Each month, we email a bulletin to everyone who has signed up on this site. Below is the edition that we sent in January 2025. 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… +++ Happy New Year! +++ Parks’ police target for cuts +++
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!
We’re officially on a break over the festive period, so this is a much shorter monthly newsletter than usual – but we couldn’t begin 2025 without thanking all our subscribers for your support in 2024. There wouldn’t be a Richmond Park Cyclists without you. Our thanks also to park manager Paul Richards, the park’s police and The Royal Parks for their help and engagement with us.
At some point in the next few weeks we will meet again with Director of Parks Darren Share to continue discussions concerning The Royal Parks’ plan to revamp its cycling policy and establish a code of conduct for cyclists. Our aim is to better reflect a realistic approach to regulating cyclists’ speeds and behaviour, while also prioritising the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Hopefully we will have news to share when this bulletin resumes normal service at the start of February.
UNIT COST
We also hope to have more information by the end of the month on the significant changes to the policing of Richmond Park. The Met has to plug a £450million funding gap, and one of the targets for cuts is the team that patrols the Royal Parks, which The Standard reports could have its resources “slashed”. There is also speculation elsewhere that the unit could be scrapped entirely, with the local force taking over responsibilities for Richmond and Bushy parks.
In an email sent to us and the other members of the Safer Parks Police Panel, the unit’s Inspector Nick McLaughlin said discussions regarding funding are ongoing and no officers will be made redundant. We are likely to learn more when we meet with his sergeant, Pete Sturgess, for our regular quarterly catch-up this month, and at the next Safer Parks meeting towards the end of February.
Sgt Sturgess and his team do a great job catching speeding motorists, stopping drivers of unauthorised trade vehicles and policing many other misdemeanours which can have an impact on the enjoyment of cycling in the park. When we have asked him to prioritise certain offences, such as drivers entering the car-free areas of the roadway during the Movement Strategy trials, he has always been happy to oblige. And the park’s officers are generally fair when it comes to dealing with inconsiderate cycling. There is no guarantee as yet that the local force could be as effective and as focused on the park, as it will, naturally, have to continue policing the surrounding boroughs as well. So we would prefer continuity rather than change, especially as we have built up a good relationship with Sgt Pete over the years. Nevertheless, we are ready to work with whichever police body is responsible for keeping the park safe for cyclists and every other visitor in the future.
SEE YOU NEXT MONTH...
Thank you for allowing us to pop into your inbox over the past year, 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