Each month, we are emailing a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout from October 2018. 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.
TAR VERY MUCH
If you haven’t already tried out the park’s brand new Tarmac on the ring road, then what are you waiting for? The silky smooth blacktop is a joy to ride on and a welcome relief from the worn patches all of us had grown accustomed to. We at Richmond Park Cyclists had reported the areas that had experienced wear and tear but we had not anticipated such a timely response. So thank you, Royal Parks! Works are near complete with the remaining stretch from Robin Hood roundabout to Pen Ponds pencilled in for Spring next year. Watch this space!
POUR US!
The heavens opened for Richmond Park’s Open Day last month at Pembroke Lodge, so thank you to everyone who braved the elements to say hello to us. A superb display of bikes from past and present - including a Penny Farthing and a selection of Raleigh Choppers - was kept dry underneath our gazebo. A big thank you to Cicli Artigianali, Twickenham CC, Kingston Wheelers, London Dynamo and the Gray family for loaning bikes and helping out at our stall. We were pleased to make a valued contribution to the event alongside other stakeholders and visitors, and the Royal Parks showed much appreciation. The event also saw the debut of our postcards which we are handing out to spread the word about Richmond Park Cyclists. Look out for them appearing at a cafe or shop near you soon!
STAKE YOUR CLAIM
Here’s your chance to get us doing what we do best - representing your interests in Richmond Park. We will be attending the Safer Parks Panel with the Met Police on Wednesday 17th October and the Stakeholders’ Breakfast on 19th November, so let us know what issues, good and bad, you would like us to bring up. And here’s another date for your diary - the second of the twice-yearly deer cull will commence in early November and last approximately six weeks, during which time you should aim to exit the park by 8pm or risk a long delay to your journey as the gates are locked in rotation. Look out for the signs appearing at the gates!
SLOW NEWS DAY
Interesting news from the councillors of Richmond - they are consulting on slowing traffic to a maximum of 20mph on all roads throughout the borough (except on the two TfL-controlled Red Routes). You will undoubtedly have an opinion on the pros and cons of reducing the speed limit. Have a look at this link and fill in the survey at the end of the page to let the council know what you think.
LAPS OF JUDGEMENT
Those naughty scamps at Road Cycling UK got a slap on the wrist after one of their journalists posted footage of himself doing three laps of the park at an average speed of around 23mph. The video and article could have been interpreted as an encouragement to exceed the 20mph limit, but thankfully, the RCUK website took down the video and article after being contacted. The police and Royal Parks are under renewed pressure to apply the limit to all road users - so please keep an eye on your speed!
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH
That’s all for this bulletin. Thank you to all those who have picked up one of our postcards in the past few weeks and become new subscribers as a result. As ever, please share this newsletter with your cycling friends - and if they like what they read, encourage them to sign up to our mailing list too.
All the best,
Richmond Park Cyclists
website: richmondparkcyclists.org
twitter: twitter.com/richmondpkcycle
facebook: facebook.com/richmondparkcyclists