Over the new year I went for a walk in Richmond Park London. I was surprised to see how many cyclists were on both the road and the path.
As I was walking with some friends on the path by the side of the road, I experienced the other side of cycling, as a few cyclists got quite impatient with walkers to move out of the way.
Cyclists on the road seemed to have less problem. Cars are limited to 20mph and it is wide enough for cars to comfortably pass cyclists.
I’m not sure how rigidly the 20mph limit is enforced for cyclists, but, I can imagine it becoming a bit of temptation to exceed. But, it seems to create a good environment for leisure cyclists. See: 20mph speed limits
In the summer, London Dynamo promote time trials around the Richmond Park course early on Sunday morning before cars are allowed on. I will try and do one of those races this year.
Cycle Hire is available at Richmond park see: link
Did anyone witness me getting run over on Queens Road near the kingston gate exit yeasterday at around 17:50?
I cycle in the park very often, mainly on the path.
The path is a fundamental mistake being shared by pedestrians and cyclists, and it is an accident waiting to happen.
They need to build a new path for cyclists. This would have two important benefits for safety
- obviosuly separating pedestrians and cyclists would be safer for both
- the new path could be more twisty and more steep, thus forcing cyclists to slow down. The existing path is designed for walkers and cyclists are quite capable of reaching well over 20mph on some some sections, much too fast in a busy park.