make the number of roadside warnings issued to cyclists disproportionately higher. But the police recognise that a moving vehicle poses a greater danger than a cyclist, which is reflected in the proportionately greater number of formal written warnings and prosecutions of motorists. 

Many thanks to Sergeant Sturgess and DPO Barber for their time and nuanced explanation. If you want to keep up to date with them and the rest of the team who police all of the royal parks, you can follow them on their Twitter account @MPSRoyal_Parks.

OI – HOPPIT!

Finally, a reminder that if you enter or leave the park via Ham Gate you may need to divert your route due to the annual toad migration which begins next week. The section of Church Road between Ham Gate Avenue and Latchmere Lane will be closed from March 9 to April 22 while the plucky breeders make their 100-metre hop from Ham Common to pools on the other side of the road where they spawn.

Last year we mentioned that we would love to receive photos of toads making their journey as we have, sadly, never seen a single one – despite our HQ sitting a short distance from the migration spot. Unfortunately, the only picture we received was of a squashed toad, which wasn’t quite what we had in mind. So if you do send a photo of our amphibious chums, please make sure they are alive this time. No one likes to see dead Kermits!

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox – and don’t forget to email TRP! As ever, please share our newsletter 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #25, February 2020

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in February 2020. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed and why we are progressing the idea of reducing traffic in the park by charging for shortcut journeys.

CLOSED ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND

Welcome, chums, to our first monthly bulletin of 2020 - and we kick off with a headline that may seem cryptic but is actually cleverly designed to help you remember that the gates to Richmond Park will be CLOSED at night from the THIRD of February. Geddit?!

The reason for the closure is, of course, the bi-annual deer cull which takes approximately six weeks to complete, during which time you will not be able to ride your bike through the park from 8pm to 7.30am. Long-time subscribers will know that The Royal Parks never gives an exact date for when it will complete the cull because the number of deer that need to be despatched will depend on the overall health of the herd, so keep an eye out for the gates reopening some time in mid-March.

The two dates for this year’s culls are now up on our website, along with the schedule for four other road closures during the following 12 months. Take a look now and pop ’em in your diary. We will also remind you in our bulletins closer to the time of each event.

RIDELONDON CALLING

One of the events that necessitates road closures is the Prudential RideLondon, which has been routed through Richmond Park since its inception eight years ago. But many will be concerned that this August may be the final time the annual cycling institution comes to our neck of the woods. 

Surrey County Council is engaging in a consultation to find out how residents feel about the event. Obviously, some will say they are put out by the disruption, although thousands of others turn out to cheer on amateur cyclists like yourself who get to enjoy riding on traffic-free roads in London and Surrey for a day - and let’s not forget its participants raise more than £12million for charities.

So if you want to keep the Pru Ride in Surrey, please fill out the survey. You have until 16 February to make your voice heard!

TOILET TROUBLE

Those of you who follow us on social media will know that we briefly paused our Christmas break to post an alert about two bikes being nicked from outside the toilets near Roehampton Gate, along with one from the cycle hire shop and another somewhere near Colicci. We also posted a photo of a young lad who was said to be acting suspiciously in the vicinity (we should stress, though, that no one witnessed him committing a crime.)

Subsequent to these four bicycles being stolen, the cycle hire shop has reported that thieves have filched around a dozen of its bikes (although none have been taken since November). 

But we are pleased to report that the police have managed to nab a couple of toerags on stolen bicycles. The pair tried to offload the two bikes to a third person but failed and rode off towards the centre of the park where they were apprehended. Caught red-handed - lovely work, officers, and thank you for your efforts!

Once again, if you see anything suspicious, call 101 and ask for the Royal Parks Command unit, or call 999 if it is an emergency. We recommend that you carry a small portable lock so your pride and joy isn’t targeted, and if you don’t have one, remember that Colicci will loan you one for a cash deposit of £5.

WATER NICE GESTURE

Speaking of Colicci, the Roehampton Gate cafe has installed a small water basin and tap for you to fill up your bidons which you may not know about if you only use the external serving hatch. Pop inside, have a look to your right and you should see it. A nice gesture from our Italian pals – grazie mille!

TWO GOOD

Our extended hiatus over Christmas and New Year has left us with a bulging in-tray. Rest assured that we have resumed our efforts to set up a meeting with the police to explore the figures for speeding in the park, and we will attempt to find out why The Royal Parks proposes a timeline of between five and seven-and-a-half years for a review of road use in Richmond Park – a timescale that appears to be at odds with the gaining momentum of the Movement Strategy. 

