Boris Johnson urges Royal Parks to open up more paths to cyclists

Richmond Park has a 20mph speed limit. Admittedly I've flouted that as a cyclist on the donwhills, but most motorists flout it all the time. There are regular speed traps, but they're hardly subtle, or set up to actually catch people.

The Park has ample space and geography in my (I don't off-road) biking experience/knowledge, but too much path is still shared use.

And reading the local paper, you'd think that cyclists in Richmond Park are somehow a health hazard to drivers and deer, rather than the other way round. My only tip? The park is open to cyclists 24 hours, and is an absolutely brilliant place to cycle in pitch black - as long as your light are up to it!

Pity that London's mayor, unlike say New York's mayor, or the mayor of any city in any civilised country with a non-insane system of government truly, or at least nominally, by and for the people, can't say, "I'm the elected representative for the citizens of this city, so I'm going to tell the people who run these state-funded facilities to make room for cycling."

Making RP one-way or restricting traffic would be a great idea - it is meant to be a recreational space. I used to work in Roehampton 20 years ago and would be the only cyclist using the park at lunchtimes. Drove through on a Saturday morning recently and it was horrendous - big groups of riders and cars going too fast, with not enough room to pass safely.

fantastic! the general impression i get from the conduct of representitives of the royal parks is that cyclists are 3rd class citizens after walkers joggers and even horse riders: richmond park has nearly 2360 acres of space and cuclists are restricted to an 11k by 2m wide trial (mountain bikers) that is not even a real trail - as it does not even recommend dogs be on a lead or warn walkers that there may be cyclists as the rest of the UK's trails do. you can walk, frolic, lay down and pcinic where you please do what you wish in the 2359 acres of free space, just pay a little attention and use simple common sense in the 1 extra acre, if that, that composes a clearly marked trail!

but then 95% of people cannot walk down a busy london street or a busy underground station without stopping dead or changing direction unaware or their surroundings, so in a park distracted by fluffy animals god help us!

So boris - as timlennon hints: if we have to share space then start with getting the public to be a bit more aware in the paths we can ride on first! a shared path with "pedestrian priority" is a bit like a road with hedgehog priority, if it is a trail or a cycle path, its needs clearly marking with "beware, shared track with faster moving cyclists and joggers" i.e. amble aimlessly in the other 99% of the park, not here.

Similarly the road circuit in richmodn and cycle paths in the other parks: Richmond at least is a natural reserve; a place where cyclists as non polluters should have signs alerting drivers to the fact that this road is shared with cyclists, and do they need to drive a polluting car through a reserve - i.e. was this journey necessary?

These simple steps are needed to change the mindset of people that parks need cohabitation in the paths that we have already, cohabitation needs mutual respect: i will not ride my bike through you picnic; look before you cross a trail!

if we do have more paths; it would help if the traffic in richmond park were only allowed to go one way (clockwise or anti clockwise) and the other direction converted to cycle lanes. I understand the need to allow traffic through, but this would ensure that the journey was necessary and not just canny locals avoiding surrounding roads at the expense of the reserve, as well as making the park much, much more open to cycling and cyclists without complex and time consuming path opening.

"Dear Royal Parks, please save me from building proper infrastructure for cyclists by taking them off the roads. Thanks a ton, Boris."

Still, it's a not especially tacit recognition that, shock horror, most cyclists would prefer not to mix it with cars and trucks ...