Paul Richards during his talk about Richmond Park (https://wordpress.com/post/childlawobserver10.com/1006) to the Mortlake with East Sheen Society (www.mess.org.uk) on 28 October said:

“The speed limit on Park roads is 20 mph but this does not apply to bikes. ,,,,,The Park had asked the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to change the byelaws to stop speeding bikes. They had asked Strava and other similar apps to remove Richmond Park from their apps, given that they encouraged competitive racing and recording personal best times.”

The Department for Culture Media and Sport, which has Government responsibility for the parks, has now said: “We have received a proposal to improve safety for park users from the Royal Parks and are considering it.”

A Royal Parks spokesman said although cycling has a “deep-rooted history” in the city’s parklands, “the speeds that can now be achieved when cycling in such populated spaces bring new challenges that we are committed to addressing”.

The charity had said: “The parks are shared spaces where pedestrians, cyclists and wildlife coexist, and we have a responsibility to all park users to ensure we are acting in a way that protects and promotes their safety. We continue to work closely with cycling groups, community groups and the Met Police to do all we can to ensure the parks can be enjoyed safely by everyone, now and in the future.”

Richmond Park is having discussions with Strava, and with Richmond Park Cyclists and Regents Park Cyclists with a view to drafting a new Cycling Policy for the Royal Parks.