Each month, we are emailing a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the mailout that we sent in February. 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.
DON’T BE LATE...
...because your gate will be closed when the clock strikes eight. Keep this handy rhyme in mind for the next six weeks or so, because it’s that time of year again when access to the park is limited at night while the bi-annual deer cull is carried out. From Monday 4th February until Monday 18th March the pedestrian gates will be locked from 8pm until 7:30am. For your own safety, do not be tempted to enter if you happen to find a gate open after 8pm - your exit will almost certainly be locked. And your entry gate might be as well by the time you get back to it!
BON CHANCE
You may remember in Bulletin #12 we told you about the appointment of Matthew Bonomi, The Royal Parks’ new Head of Transport and Access. We understand he is going to report his initial findings on all eight parks which are run by TRP. We also believe the idea of generating much-needed funds by charging for shortcut drives through Richmond Park will form part of a raft of proposals for consideration by the board. Having explored the concept of Intelligent Road Charging with park stakeholders and local politicians for some time, we are, of course, cautiously pleased that the deployment of smart, affordable technology to reduce park traffic might get traction soon. We’ll keep you updated.
BADGER ABATING
Badgers have become regular fixtures in our recent bulletins, but this should be the last you hear from our black-and-white buddies for some time - unless the cheeky scamps once again manage to weaken the roads we cycle on by burrowing under them. The road resurfacing, which was the final phase of the works, has been completed quickly. Thank you to The Royal Parks for sorting everything out with a minimum of disruption and accommodating cyclists on the ballet school loop through the middle of the park while the repairs were being carried out. And thanks to all of you for avoiding the site during that time!
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
As ever, Richmond Park Cyclists will be meeting up throughout the year with the people who look after the park. On April 10th we will be attending the second Richmond Park Police Panel of 2019. The third one will be on July 17th. Between them will be The Royal Parks’ Richmond Park Stakeholder Breakfast, which will take place on May 1st. Email us at this address to express any concerns regarding cycling in the park you would like us to bring up. We will remind you of these meetings in our bulletins closer to the dates.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH
That’s all for this bulletin. 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