Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the edition that we sent in November 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… +++ Gates shut at 8pm TONIGHT as deer cull begins +++ Analysis of traffic outside the park during the trial restrictions +++ Cargo bike riders – we want to hear from you! +++ Incidents and accidents in the park – a look at the quarterly figures
FIRST MOVE
Calling all commuters! The park’s gates will be shut from 8pm tonight as the biannual deer cull begins, so you may need to use an alternative route to get home. The usual rules apply: the cull will last up to six weeks, during which time the gates will be shut daily for the public’s safety between 8pm and 7.30am. If you arrive at any of the gates shortly before locking time, you should not enter unless you are absolutely certain you can easily reach your exit before 8pm. See our website for full details.
Those of you who have cycled in the park for some years may have noticed a welcome tweak to the culling schedule, which traditionally began on the first Monday of the month. This is because of the confusion caused last time when the first Monday in February fell on the 7th and the park’s management did not want the cull to go too far into March, so it began on January 31 instead, which caught some cyclists unawares as they arrived at the gates to find them shut. So the park’s new manager Paul Richards has sensibly decided that, starting from today, the culls will always start on November 1 and February 1. Our thanks to him – and update your diaries, friends!
And if you do ride in the park in the evening before the gates are locked, please remember not to dazzle your fellow cyclists. Even though there is no street lighting, it’s perfectly safe to use the standard setting and dip the angle, if not already adjusted to face the roadway, when passing riders going in the opposite direction. They will appreciate your courtesy.
FINAL ANALYSIS
Engineering consultancy Stantec and The Royal Parks have published an analysis of the Movement Strategy trials, which came to a close last month when the temporary restrictions were made permanent. The data on external roads detailed in the 88-page document comes from sources provided by Transport for London and Richmond, Kingston and Wandsworth councils, while a third party contracted by Stantec collected information on the use of the park’s roadway from vehicle counts and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras.
The part of the study covering external roads mainly compares figures from May 2019 to May 2021. Yet while the presentation of data is fairly clear, the effect of positive and negative external factors on traffic levels is not. Is it possible to meaningfully compare post- and pre-trial figures during a tumultuous period which saw the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, the introduction of the 20mph speed limit throughout Richmond, temporary restrictions in East Sheen, the extension of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and the effects of entering and exiting lockdowns? The authors of the study hint very strongly that it isn’t – but thankfully, like us, they recognise the overall benefits of less through traffic aligns with TRP’s vision set out in the Movement Strategy, particularly that its “parks are for people” and its roads “are not intended to be commuter through-routes for motor vehicles”.
It is very encouraging that some predictions of additional congestion in local areas haven’t played out (and we’re grateful to Tim Lennon from the Richmond Cycling Campaign for helping us wade through the figures). For example, on Petersham Road, a key focus for the through traffic debate, “traffic flows during the weekend and daily average hours have remained consistent” (p42), and while busy Upper Richmond Road may have seen a 17% increase in journey times travelling eastbound in the morning across a distance of 2.8 miles, it actually fell by 18% in the opposite direction (p17).
And when it comes to the park, the average number of motor vehicles entering and exiting dropped by 52% on weekday mornings, and 40% and 53% respectively on Saturdays and Sundays compared to 2015 (p50) which is a great step forward for making the park’s roads more accessible for every kind of cyclist. However, the stretch from Richmond Gate to Kingston Gate saw an increase over the same period of 36% on Sundays and a startling 80% on Saturdays (p51 and 52). These are concerning statistics for the park-visitor experience, but won’t be a surprise to cyclists who have experienced the increased congestion and pollution on this stretch, which is the only remaining part of the park’s roadway that is open to through traffic at weekends.
PRIORITY VOTING
The latest Police Panel meeting took place three weeks ago and, as ever, a representative from Richmond Park Cyclists was in attendance. On this occasion, the panel was presented with a choice of four policing priorities for the forthcoming quarter-year that had to be reduced to three. A vote was taken, and we picked the option that covered two motoring offences: driving in prohibited areas of the roadway, and trade vehicles. We are pleased to say this priority was passed, along with wildlife protection and off-track cycling.
