Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the edition that we sent in October 2022. 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.
IN THIS ISSUE… +++ Campaign to reopen Sheen Gate to motor vehicles +++ Meeting with the park’s manager – tell us what you want discussed +++ Cyclist decides not to proceed to court with aggressive driver +++ Rutting season – watch out for deer! +++ Polite reminder about ballet school +++
STILL WAITING…
In last month’s bulletin, we were looking forward to The Royal Parks making the long-awaited announcement in September confirming whether or not the traffic restrictions in the park are to become permanent. Sadly, that didn’t happen, and it may have been due to the extensive work TRP carried out at short notice for the Queen’s funeral and its associated events. Nevertheless, the park’s manager Paul Richards has assured us he will let us know as soon as a decision is made. Keep an eye on your inbox for a bonus RPC bulletin if the announcement is issued before our next scheduled newsletter at the start of November.
THEY THINK IT’S NOT ALL OVER
Imagine, if you will, a football team scoring in the first minute of the game – and then, at the 89th minute, the side that’s one-nil down complaining to the ref that the goal was offside. That, more or less, is the approach of an intriguing last-ditch attempt to “take back Sheen Gate” – or in other words, reopen it to motor traffic.
After being shut for more than two years as part of the traffic trials, and with The Royal Parks’ announcement on the conclusion of the Movement Strategy imminent, four residents who live near the gate have distributed a leaflet to kick-start a campaign on the basis that “few local people had heard of” TRP’s two widely publicised public consultations. Yet more than half the responses across all eight royal parks came from visitors to Richmond Park alone, which makes it implausible that residents of Sheen and Mortlake who care about the park would not have heard of or participated in the surveys. The foursome suggests that, as most responses were submitted online, “those who are not familiar with IT or are not able to use it, including older people and those who are disadvantaged, were disenfranchised” – although you may have thought, having been confronted with a shut gate for months on end, some of these people would have picked up the phone, written a letter or got an internet-savvy younger relative to find out what was going on or help them protest about it.
A subscriber who sent us the leaflet said, as a local resident, he was “horrified” by it. You can read the full text here. It includes a claim that traffic has increased on Upper Richmond Road as a result of the closure, while failing to acknowledge that as cars can no longer exit the park through the gate, the residential roads close to it are more peaceful. Indeed, we detect that most residents would like Sheen Gate permanently closed as they were fed up with rat-running traffic and the use of their roads as a shortcut to the park. Of course, many would like dispensation for local residents, but the complexity and costs of a fair system which might also be sought by those who live near other gates is likely to be not only prohibitive, but excessively popular, undermining the concept of less traffic and a quieter park for cycling and walking.
The campaigners urge residents to contact TRP and local politicians with their objections. We will also write to them, stating our support for the closure. We ask you to contact them as well, explaining how the closure has made the stretch from the gate to Sheen Cross more conducive to cycling and walking, and copy us into your correspondence. These are the people and the addresses listed in the leaflet who you should write to:
Andrew Scattergood, Chief Executive of the Royal Parks
chiefexecutive@royalparks.org.uk
Loyd Grossman, Chair of the Trustees of the Royal Parks charity
The Old Palace House , Hyde Park, London W2 2UH
Julla Cambridge, Local Councillor:
dir.j.cambridge@richmond.gov.uk
York House Richmond Road, Twickenham, TW1 3AA
Sarah Olney, MP
Constituency Office, 108 South Worple Way, East Sheen SW14 8TN
With TRP about to blow the final whistle, let’s make sure that the idea of reopening Sheen Gate is given the red card.
MEETING THE BOSS
We’re looking forward to our second meeting with Paul Richards, the new manager of Richmond Park, on Tuesday, October 18. Email us with any cycling-related questions, queries or suggestions that you would like us to put to him. If you would like to meet us in person to chat about what you want to be discussed, come along to Chain Gang Cyclists’ monthly brunch ride on Sunday, October 16 – it’s a great way to meet other people like you who cycle in Richmond Park, and there will be groups for riders of all abilities. Alternatively, come along to La Ciclista after 12pm on the same day – but please drop us an email first. We look forward to hearing from you!
RUTS AND BOLTS
Have you noticed how deer seem to be crossing the park’s roads more often? We certainly have! Both red and fallow herds have begun their mating rituals, otherwise known as the rut, which continues until next month. The bellowing and fighting amongst the males can cause deer to bolt or trot unpredictably across the roads and pathways, so please take additional care during this season.
You may also encounter motorists who stop unpredictably to avoid running into the animals crossing the road or to take photographs. If you decide to take photos yourself, keep your distance and please come off the road or pathway so that you do not impede the movement of others or create a hazard.
POLICE, CAMERA… NO ACTION
The cyclist who was threatened after he remonstrated with the driver of a black Mercedes for stopping in the road near Ham Cross to take a photo of a deer has decided not to press charges. Last month’s bulletin explained how we filmed the motorist being held back by his female partner as he tried to intimidate a second cyclist while the rider who he originally threatened was on the phone to the police. Now Sgt Pete Sturgess from the park’s police unit has told us: “The cyclist involved did not want to proceed to court with any police action. He was happy that the situation did not escalate further.”
We understand the victim’s reluctance to go through the process of court action, which can be lengthy and frustrating, and simply choosing to get on with his life instead. Nevertheless, we reiterate our advice from last month: speak to the police if you find yourself in a similar situation, even if you aren’t able to take photos or video evidence. Such confrontations are recorded in the park’s official statistics, so the more that are reported, the clearer the picture of the dangers that people who choose to cycle in the park sometimes face.
LODGE COMPLAINT
A grandmother has contacted us asking cyclists to show restraint when they see motorists heading to the ballet school at White Lodge. She was dropping off her grandson one Sunday last month when “a very angry male cyclist” yelled and waved his arms as he told them that the road was closed. This is true, but parents and guardians have permission to enter the restricted areas to pick up and drop off their children – as have other authorised motorists, such as those who use the riding stables.
It goes without saying that being the target of this sort of behaviour can be intimidating and frightening. It also does the reputation of cyclists in the park no favours. So if you see anyone berating a motorist in this way, explain to them, if it is safe to do so, why they should behave better. Driver compliance with the restrictions is generally high, and the park’s police regularly deal with those motorists who ignore the signs – so leave the job to them.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...
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