James May has spoken out against some of the measures to more strictly regulate cyclists that have been touted across print and broadcast media debates in the week since it was reported that a coroner’s inquest had been told that no charges would be brought against a cyclist riding laps of London’s Regent’s Park when he crashed into a pensioner, causing her fatal injuries.

Last week, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said tougher laws for dangerous cyclists are “under review” and will be considered “with an open mind”, the comments coming after Conservative Party colleague Sir Iain Duncan Smith tabled a series of amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill that would see cyclists subject to stricter laws if they ride dangerously and kill or injure.

However, much of the discussion in the press has also centred around other forms of regulation for cyclists — talk of number plates, mandatory insurance and other measures re-emerging despite the government’s repeated insistence that it has no plans to introduce such requirements.

> James May: “I can’t stand road sectarianism – it’s all b*llocks”

The frenzied coverage across many of the national newspapers, talk radio shows and television coverage followed the news first reported over the last bank holiday weekend that Brian Fitzgerald, a cyclist riding laps of Regent’s Park at a speed of between 25 and 29mph when involved in a collision which saw a pensioner die two months later from her injuries, would not face charges.

Addressing the case, and the subsequent debates, former Top Gear presenter May told Times Radio: “I don’t think people should try to achieve personal bests through places like London. And I don’t think people should race around the park. I think that is disrespectful and irresponsible and can lead to accidents.

“The vast majority of people can’t achieve even 20 miles an hour on a bicycle. I ride a lot in London, and I’m not particularly fit and I’m getting quite old. But even so, my average speed is usually ten to 12 miles an hour and I’m putting my back into it.

“Trying to cure the world’s problems by adding more admin is pointless and expensive and makes life miserable. I’ve been listening to various debates, including one yesterday on another radio station. There were some terrible things being said on that about regulating bicycles, and bicycles were being blamed for drivers speeding and people were saying insurance would make bicycles safer and all sorts of things that were, to my mind, nonsense.”

The comments come as it has this morning been reported that the Royal Parks, the charity which manages eight royal parks in London, has written to Strava asking for the Regent’s Park Outer Circle segment to be removed.

“We were extremely sorry to hear of the incident which resulted in the death of Hilda Griffiths. We will continue to work with local stakeholders, including cycling groups, to inform our approach. We have made contact and will follow up with cycling apps such as Strava to request removal of the Outer Circle in the Regent’s Park as a segment on the app,” a spokesperson said.

The attention of the Telegraph and Daily Mail has been captured by the story, the former reporting this weekend that a dog walker had been injured in another collision involving a cyclist in the park. Paolo Dos Santos suffered facial injuries and was knocked unconscious, reportedly when she was hit by a cyclist overtaking a driver “said to be observing the 20mph speed limit”.

Meanwhile, the Mail sent a reporter with a speed gun to the park, publishing a story headlined: “The speed limit in Regent’s Park is 20. Cars obey it. But we clocked cyclists at 32 — and after an elderly woman died having been hit by a speeding bike, it’s just more proof it’s one rule for lycra louts” 

Hilda Griffiths, aged 81, died two months after a collision which happened shortly after 7am on a Saturday morning in June 2022, the pensioner suffering injuries including broken bones and bleeding on the brain. Mr Fitzgerald told the inquest that he had “zero reaction time” to avoid Ms Griffiths, who had been walking her dog and was crossing the road to a pedestrian island, when she stepped out in front of the group of cyclists riding laps of the park.

Outer Circle near Hanover Terrace (via Google Street View)
Outer Circle near Hanover Terrace (via Google Street View) (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

While the speed limit in the park is 20mph, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that it does not apply to people riding bicycles, and that the case was closed because there was “insufficient evidence for a real prospect of conviction”.

Ms Griffiths’ son, Gerald, has appeared on TV in the past week urging for the law to be reformed.

“With 35 or more cycling clubs with hundreds of members in the park, it was only a matter of time before tragic outcomes occurred,” he said. “The laws are inadequate and need to change. If any other type of vehicles were travelling over the speed limit in that same formation – essentially tailgating – they would be committing an offence.”

A conclusion of “accidental cycling collision death” was recorded by the assistant coroner. Cyclists can face charges for being involved in a collision in which a pedestrian is killed, Charlie Alliston in 2017 sentenced to 18 months in a youth offenders facility after being convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey of “causing bodily harm by wanton and furious driving” in connection with the death of Kim Briggs, a woman he struck as she crossed London’s Old Street.

Alliston was riding a fixed-wheel bicycle that had no front brake and was cleared of a separate charge of manslaughter.