Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the edition that we sent in July 2024. 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… +++ Safer Riding Guide temporarily removed from park – but cards are out soon +++ Why were time trials cancelled while the duathlon can still go ahead? +++ Gangs on e-bikes snatching bags +++ Bike marking event at Pen Ponds +++
Visit our sponsors: Bella Velo, Cycle Exchange, Kingston Wheelers, London Dynamo, Look Mum No Hands!, Pearson Cycles, Richmond Cycles, Evolve e-Bikes
BOARD GAMES
Now you see it… now you don’t. Strange times last week when we finally got round to pinning the Safer Riding Guide on our noticeboard outside Colicci, only for park manager Paul Richards to ask us to take it down shortly afterwards – which, out of respect to his authority, we agreed to do.
Formerly known as the Code of Conduct, our guide is a list of simple tips for safe, considerate riding – but it seems that The Royal Parks has lately misunderstood a small part of the wording on cycling speeds. Sgt Pete Sturgess from the park’s police has since suggested an alternative, and we are confident that we can decide on phrasing that will please all parties when we sit down with him and Paul this week at our regular quarterly meeting.
But it should be noted that the SRG appeared on our website in October, which was some months after we presented the final version to Paul Richards. And following the recent inquest into the pedestrian fatality involving a cyclist in Regent’s Park, we now believe that TRP is likely to carry out a review of its cycling policies across its estate, especially as it is about to welcome Dame Mary Archer as the new chair for its board of trustees.
Representatives from Richmond Park Cyclists and Regent’s Park Cyclists will meet with Darren Share, TRP’s new Director of Parks, in a few weeks’ time to find out more and discuss how we can work more closely with TRP to help maintain a safe, welcoming environment for all park visitors. We welcome any review – as long as it fully involves cycling advocacy groups who can be more effective advocates of behavioural change
This bulletin explains some of the issues we are likely to explore.
LIMIT POINT
The park manager’s concern with the Safer Riding Guide was its advice on the speed limit. The SRG, which was put together with the help of the park’s police and our subscribers, states:
Speed limits in the park do not apply to cyclists – but that does not mean you can ride as fast as you like all the time. The police enforce a regulation stipulating that you must not ride in a manner that would endanger the safety of other park visitors or yourself. So slow down for pedestrians, anticipate road furniture and other potential hazards, and always be aware that deer can run out at any time. Sensible speeds create a more welcoming environment for everyone.
The Royal Parks’ policy on cycling reads:
We do ask that cyclists observe the motor vehicle speed limit for the park, the road or path in question. This varies from 5mph to 20mph. This helps to maintain a safe environment for visitors of all ages, and protects road users, as well as wildlife – particularly as wild deer in Bushy or Richmond Parks may behave unpredictably and run across park roads.
Essentially, both TRP and RPC are encouraging people, in differing ways, to ride sensibly while remaining aware of any potential hazards around them. But Paul Richards tells us that we “endorse that cyclists can speed in the park as long as it’s not all the time,“ which is incorrect. The SRG clearly tells cyclists to adjust their speed, show consideration to all park visitors and abide by the park regulations, while correctly indicating that actual speed limits in the park only apply to drivers – just as they do on all UK roads.
Thankfully, the wording on the condensed, credit card-sized version of the SRG won’t have to be altered as it doesn’t make explicit reference to the speed limit for motor vehicles:
NOT SO FAST: Slow down for pedestrians, anticipate road furniture and other potential hazards, and always be aware that deer can run out at any time.
The SRG cards have been printed, so expect to see them available for free in some of our sponsors’ businesses soon. Please get in touch if you would like a few for your cycling club or to hand out to other cyclists you may know.
REGULATION ISSUE
Would The Royal Parks, following pressure from some quarters triggered by the inquest into the fatality in Regent’s Park, be able to introduce enforceable speed limits for cyclists across its estate? It is possible, but extremely challenging.
Firstly, TRP and the park’s police originally agreed that the parts of the park regulations covering speed limits did apply to cyclists, before deciding with some finality in 2021 that they did not. Changing their mind again would seem capricious and embarrassing. Altering the regulations is another option but could take years or not happen at all as it requires a vote in parliament.
It is more likely that TRP could approach the police to take a more stringent line on cycling speed. Our experience is that the police will only wish to use the existing regulations. The police, who have limited time and resources, are best placed to judge which cases are prosecuted, especially as cyclists are proven to pose a very small risk to the public. We will find out more at our two forthcoming meetings with Sgt Sturgess and the Head of Parks.
TRIALS HALTED
One final note on speed. A couple of weeks after our last monthly bulletin arrived in your inbox, The Royal Parks axed the summer time trials, stating that they “required a pause to evaluate our position” on cycling speeds following the inquest into the Regent’s fatality.
London Dynamo, which has been running the Richmond Park TTs for 15 years, does a risk assessment in conjunction with the sporting body Cycling Time Trials for the two popular, inclusive, fully insured events, and there have never been any safety-related incidents to our knowledge. Richmond Park is one of CTT’s safest and most heavily marshalled courses – but despite a month of talks with TRP, we were unable to reverse the decision.
And yet the London Duathlon, half of which is a cycling time trial, is going ahead in September. Obviously, we are pleased for the competitors that the event (which is much bigger than the RPTTs) has not been cancelled. But why “pause” one and not the other? We hope to have an answer after our two meetings with TRP’s management this month.
SNATCH AND GRAB
There have been recent messages on various WhatsApp groups warning that gangs on mopeds have returned to the park to steal bikes again – which, thankfully, is not quite true. There have been no new bike-jackings, but The Royal Parks has told its team of volunteer rangers that youths on e-bikes wearing black hoodies and face coverings have been snatching bags. If you see anything suspicious, please call 101 – or if you witness an incident or there is an emergency, dial 999. Do not approach anyone acting suspiciously and stay safe.
ON YOUR MARKS…
It’s bike marking time again, friends! Bring your pride and joy to Pen Ponds on Saturday, July 13 to get it on the national register – and as usual, you won’t have to pay a penny. Remember: registering your bike is a deterrent to thieves – and if it is nicked, you stand a much better chance of getting it back. Our thanks once again to Sgt Sturgess and Met officers for carrying out this useful service.
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