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