The proposed draft of the strategy, which is likely to improve cycling in the park, is due soon. Those of you who took part in the first phase of the consultation will probably receive an email in the next few weeks seeking your further views as phase two commences. We will let you know ours in the next bulletin.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox. As ever, please share our newsletter 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #24, December 2019

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in December 2019. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed and why we are progressing the idea of reducing traffic in the park by charging for shortcut journeys.

BRAND NEWS

Shove over, Kylie Jenner! Get out the way, Ariana Grande! You gotta go, Cristiano Ronaldo! There’s a new influencer in town - and the name of this upstart brand is Richmond Park Cyclists! 

The official confirmation is there in black and white on page 14 of The Royal Parks’ ten-year Management Plan, where the organisation to which you proudly subscribe is acknowledged as one of the five stakeholder groups that are “influences” on how Richmond Park is managed. Cheers, TRP!

Hopefully, this opening item comes across as it is intended: a little pat on our backs, rather than an orgy of self-congratulation. In a year which has seen this busy little bulletin report on the progress of the Movement Strategy, the now-abated spate of bike thefts by Colicci, Richmond councillors’ move to have a borough-wide 20mph limit plus a whole lot more, it is satisfying to achieve a small, official recognition of our efforts from the people who run the park. So thank you to all the cycling groups we communicate with, our sponsors - and, of course, chiefly yourselves for subscribing.

We are taking a break for Christmas, so this bumper edition will have to tide you over until the end of January. Without further ado, here is an explanation of the whopping 154-page Management Plan, crunched down to four cycling-related tidbits...

SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN

The Royal Parks’ Management Plan sets out how the challenges of increased visitor numbers and the stewardship of the park’s environment will be met from now until 2029. Cycling, public transport and walking will remain the favoured and prioritised means of accessing the park. 

You can read the document for yourself here. Before you dive in, here are the key elements related to cycling that we have managed to locate:

• Visitor numbers have doubled in a decade and are up four-fold compared to 25 years ago. TRP notes that on “sunny weekends and evenings [...] the park feels it is becoming overrun” (p15). It will “no longer promote ever-increasing levels of access without being aware of the negative consequences” and aims to “stabilise visitor numbers at around 2018 levels” (p129).

• There has been an “increase in tensions between all users” caused by the “volume of users and through traffic” (p55). This has led to “increasing reports of conflicts between road users” (p29).

• The Movement Strategy to determine “appropriate use of [the] road and cycling network” in Richmond Park is mentioned on p143 on a list of 41 key projects. The strategy, which is widely expected to lead to improvements for cycling in the park, is defined as a long-term project in the plan: the graphic at the end of its entry indicates it will be implemented in five years’ time and will take two-and-a-half years to complete. But as our regular subscribers already know, the first phase of The Royal Parks’ consultation process for all its green spaces has already ended and evidence-based proposals should be finalised and adopted in Richmond Park in the next couple of months. Does this mean that the much longer timescale in the plan is out of date, or that a small number of changes will be coming soon, with the rest delivered in a few years’ time? No doubt TRP will clarify this in the next round of consultation.

• Amazingly, the cafe at Roehampton Gate - an institution for almost everyone who rides in Richmond Park - was introduced in 2004 only as a temporary facility! TRP says it now “sits uneasily in the centre of the car park”. There are plans to “reroute the road” around the car park, “reduce the amount of tarmac, create more parkland and offer park access from the Roehampton estate”. The only snag? It needs to find “a funding source” first (p87).  

The Management Plan is a mine of information about the park, so have a read - and let us know if you have spotted anything interesting that we may have missed.

POLL POSITION

All of you who took part in the Movement Strategy’s online poll will have received some great news in your inbox earlier this month as TRP’s transport and access boss Mat Bonomi revealed what the 6,956 respondents have said (and if you weren’t one of them, you can have a gander at the figures here).

Overall, 78 per cent agreed TRP should “discourage the through-movement of commuting motor vehicles”. Among those who said they were cyclists, 87 per cent supported the reduction of through-traffic. The need for additional cycling infrastructure “featured heavily” among the 1,800 comments received. 

