Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the edition that we sent in January 2023. 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… +++ Lasers for speeding motorists +++ Roadworks during road improvements +++ Can you spare time to help blind cyclists? +++
HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS!
We’re on a little hiatus at the moment, most of which has been spent waiting for the rain to cease so we can enjoy a ride in the park (and do say hello if you see the distinctive recent addition to the RPC stable propped up outside Colicci between downpours). Nevertheless, we couldn’t begin 2023 without doing two things – acknowledging that 2022 has been a landmark year for improving the park for cyclists now that The Royal Parks has made the traffic restrictions permanent, and thanking all of you for subscribing to this monthly missive, thereby boosting our voice in the local community. And, of course, we also thank our sponsors Bella Velo, Cycle Exchange, Kingston Wheelers, London Dynamo, Look Mum No Hands!, Pearson Cycles and Richmond Cycles for their kind support.
We’re also grateful to park manager Paul Richards for looking after the park and continuing our regular quarterly meetings after taking over from Simon Richards last year. The next meeting is this month, so please get in touch with any questions or subjects you would like us to bring up with him.
Due to our break, this edition of the bulletin is briefer than usual – so let’s crack on…
LASER FOCUS
Father Christmas has delivered a wonderful present to the park’s police unit – a snazzy new speed gun! The Pro Laser 4 apparently locks on to vehicles much quicker than the older one, which was harder to use and would sometimes take a while to record speed, resulting in missed opportunities as drivers slowed down when they saw it pointing at them. Sgt Peter Sturgess says officers start training with the new gun soon. Here’s to far more speeding motorists being caught from now on!
POSTS MODERN
Plastic, begone! The replacement of the temporary barriers, cones and signs with timber gates, posts and fencing, which we first outlined in February, is about to commence. There will also be some pedestrian courtesy crossings installed and two traffic-calming contraflows close to Roehampton Gate.
We have asked that any road restrictions and closures if required during construction take place on weekdays. Visitor numbers peak at weekends, so closures during the week will inconvenience visitors least.
Please comply with any roadwork signs during the works should there be any restrictions or partial closures – and remember that park regulations only permit cycling on the roads, the Tamsin Trail and the designated shared-use pathways.
LEADING THE BLIND
We leave you with a request for help from Chris Wright, a leader at Merton Sports and Social Club for Visually Impaired People, who has previously done lots of good work with Kingston Wheelers, one of our sponsors.
Chris’s small group of cyclists take out enthusiastic visually impaired local people on tandem rides, ranging from around Richmond Park to a 40-mile club run. Would you help them out as a pilot?
The organisation, which has about 18 tandems, rides on the first Sunday and third Saturday of the month. Riders set out from the club’s base in Morden, and volunteers are not expected to ride every month.
The club is the only facility of its kind in London, and helping out is exceptionally rewarding. Plus, of course, you can ride as hard as you like as you won’t drop your stoker! If you want to help out, with no minimum commitment, then please email Chris at ccwright@blueyonder.co.uk.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...
Thanks for allowing us to pop into your inbox for this briefer-than-usual newsletter. As ever, 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 in 2023, the bigger our voice.
All the best,
Richmond Park Cyclists