There is no speed limit for cyclists in London’s Royal Parks, the organisation has told Jeremy Vine. The BBC Radio 2 presenter was stopped yesterday in Hyde Park by a Metropolitan Police officer, who told him that he had been clocked riding his bike at 16mph, against what he said was a speed limit of 5mph.
The broadcaster, who yesterday posted a short clip of the officer stopping him on Twitter’s video-sharing network, Vine, today shared a response he had received from Royal Parks shortly before going on air to discuss the issue.
Among other things, he was told that “there is no legal speed limit for cyclists in tHyde Park,” but cyclists were requested to adhere to the 5mph speed limit that applies to motorists on the path he was on, “even though [for bike riders] it is not a legal limit.”
It added that the police operation that saw Vine stopped yesterday “is an occasional thing” and accepted that “signage can be improved.”
Royal Parks also pointed out that “a criminal offence occurs when someone intentionally or recklessly interferes with the safety … of any person.”
.@london_cycling This response from the Royal Parks @BBCRadio2 may clear confusion – we are about to discuss it pic.twitter.com/TnfglC8fdN
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) November 21, 2014
Vine’s supposed transgression yesterday was the subject of a Pugh cartoon in today’s Daily Mail, with the presenter tweeting a link to it following his show today.
Thanks for all the comments about cycling in parks which I have read carefully. pic.twitter.com/lpY3vgMuFi
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) November 21, 2014
Royal Parks manages 11 parks and other open spaces in London including Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Greenwich Park and Richmond Park.
16 thoughts on “Royal Parks says Jeremy Vine didn’t break speed limit – because it doesn’t apply to cyclists”
Ha!
Ha!
Have you been given a Royal
Have you been given a Royal Pardon then?
“a criminal offence occurs
“a criminal offence occurs when someone intentionally or recklessly interferes with the safety … of any person.”………….Interesting to hear a bit more from the police on that one, particularly on how it seems not to apply when you are behind the wheel of a car.
How could a motor vehicle use
How could a motor vehicle use a cycle lane on the footpath? Does this mean cyclists can legally exceed 20mph in Richmond Park? Are runners also “asked” to keep their speed below 5mph on the path? So many ???s Lovely British muddle.
Now can the teenage boy taken
Now can the teenage boy taken to court for descending Sawyers at 37mph (Chapeau!) have his criminal record deleted and his fine refunded?
Met officer with a speed gun
Met officer with a speed gun in a Royal Park and told to stop cyclists and give them a warning about their speed?
Sounds like an initiation prank which has been caught on camera!
Poor fella, bet he’s getting heaps back at his station.
Why don’t the idiot plods
Why don’t the idiot plods stand at the side of any rural road, preferably behind a hedge, pointing their radar gun at speeding cars exceeding the speed limit? If they stopped me in any of the mentioned parks I would love to tell them what they could do with their radar gun.
Actually, I’m afraid, there
Actually, I’m afraid, there is a speed limit for bicycles in the Royal Parks.
The principal regulations were laid in 1997. Amendments have been laid from time to time since, and in 2010 there were amendments which set new speed limits for veicles in each park, and a new definition of “vehicle” as a mechanically propelled vehicle designed primarily for road use.
Some people have read this on legislation.gov.uk and looked no further, but the site doesn’t show legislation as amended, only as it was in its original form, so you have to read on to later amendments.
In fact, there was a furher amendment regulation in 2010, very shortly after the 2010 regs referred to by other commenters, which explicitly revoked specific bits of the regs only laid a few months earlier. They did not revoke the 2010 amendments on speed limits, but they did revoke the definitions including that of “vehicle”
That means you have to go back to the 1997 regulations, which don’t contain their own definition of vehicle. That means you have to look under the rules of statutory construction first to a general legal definition, and failing that to a dictionary definition. I understand that the general legal definition however does not restrict to mechanically propelled and does include bicycles (and presumably horse drawn carriages) .
So they went to the trouble
So they went to the trouble of amending the regulations but they didn’t think of changing the speed limit in the Central London Parks?
Paul M wrote:Actually, I’m
Even if this is the case 5mph is a ridiculous limit – barely above walking pace.
I don’t think I could control the bike at this slow pace anywhere near as well as I could at 10mph, surely this arbitrary limit is likely to be more dangerous.
a bicycle is not a
a bicycle is not a “mechanically-propelled vehicle”. A vehicle needs a motor to be defined as such.
clayfit wrote:a bicycle is
that’s right but as PaulM says: ‘They did not revoke the 2010 amendments on speed limits, but they did revoke the definitions including that of “vehicle” …’
That definition was where “mechanically-propelled” was contained. I do not know why that was defined: just in error, or for some (unknown) purpose? What was the intention of the legislator?
That is why it is unclear. The Parks think there is no speed limit for bikes; the Met disagrees. This is VERY unsatisfactory.
To make it worse, those
To make it worse, those amendments were all about imposing parking fees for Richmond Park, which was then abandoned. Total confusion. I’d be amazed if the Parks had been intending to change the law so as to be the only place in the country with speed limits for cyclists. This situation offers no legal certainty. They need to issue a formal statement.
I think the organisation
I think the organisation responsible for the Royal Parks know best whether or not there is a speed limit for cycles, and they say there is NOT…. This isnt a case of people not reading properly unless you count anyone missing the fact that the response is from said organisation!
You really could not make it
You really could not make it up!?! =))
Question about speed limit on
Question about speed limit on a bicycle.
My bicycle does not have a speedometer? It is not required to have one either for legal use on highway.
So, how do I accurately gauge my speed to comply with ‘speed limits’ that parks may or may not be enforcing?
Of course, I understand guidance about ‘cycling furiously’ I.e. racing/acting like a prat where excess speed is inappropriate and dangerous to others.