The results of the survey cover all eight of The Royal Parks’ green spaces, although the Standard reported that driving in Richmond Park “sparked the biggest response”. Data specific to Richmond Park should be available when TRP publishes its draft strategy early next year, and there will be further consultation before the strategy is adopted. 

As long-standing subscribers know, we have been exploring the concept of Intelligent Road Charging with stakeholders for some time. So far, a charge for shortcut journeys through the park with some possible exemptions is the only potential solution that allows the gates to stay open (thereby keeping the park accessible to all user groups) and does not require heavy infrastructure. And we are encouraged by Mat’s comments to the Standard: “The survey is just one piece of the decision-making matrix but it provides us with a really great starting point and a great mandate to be a little more courageous and think outside the box.”

But there is still some way to go before it is properly considered. We attended the recent Stakeholders’ Breakfast, and some of those present were concerned that the next phase of consultation would include IRC. Mat assured them that TRP will carefully consider any proposal that impacts traffic movement outside the park. We are confident that the advantages of IRC will become apparent - and, of course, we will let you know about any further developments next year.

FEELING THE PINCH

We have written to The Royal Parks about eroded parts of the Tamsin Trail following feedback from our subscribers. The original path significantly narrows in parts, making it effectively one-way. In this situation, cyclists would normally give way to pedestrians but confusion with oncoming users at pinch points is a safety risk. We will let you know what TRP has to say about a programme of repairs and restoration. 

PARK AND DONATE

Richmond Park Cyclists enjoys good relations with The Royal Parks. If you value the charity’s work in maintaining the environment in which you cycle and also allowing us to sit on the meetings it has with stakeholders, why not show your appreciation by making a donation? TRP has installed card machines close to the car parks where you can donate any amount of your choosing. The Government’s grant to TRP will be reduced to a small fraction of its current amount as the organisation has become a registered charity, so anything you donate would make a difference.

PLENTY IN ’20

By the time the next bulletin is out, we hope to have set up a meeting with the police to find out why the number of motorists pulled over for speeding in the park (as revealed in last month’s update) appear to be quite low. Looking ahead to the long-term, we are exploring the possibility of running a car-free day in the park next year, getting a noticeboard put up outside Colicci dedicated to cycling news relevant to the park, and finding the funding to install a track pump outside the cafe. As ever, please let us know about any ideas you have to make Richmond Park an even better place to ride your bike in 2020.

TIME TO PLAY

We end this year with a happy postscript concerning the attempt to alleviate traffic outside Kingston Gate by making some of the nearby roads one-way. As reported in April’s bulletin, the idea was voted down by residents - but the section of King’s Road from the gate to Park Road was closed off on Friday for children to play in.

A local dad out with his kids told us it is part of Kingston Council’s play streets initiative. The section of road is shut on the last Friday of the month between 3.30pm and 6pm, so please bear this in mind if you are going into the park or leaving it around this time. And if you like the idea, stop to tell the parents like we did!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox. As ever, please share our newsletter 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. The next bulletin will be out at the end of January. 

Have a great Christmas and New Year!

Richmond Park Cyclists

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #23, November 2019

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in November 2019. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed and why we are progressing the idea of reducing traffic in the park by charging for shortcut journeys.

REMEMBER, REMEMBER…

...the FOURTH of November! This Monday evening - the one before Bonfire Night - there will be more loud bangs than a firework display as the biannual deer cull commences. It lasts approximately six weeks, during which time the gates will be locked in rotation from 8pm every evening and opened at 7:30am.

The Royal Parks carries out the culls to control the number of deer. The amount that needs to be culled varies according to the health of the herd, so TRP does not give exact dates for when it will finish. In any case, you won’t be able to ride through the park at night while the cull is taking place, so use an alternative route. It’s for your own safety!

POLICE TARGETS

The Richmond Park Police Panel decides on policing priorities for the following three months - and we are pleased to say that we accepted its invitation to make a special presentation at the latest quarterly meeting which took place three weeks ago. 

We explained to the police, local councillors, The Royal Parks and various stakeholders how the profile of visitors who ride bikes in the park should be as varied as the general population - but at the moment there is a smaller presence of women, children and other groups which research shows tend to feel more apprehensive on the open road than men.

We outlined the main safety concerns of cycling in the park: close passing, large vehicles and motorists pulling out or manoeuvering without due care. We also brought up Intelligent Road Charging - the idea of reducing the number of shortcut journeys by data capturing vehicles’ number plates as they enter and leave. The attendees were already familiar with the concept from RPC’s representations at previous meetings (and many subscribers will already know IRC was part of our submission to the Movement Strategy, the first stage of which The Royal Parks is still in the process of concluding).

