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Cyclists in Richmond Park face crackdown for ‘speeding’ – even though limits do not apply to them

The Royal Parks acknowledges bike riders aren’t subject to same rules as motorists, but says action will be taken against those riding “recklessly”

Cyclists riding in London’s Richmond Park are being told that they must ride within the same speed limits as motorists have to adhere to there – even though both The Royal Parks and Metropolitan Police have confirmed that such limits do not apply to people on bikes.

At the end of a week in which Transport Secretary Grant Shapps suggested that cyclists should be subject to the same speed limits on the public highway as apply to motorists, the Telegraph reported this afternoon that The Royal Parks has warned bike riders who do not observe speed limits in the parks under its management that they will be subjected to a crackdown and could face fines and even prosecution for recklessly endangering others.

Besides Richmond Park, The Royal Parks also manages a number of other parks in London, including Bushy Park, Green Park, Greenwich Park, Kensington Gardens and St James’s Park, as well as Hyde Park, which includes the western section of the popular Cycleway 3 protected cycle route, much used by commuters and leisure cyclists alike.

It also manages Regent’s Park, but the roads there are the responsibility of a separate body called the Crown Estates Paving Commission.

The agency acknowledged to the Telegraph that cyclists do not have to adhere to speed limits on roads in the park – typically, 5mph or 20mph – since bicycles are not required by law to be fitted with a speedometer.

But it said that bike riders were expected to observe those limits on the “park, road or path in question,” and could be fined if they were believed to “intentionally or recklessly interfere with the safety, comfort or convenience of other visitors.”

A spokesman told the newspaper: “The Royal Parks is currently reviewing and updating its regulatory signage to ensure cycling and other behavioural messages are communicated clearly to visitors.

“We are reviewing our signage, and we are currently planning how we can revise it, to deliver clearer and more visible information. Enforcement of park regulations is a matter for the Metropolitan Police Service.”

The Metropolitan Police said: “We acknowledge that while most visitors who cycle in the park are law-abiding, a small minority are not and their behaviour is an issue of concern for the wider public as well as other cyclists.

“We work closely with The Royal Parks as we enforce safe cycling across the parks, so all visitors and wildlife can enjoy the parks safely. To this end, we recommend that cyclists use the signposted limits as a guide for appropriate speeds.”

The issue of whether cyclists riding in Richmond Park are subject to the posted speed limits there is one that regularly crops up, and last October, ahead of the London Duathlon taking place there, Twitter user The Department of Parks and Recreation sought clarity on the issue from The Royal Parks.

> Metropolitan Police confirm cyclists in Richmond Park are not subject to speed limits

In response, a Freedom of Information (FOI) officer at the agency said: “The roads in the Royal Parks are Crown Roads managed under the authority of the Secretary of State for DCMS.

(There is one exception – Regents Park, where the roads are managed by a separate body, the Crown Estates Paving Commission).

The FOI Officer continued: “The speed limits on the roads are specified in The Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997 as amended.

“Section 4 (28) requires that: ‘No person shall drive or ride any vehicle on a Park road in excess of the speed specified in relation to that road in Part II of Schedule 2 of these Regulations.’ (Part II schedule 2 lists the parks that that have vehicular access.)

“These regulations apply to motorised vehicles, not bicycles, and therefore the use of park roads by cyclists on events such as the London Duathlon is lawful. In answer to your specific question, the speed limits were not suspended for this event because they are not deemed to apply to bicycles.”

The Metropolitan Police agreed at the time that the situation set out in that response was correct, but added: “We expect all road users to act responsibly to ensure Richmond Park is a safe place for everybody.

“Officers carry out regular patrols and will take action against those seen to be driving or riding in an irresponsible manner which intentionally or recklessly puts public safety at risk.”

Of greater concern to many who use Richmond Park is the number of drivers using the roads there, often as a rat-run, or illegally in trade vehicles which unless authorised, are banned from all Royal Parks.

In its latest newsletter, Richmond Park Cyclists, which aims to represent the views of all bike riders who use the park, said than in the most recent quarterly update from the park’s Police Panel:

There were 55 drivers fined or warned for excessive speed, 36 for driving around the barriers, eight charged for driving without due care and attention or driving to endanger any person, and six for having no insurance.  Additionally, 156 motorists were warned or fined for driving an unauthorised trade vehicle in the park.

The police warned 177 cyclists for venturing off track and three were fined.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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18 comments

Avatar
steaders1 | 2 years ago
2 likes

The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that cyclists can not be prosecuted for going faster than 20mph around Richmond Park and other areas managed by Royal Parks, thus bringing an end to a long-running dispute between cyclists and police over the issue. This was back on 7th Oct 2021

The Police should be spending their time trying to catch the moped bike thieves

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torquerulesok | 2 years ago
1 like

Bicycles are not required by law to have a speedometer. The suggestion to fine cyclists for speeding is idiotic. 

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wtjs replied to torquerulesok | 2 years ago
0 likes

Bicycles are not required by law to have a speedometer. The suggestion to fine cyclists for speeding is idiotic

Especially, as it's an absolute police rule that any reading by any speedometer on any cycle is wrong and that all cycles are always travelling at less than 10 mph no matter what the video appearance indicates, and that unbroken white lines can always be crossed by saintly law-abiding motorists at any time and in any position  while overtaking a cyclist. My followers, both of them, will know that there was no response whatsoever from Lancashire Constabulary to the report about Arrow Electrics' Citroen N40 ARO

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alan sherman | 2 years ago
0 likes

Here we go again. I commented when the 20mph speed limit was introduced that it would increase issues between road cyclists and motorists. It has. Plus the increase in cycling and use of the park in general adds to the pressure.
Banning cars from the park would make road cycling untenable because the road will be full of pedestrians and kids on scooters at busy times as it was during Covid.

