Royal Parks wants people to comment on proposals

Richmond Park traffic. Picture: Twitter/Cllr Jon Burke

Local residents are being asked to comment on plans to reduce cut-through traffic in Richmond and Bushy Parks.

This Monday (16 November), the Royal Parks launched its consultation on the trials, which began on 15 August.

The Royal Parks says the trials were to help residents and users of the parks to understand the situation before commenting.

The consultation will now run for the next eight weeks, until January 10 2021. The trial will run until February 2021.

In Richmond, the measures restrict all cut-through motor traffic between Broomfield Hill Car Park and Robin Hood Car Park on weekdays. This also includes a full-time closure of the motor vehicle link between Sheen Gate and Sheen Cross.

On weekends, the trial restricts all cut-through motor traffic between Roehampton, Sheen and Richmond Gates to create a quiet zone on the north side of the park.

In nearby Bushy Park, there is a full-time closure of part of Chestnut Avenue between Teddington and Hampton Court Gates to motor vehicle traffic.

The Royal Parks is also implementing similar schemes in Greenwich Park, Hyde Park and St James’s Park and The Green Park.

How the trial affects roads in Richmond Park. Picture: The Royal Parks

However, some groups such as the London Cycling Campaign, do not think these measures go far enough, and want to see the parks completely closed to through traffic.

Calum Rogers, marketing officer for the London Cycling Campaign posted a video on Twitter yesterday showing traffic levels in Richmond Park.

Support our campaign to make sure our parks are for people not through traffic https://t.co/hGyjIfIAqu

— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) November 15, 2020

Encouraging people to take part in the consultation, he wrote: “Parks should be for people, not traffic. Obviously there are car parks in the Royal Parks which are for legitimate park users, but we need to end the use of the park roads as short cuts.”

During the second lockdown Richmond Park has proved to be a popular destination for people to visit.

On November 12, the Royal Parks tweeted that the car parks at Bushy Park were full and traffic was moving “extremely slowly”.

In Richmond Park, Roehampton and Pembroke Lodge car parks were at capacity and traffic was also extremely slow.

Under the trials, drivers can park in car parks as usual although access routes to certain car parks are restricted.

A Royal Parks spokesperson said: “We would like to make sure everyone, including residents, visitors and our partners, has a chance to share their views on these important trials and we urge everyone to take part in the consultation, between now and January.”

Royal Parks says the trials will also be measured and monitored by collating park stakeholder feedback, facilitating park visitor satisfaction surveys (if possible with COVID restrictions) and undertaking an evaluation of the external implications of the trials in partnership with relevant transport authorities such as Transport for London and the local boroughs.

To participate in the consultation visit this link.

Sian Bayley - Local Democracy Reporter

November 16, 2020