cyclist injured in Richmond Park

[darkpoint]

This was passed my way, seemed like a good plan to pass it on..

Dear Richmond Park Cyclists
Please find a link below to a press report regarding a serious accident in Richmond Park this weekend. I am sending this to you as a contact we have for a cycling club that uses Richmond Park - We would be pleased if you could forward this comment to other cycling groups. The Royal Parks understand from the Metropolitan Police that the car may have braked suddenly and the cyclist was unable to stop in time. He hit the car with enough force / speed that he went through the back windscreen and sustained serious injuries.
This is the third incident in 2 years where cyclists have run into the back of braking or stationary vehicles. Please can we remind all cyclists that the park roads are very busy and when an accident occurs the cyclist usually comes off worse regardless of fault. Please treat this accident as a reminder to ride with self preservation in mind.
As you can see from the variety of comments on the surrey comets web site, conflict between road users is an issue that attracts the concerns from other park users.
http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/topstories/9160031.Cyclist_airlifted_from_Richmond_Park_with_serious_injuries/
Kind Regards,
Ian Nightingale | Administrator

[clarion]

Terrible comments on that linked article.  Bikes are speeding through the park, forcing motorists to g faster

Bikes are speeding through the park, blocking the way

Fortunately, there are a couple of sensible comments re: Blocking through routes for motor traffic.  It's the only answer.  You can drive in as far as the car park, and that's it.  Straight out the same gate you came in, tyvm.  The rest of the park can then be enjoyed by cyclists, walkers, children playing & dogs.  Why not?

[darkpoint]

Terrible comments on that linked article.  Bikes are speeding through the park, forcing motorists to g faster

Bikes are speeding through the park, blocking the way

Fortunately, there are a couple of sensible comments re: Blocking through routes for motor traffic.  It's the only answer.  You can drive in as far as the car park, and that's it.  Straight out the same gate you came in, tyvm.  The rest of the park can then be enjoyed by cyclists, walkers, children playing & dogs.  Why not?

I agree fully,  the park is just that a park,  not a short cut. 
Let people drive to the carparks, (not using the main loop road) and the rest should be shut to motorized traffic.  At least that is what I would do if i was in charge...*

The comments make me sad,  and i hope that the cyclist fully recovers.

* and in regents park, and on Southwark bridge, and the Albert bridge..  but I get ahead of myself.

[David Martin]

Have you ever ridden round Richmond Park when it has been closed to through motor traffic? It is like the worst of shared use paths - pedestrians all over the place, almost anarchic.

if you want to ride round at anything other than a shared use path pace, then keep the cars on the road.

[clarion]

How terrible!

If we can't share the roads, then we're as bad as the motons.

[Gandalf]

Have you ever ridden round Richmond Park when it has been closed to through motor traffic? It is like the worst of shared use paths - pedestrians all over the place, almost anarchic.

if you want to ride round at anything other than a shared use path pace, then keep the cars on the road.

I have many times.  I really depends what time you go.  Very early morning is brilliant as is after dark if you have decent lights.

[Biggsy]

The surface wouldn't be so well maintained and tyre-swept either.  Yes, cyclists benefit from roads for cars.  Imagine only being allowed to cycle on rough and rubbish cycle paths.

It is a mistake to ride close behind a car though, if that is what happened in this case.

[clarion]

After dark through the Park is a beautiful experience.  On one midsummer night, we switched our lights off...

[YahudaMoon]

Im all for the cyclist, though I believe Richmond Park has a speed limit ? Speed limit being ?

[clarion]

Speed limit is 20mph for all vehicles.  You have to rein it in on the descents, but it's not too hard if you're a competent rider.  Sadly, a lot of riders in the Park do seem to be somewhat intoxicated by the speed.

[Biggsy]

It's very easy, and tempting, indeed to exceed the speed limits on the descents.  I'm not surprised if some cyclists end up going into the back of braking cars.

[Tim]

After the last time I rode through the park (it was a weekend) I concluded that it was more pleasant and safer riding on the dual carriageways nearby than through the park. Everybody was behaving badly and unpredictably on the road and the intermittant congestion/jams were horrible.

[Andrew Cornwell]

I rode through the park shortly after the collision at the end of the Ditchling Devil audax that day and together with others was diverted around the spot by a heavy police presence. It was a sobering end to a great day on the bike and my thoughts are with the injured rider.

Agree with Tim above that Richmond Park is no longer a pleasant place to ride at weekends - this is mainly due to the huge volume of motors, but it has to be said that some groups of club cyclists using the circuit for flat out training contribute to the situation. By definition they will be aiming for a speed above 'evens' and that heightens the risk of collision with so many cars, pottering cyclists and pedestrians about.

I would love to see some restrictions on cars in this park (and in others), but we are a long way from seeing the political will to do that, and past attempts to push the idea have failed miserably.

Perhaps a compromise solution would be to set aside a period each week for more sporting riders to use the circuit road, with cars banned, speed limit relaxed and all park users made aware of this time slot - maybe three hours early on a Sunday morning?

In the short term I expect we will see a burst of police stopping cyclists as well as cars for exceeding 20mph as they will wish to show that 'something is being done'.

[teethgrinder]

The surface wouldn't be so well maintained and tyre-swept either.  Yes, cyclists benefit from roads for cars.  Imagine only being allowed to cycle on rough and rubbish cycle paths.

The Milton Keynes Redways are free of debris, despite having no motor traffic at all on them, barring the very rare maintenance van. They can be rough though, but that's more to do with them not being built to the same standard as roads.
The Redways are swept by roadsweepers, but I'm not sure how often. It can't be all that often, given that there are about 400km to cover. Then again, roads are also swept by roadsweepers too. So I'm not sure how much benefit we really get from car traffic sweeping the roads. It's mostly noticeable on country lanes, where I'd agree, that it seems to make a very big difference and is a big benefit.

[teethgrinder]

Perhaps if many more cyclists used the park, then the motorists would give up driving through it as a bad idea, just as cyclists avoid some roads because of the heavy useage from cars?

[Biggsy]

So I'm not sure how much benefit we really get from car traffic sweeping the roads.

A huge amount, I reckon.  Road sweepers tend to concentrate on the gutters, yet the gutters quickly get covered in dirt and debris that has come from cars sweeping it to there.

MK's Redways aren't typical (I lived there for a couple of years).  I bet not all cycle paths would be swept if we had a load more.  And I bet there wouldn't be such good surfaces in Richmond Park if all the paths were designed primarily for cyclists and pedestrians.

So I'm grateful for cars because they get us smooth clean surfaces to cycle on.  That is until the autohorities decide to put rough green cycle lanes on them to punish us! 

[peliroja]

I just came across what looked like a pretty bad crash at the bottom of Bastard Hill in Richmond Park. A cyclist in a bad and bloodied state at the bottom of the hill on the first bend, on the right-hand side (looked like he'd been flung off to the right). Several cyclists were assisting him; I asked if my first aid skills were needed and was told they had it under control, so I continued. An ambulance attended soon after, we hear from a friend who was also in the park.

Car drivers were making impatient gestures in their attempts to pass. Sadly, unsurprising, but still sickening.  Hope the chap is OK.