Two fairly unusual incidents, both in August, appeared in the police report which covers the past three months. Firstly, an elderly motorist fell asleep at the wheel on Queen’s Road and hit an oncoming car. We questioned Sgt Sturgess at the meeting about this, and he told us the driver had been heading to Pembroke Lodge for a cup of tea. While obviously an alarming incident, and a good case for the argument that pensioners should be tested to keep their driving licence, it is the only one of its kind in the park that we can recall. Secondly, a cyclist was stopped for a park regulation offence called “cycling to endanger any person”. Like other entries in the regulation sections of the report, no further details are given, although speed is likely to be a factor, and Sgt Sturgess pointed out that the cyclist could have been stopped if they had been riding in a way that was deemed to be a danger to themselves. (Note that a breach of park regulations simply results in the person receiving a warning; only if they are caught doing the same thing again is the case taken further.)
There were a total of 35 traffic offence reports for speeding and 254 for driving a trade vehicle from July to September. Here are the rest of the road incidents in the park listed in the report:
July
A driver clipped a cyclist’s handlebars with his wing mirror. The motorist appeared to have driven away after an altercation with another cyclist who had hit the car with his hand.
A motorist driving at speed on Priory Lane (the road between Roehampton and Robin Hood Gates) made contact with a cyclist’s right side, knocking him from his bike and leaving him with minor cuts and bruises. The next day, a cyclist lost control on Broomfield Hill and hit the verge, suffering swelling to the head, facial injuries and a possible broken arm.
In separate incidents three days apart, two drivers on Queen’s Road hit Thompson Teeth (the wooden stumps dotted along the side of the road).
August
There were two separate public order offences. A cyclist reported that the driver of a maintenance van committed a close pass and shouted at him. Another rider made a comment to a motorist, who then caught up with him and “appeared to ask the cyclist if he wanted a fight”. Others intervened and the driver left the scene. (We filmed some of this incident and gave more details in September’s bulletin but the cyclist declined to take the matter further.)
As a van turned into Holly Lodge, a cyclist braked and slid off, resulting in shallow cuts and abrasions.
On Priory Lane in the park, a cyclist ended up with a fractured pelvis after trying to avoid hitting a dog that had run into the road.
A cyclist hit a crack in the road on Broomfield Hill and came off, grazing their knee and bruising their thigh. (Cracks had opened up due to the hot weather and were filled in a few days after this incident in time for the London Duathlon.)
September
At Robin Hood Roundabout, a motorist failed to give way to a cyclist and then made a close pass, causing them to fall off.
CARGO CREW
Cargo bike riders: have you experienced difficulty exiting or entering the park through the narrow pedestrian gates when the main entrances are shut? We received a few emails about this subject earlier this year and spoke to Simon Richards, the park manager at the time, but it fell by the wayside while the Movement Strategy was in full swing. Now his successor Paul Richards tells us there could be scope to improve access for cargo bikes, although any changes may be limited as the gates are listed structures. So let us know what you think, and we’ll put the case to him.
We spoke to Paul at our regular quarterly meeting with him a few weeks ago. He told us that the crossings, permanent barriers and other road improvements that we detailed in February’s bulletin should be in place by the end of March, and he is putting together an implementation plan with the aim of keeping traffic disruption to a minimum. An independent safety assessment will be carried out, and we are interested to see what it will conclude with regard to the proposed narrowing of the roadway over Beverley Brook to a single vehicle width, requiring motorists to give way to traffic travelling from Roehampton Gate to Richmond Gate. Cyclists should be able to filter through in both directions, but will this cause conflict, with drivers racing past cyclists to get through the narrow gap instead of stopping and waiting for oncoming traffic to pass? This is a key concern that we want to resolve once we have seen the plans in more detail.
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