Sadly, our proposal of covert policing to catch dangerous and careless road users, as well as the presence of trade vehicles, was ruled out on grounds of resourcing. Duty officers cover both Bushy and Richmond parks, and with up to only two pairs patrolling at once, each has to be able to get to the other park for an emergency. Policing Richmond Park in plain clothes in an unmarked car would not be possible as they would be expected to head quickly to a potentially dangerous situation in uniform and in a marked vehicle.

At each meeting, the attendees vote for three priorities that the police will target during the quarter-year. This time the areas decided on were dogs off leads, deer harassment and the theft of autumn fruit. All relevant issues for a national nature reserve - but while we appreciate the chance to make a presentation to the panel, we also look forward to making sure  cycling-related issues are prioritised by the police in future.

SPEED CHECK

One area that could be a priority is speeding. Prior to the panel meeting, the Royal Parks’ police distributed figures to attendees which recorded how many motorists and cyclists were stopped for exceeding the 20mph limit from July to September, and what action was taken. The figures are encouraging, although they throw up some interesting questions. (We should stress that it may turn out that we have made some incorrect assumptions, so we will speak to the police in the coming weeks and include any clarifications or corrections from them in a subsequent bulletin.)

Traffic Offence Reports, which can result in a fine or another action, were issued to 41 drivers; there were none for cyclists. Motorists who were judged to have breached park regulations totalled 48, while for cyclists it was five. Obviously, a car can typically do much more harm than a bike, so these figures reflect a proportionate approach to speeding which many cyclists would welcome.

But when it comes to verbal warnings, there were a far greater number dished out to cyclists than motorists each month - between two and six times more. Why should this be?

Many people ride their bikes together with other cyclists in the park, and stopping a speeding group reaps more verbal warnings than pulling over an individual driver. And there are some cyclists who can be somewhat enthusiastic with their speed when descending, sometimes without realising it, so an eagle-eyed policeman or two waiting at the foot of a hill could have a busy day.

But speeding in a car is much easier to do - and speaking as motorists ourselves, we have always noticed that some drivers regularly exceed the speed limit as a matter of course. Believe it or not, every week we drive through the park with the speedometer’s needle fixed resolutely at 20, and on almost every occasion a car overtakes and maintains its speed at 30mph or more. 

Surely that frequency suggests the number of motorists who receive verbal warnings should be greater than those given to cyclists - who, even at their fittest, cannot typically exceed 20mph for a sustained period of time. And would not reducing speeding make the park more welcoming for vulnerable users? Let us know what you think and we’ll reflect your views at the next panel meeting.

HARD AT WORK

You have probably already enjoyed cycling on the new road surface that has been laid between Robin Hood and Roehampton Gates or noticed the reinstated section of the roadway edge near Richmond Gate - so we would like to thank The Royal Parks and its industrious workmen for carrying out the works so promptly. And on the subject of hard workers, spare a thought for TRP’s transport chief Mat Bonomi, who is still slogging through the thousands of responses to the Movement Strategy survey, which should bring improvements to cycling in Richmond Park. Keep an eye out for more news soon - either in our next bulletin or our social media channels.

TIME FOR BREAKFAST

Finally, a date for your diaries - Wednesday 15th November. That’s when the next Stakeholders’ Breakfast Meeting is taking place, and Richmond Park Cyclists will once again be attending on your behalf. Taking a broader management perspective that the Police Panel, the biannual event is The Royal Parks’ opportunity to explain what it is doing to maintain and enhance the visitor experience whilst safeguarding the park’s environment for future generations. Please let us know what you would like us to discuss by emailing richmondparkcyclists@gmail.com.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox. As ever, please share our newsletter 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #22, October 2019

Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in October 2019. 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. Have a look at our first bulletin to find out more about how RPC was formed and why we are progressing the idea of reducing traffic in the park by charging for shortcut journeys.

