AT A CROSSROAD
With The Royal Parks due to announce permanent restrictions on through traffic in around seven days’ time, dramatic images of a car crash following a collision with a cyclist the week before last provided striking evidence of what can go wrong when motor vehicles are given unrestricted access to sections of the park’s roadway.
An elderly driver, who was carrying a passenger, drove uphill on Ham Gate Avenue, stopped at Ham Cross and then pulled out to turn right – but failed to see a female cyclist coming towards him from the direction of Kingston Gate. He drove into her path, causing the collision, and she fell to the ground. In a panic, the driver hit the accelerator instead of the brake (he was driving an automatic) which caused his car to speed off down the hill and crash straight through the metal barrier towards a tree.
Sergeant Peter Sturgess from the Royal Parks’ Police tells us: “Had the driver not turned his steering towards the end, he would have gone straight into the tree – and almost certainly he and the passenger would have died.”
The driver was taken to hospital with burn injuries to his hand. The cyclist had facial injuries and was discharged from hospital the same day. The attending officer’s accident report has been passed to the police’s traffic offenses unit in Sidcup, Kent, which will decide whether the driver should be charged.
The woman who fell victim to the driver’s apparent inattention was cycling on Queen’s Road – the busiest section of the perimeter road which, unlike the rest of it, is not subject to restrictions on through traffic as part of the current trial. No one can say for certain what permanent restrictions TRP will announce next week as the Movement Strategy draws to a close. But with more cyclists visiting the park – particularly women and other road users classed as vulnerable – it seems likely that there will be more incidents like this if the road between Kingston and Richmond gates remains open to through traffic.
TRP should recognise that the welcome increase in the number of ordinary cyclists visiting the park should be matched with appropriate restrictions to make them feel safe at all times.
REBUKES OF ‘HAZARD’
Sarah Olney, the Lib Dem MP for Richmond Park, caused a few eyebrows to be raised three weeks ago when she told Radio Jackie that some cyclists treat our favourite cycling destination as “a sports venue” and in doing so present a “hazard” which puts people off cycling there.
Well, it’s certainly true that no one likes inconsiderate riding. But as we have said in previous editions of this bulletin, the significant increase in people choosing to ride in the park for the first time, and doing so alongside sports cyclists, shows that most people recognise it is a safe environment for cycling. What really puts some people off riding in the park is high levels of through motor traffic.
So it was in a spirit of understanding that we requested a Zoom meeting with Sarah to put the other side of the story – and we were delighted when she accepted. And we are pleased to announce that she has chosen to endorse our Code of Conduct. Here’s Sarah’s statement in full:
“I encourage cycling of all kinds in Richmond Park, whether for leisure, exercise or just getting from A to B. Cycling in the park has become even more popular recently, so any measure to improve relations between park users is to be commended. I am, therefore, delighted to endorse and promote the new Code of Conduct prepared by Richmond Park Cyclists.”
Sarah will feature the code in her newsletter to constituents, and we look forward to working with her more closely in the future.
NOTICE ANYTHING DIFFERENT?
Speaking of the Code of Conduct, the full text of our guidelines will soon be publicly displayed on a brand new noticeboard which eagle-eyed readers may have spotted on the pathway next to Colicci. Our thanks to park manager Simon Richards for arranging its installation, thereby giving our organisation a permanent physical presence in the park. The noticeboard is empty at the moment, so please email us with any cycling-related non-commercial notices you may feel are of interest to others. It’s there for all of us, so please use it!
CLOSE TO THE LIMIT?
How many is too many? When it comes to visitor numbers, Richmond Park may be nearing the limit, if the closing remarks of a short report delivered at the last meeting of the Police Panel is anything to go by.
Park manager Simon Richards told RPC and the other stakeholders attending the virtual meeting in January that some damage to grassland caused by more people coming to the park “will never be reversed”. Other areas will take years to recover. The minutes show that TRP is also concerned that the deer are “reacting to the continual disturbance from high numbers of visitors and their dogs”.
Most weekends, the car parks appear to be running close to full capacity – and Saturday was exceptionally busy, with some drivers once again parking on the grass. The overflow from the car parks back up onto the roadway, causing an unnecessary hazard for pedestrians and cyclists. TRP has resorted to costly marshalling, and with many new visitors having discovered Richmond Park, we anticipate many of them will carry on arriving by car.
If TRP has to eventually restrict the number of visitors to protect the park, then limiting access to the car parks would surely be an effective place to start – and, of course, it would make the roadway better for cycling. Or maybe there will be fewer visitors arriving by car if TRP decides to bring in parking charges as planned. We shall see...
GREAT SIXPECTATIONS
A few dates for your diary. The big one is Monday, March 29, when you will be able to enjoy riding in the park with five of your buddies as the rule of six comes into effect again as part of the Government’s easing of Covid restrictions. In roughly two weeks, the bi-annual deer cull will be over, which means you will be able to ride in the park again before 7:30am and after 8pm. And from Monday, March 8 until Saturday, March 27, Church Road in Ham will be closed for the annual toad migration – so if you usually enter the park by Ham Gate, you had better hoppit and find another route!
A MOMENT OF SI DRAMA
Finally, we’re bracing ourselves for accusations of bias as Simon Richards makes his third appearance in this bulletin – this time as a have-a-go-hero of sorts. The source is the park’s police unit, so you can take this as gospel.
It turns out that back in December a bike owner came out of the loos at Roehampton Gate car park one morning to find some toerag mounting his pride and joy and riding off. Simon, who was nearby, hears the cyclist shouting, and the two set off in hot pursuit. The thief rides over the cattle grid and climbs over the fence, leaving the bike behind him. The thief escaped, and the bicycle was reunited with its owner.
As ever, the lesson here is to take a portable lock if you are heading to the park, and consider removing a wheel as well if you are going to leave your bike unattended. Simon cannot be on hand to stop every thief, you know!
SEE YOU NEXT WEEK...
A special bonus bulletin will arrive in your inbox in around seven days’ time once The Royal Parks releases details of the permanent restrictions to motor traffic. Whatever happens, it will be a momentous day, chums! 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