The current situation is actually a pretty good compromise. BUT There are some idiot cyclists. Saying there aren't or whataboutery really doesn't help cycling in the park.

Given the above, I think a bit of policing of reckless cyclists would be a good thing. Some plain clothed (lycra) police might even meet the moped bike thieves and catch some close passing cars. Let's all encourage the MET to do a plain clothes cycle operation in the park.

Who do we write to?

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Hirsute replied to alan sherman | 2 years ago
2 likes

They should ban through traffic as a better comprise.

Plain clothes could do close passes too and commercial vehicles.

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Rendel Harris replied to alan sherman | 2 years ago
7 likes

alan sherman wrote:

Banning cars from the park would make road cycling untenable because the road will be full of pedestrians and kids on scooters at busy times as it was during Covid.

That's nonsense. I rode there a lot during the Covid closures, there was a fair bit of pedestrian and kid activity around Roehampton Gate and that was about it. There was plenty of open road for the roadies to enjoy and everyone was really sensible and responsible in the crowded areas. Road cycling was not "untenable" during those times by any stretch of the imagination, in fact it was much better than usual, the tradeoff for being slower and more careful in certain areas were great long runs where one could really enjoy the ride instead of riding on edge all the time wondering when the next close-passing Range Rover was coming.

alan sherman wrote:

The current situation is actually a pretty good compromise.

It is for those parts of the park where it's now carpark access only. For the other parts (Kingston to Richmond gate and Sawyer's Hill on weekdays) it's as bad or worse than ever. We shouldn't even be talking about a compromise in a park, motor access should solely be for those wishing to use the park to get to the carparks and at the minimum level necessary for them to do so.

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lukei1 | 2 years ago
7 likes

Well this is hilarious

Try cycling 2 abreast at 20mph in this Park and see how many furious close passes you get from drivers annoyed that you're holding them up

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Mybike | 2 years ago
3 likes

In Toronto Ontario Canada the police were doing the same thing giving cyclists tickets for stop sign. Then one day the cop giving out tickets hit a cyclist with the police car at the same stop sign he was handing out tickets at. Must of been in a rush to go home

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Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
3 likes

Institutionally anti-cyclist.  
 

By definition if they are breaking the speed limit they are on the road tangling with traffic and therefore the ones in danger not the other way around. 

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Hirsute | 2 years ago
0 likes

"The police warned 177 cyclists for venturing off track and three were fined."

 

Err, what ?

It's a park, how can you go off track ?

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Rendel Harris replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
13 likes

hirsute wrote:

"The police warned 177 cyclists for venturing off track and three were fined."

 

Err, what ?

It's a park, how can you go off track ?

Offroad cycling is only allowed on the Tamsin Trail, a (very nice) path round the perimeter. Which as a regular user of both the roads and the path I do find fair enough, a lot of Richmond Park is quite fragile mossy turf, unrestricted offroading would do quite a lot of damage in wet periods.

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Hirsute replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
2 likes

Ok, thanks.

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eburtthebike replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
0 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

........a lot of Richmond Park is quite fragile mossy turf, unrestricted offroading would do quite a lot of damage in wet periods.

In the only research that I am aware of on the subject, it was found that boots did more damage than bike wheels, so do they ban pedestrians from going off road?

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Rendel Harris replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
2 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

Rendel Harris wrote:

........a lot of Richmond Park is quite fragile mossy turf, unrestricted offroading would do quite a lot of damage in wet periods.

In the only research that I am aware of on the subject, it was found that boots did more damage than bike wheels, so do they ban pedestrians from going off road?

Not seen that, sounds a bit counter intuitive but if that's the case so be it. I'd say 95% of pedestrians in the park follow the paths and trails anyway. The current situation is pretty OK I think (and I'm hardly anticyclist, as I'm sure you know), there could be scope to open up a few offroad trails maybe but on the whole, given the need to preserve and protect the wildlife and heathland environment with which the park abounds, a free for all wouldn't be desirable in my opinion. Apart from anything else, and no disrespect to mountainbikers (of whom I am occasionally one), I fear that an extension of the scope of off-road provision in the park would inevitably lead to an increase in the already-infuriating number of people who drive to the park with their bikes on a rack, ride around and then drive off again.

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Simon_MacMichael replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
6 likes

hirsute wrote:

"The police warned 177 cyclists for venturing off track and three were fined."

Err, what ?

It's a park, how can you go off track ?

There are a number of footpaths etc there that specifically say cycling is not allowed. I don't think any responsible cyclist who uses Richmond Park has an issue with that. 

Obviously the detail is lacking a bit here, but at a guess I'd say the three that were fined had previously been told to stick to places where cycling is permitted and didn't. 

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Hirsute replied to Simon_MacMichael | 2 years ago
0 likes

Thanks.

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Hirsute | 2 years ago
7 likes

and could be fined if they were believed to “intentionally or recklessly interfere with the safety, comfort or convenience of other visitors.”

Good luck with proving that.

Maybe concentrate on the number of commercial vehicles using the park illegally or the close passes on people who are using the park as intended.  You know, as a park not as a car park or cut through.

 

 

Avatar
Awavey | 2 years ago
10 likes

falls off chair, a Telegraph article you say

gosh there are some anti cyclist bingo quotes from the concerned citizens they spoke to, I wonder what the imaginary cycling land speed record actually is...

Im sure nearly all cyclists who use Richmond Park for recreation, you know the purpose the park is actually there for and not as a short cut to drive through London, and some are elite athletes as well I believe, wouldnt be too concerned about maintaining speed limits if thats the approach they want to take, just as long as the police focussed the same attention on the motorists at the same time keeping to the rules, which Im sure we are all confident theyll do, right ?

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