UN-FOLDING DRAMA

Eagle-eyed coffee-sippers may have spotted a notice about a stolen folding bike stuck in the window of Colicci and feared that yet another theft has taken place outside the Roehampton Gate cafe - but it turns out this latest incident, which took place on September 12th, is entirely separate from the six-week spate of bicycle nabbings that we reported ended back in March. This new theft took place somewhere along the roadway from Sheen Cross to Pen Ponds, and we hear that it was taken in somewhat peculiar circumstances after the owner stopped to speak to another cyclist. The bike is an electric-powered six-speed Brompton with a cobalt blue frame and M-shaped handlebars. Think you’ve seen it? Give the police a bell on 101, quoting crime reference number 0709984/19.

A-DEER-ANCE TO SAFETY

It’s rutting season for the deer - which means our ungulate chums are frisky in more ways than one. The antlered scamps have been hoofing it pretty quickly across the roads and will continue to do so for the next few weeks, so please keep an eye out for them whenever you are riding in the park. Look to the side as well as up the road, taking special care during darkness - and remember they can be difficult to spot even in daylight as they are camouflaged by their surroundings. Be good to our deer friends, everyone!

CONTROL PANEL

We are going to be representing your interests at the latest Richmond Park Police Panel on Wednesday 9th October. Longtime subscribers will know that this regular event is a get-together of representatives from the police, local councillors, stakeholders and The Royal Parks. With roads and trails busy at times, we help non-cycling representatives appreciate that enforcement against those who flaunt the rules of the road should be proportionate to the danger they pose. Reply to this email with any particular cycling-related concerns that you would like us to bring up. 

GOING THROUGH A LONG PATCH

More news from The Royal Parks about its ongoing programme of road maintenance. The patch repairs between Robin Hood roundabout to Pen Ponds car park which we told you about last month have been done but the tar-and-chip resurfacing has been postponed until the warm weather returns next summer.

Meanwhile, the road between Sheen Cross and Richmond Gate will be closed on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October for the reinstatement of part of the roadway edge which has begun to fall into the grass verge. Then the road between Robin Hood Gate and Roehampton Gate will be closed for repairs on Wednesday 9th to Friday 11th.

In both cases, please use the bike paths that run parallel to the roads and be aware that the contractors have an obligation to keep you off the site of the repairs. It’s for your own safety!

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox. Next month we hope to have news of The Royal Parks’ survey that will form the basis of its bid to reduce traffic in the park. In the meantime, keep an eye out on our social media channels for any developments. And, as ever, please share our newsletter 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

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle

facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists

instagram: instagram.com/richmondparkcyclists

RPC Bulletin #21, September 2019

DU TO ARRIVE

It’s the world’s largest cycling sandwich - two runs with a bike ride in between - and once again it is coming to Richmond Park. The annual London Duathlon is being held next Sunday (8th September), which means that the gates and roads will be closed all day - although you can still enter the park through the pedestrian gates and ride along the Tamsin Trail as well as the other cycle paths. 

The event is scheduled to finish at 6pm, but the organisers have asked cyclists to remain off the road while their contractors carry out deconstruction and clear-up of the site.

Best of luck to everyone taking part - especially to any of our lovely subscribers who are putting on their running shoes. Let us know how you get on!

ROUNDABOUT NOW

A quick reminder about the roadworks that we first mentioned in last month’s bulletin. Patch repairs on the stretch of tarmac from Robin Hood roundabout to Pen Ponds car park are due to start on Monday 9th September. It will be followed by spray tar and chip resurfacing. The timetable could be affected by the weather, but the contractors hope to finish in one week. Do keep an eye out for signs. 

SOUNDS BAD

Last month we told you how Heathrow wants to send planes over Richmond Park every 75 seconds, with or without a third runway, which would be the first shake-up of its flight paths in 50 years and create noise that would threaten the tranquility all of us enjoy when riding our bikes. The Friends of Richmond Park, which is spearheading the campaign against the moves, has now sifted through 8,900 pages of documents to provide a summary along with suggestions of what you could say if you choose to respond to the public consultation before it ends on September 13th. Please have a look at FRP’s latest update here and its example wording for your email to Heathrow.

MOVING CLOSER

Finally, a small reminder that the next stage of The Royal Parks’ consultation on its Movement Strategy - which is likely to lead to a significant reduction of motor traffic in Richmond Park - is due within a matter of weeks. More than 7,000 people responded to the initial survey which TRP will share in a detailed summary. Hopefully we will have more news in our next bulletin - so please share this email with any of your cycling buddies who you think may be interested in subscribing.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...

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All the best,

Richmond Park Cyclists

website: richmondparkcyclists.org

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