We Really Need Your Help. - Richmond Park Rat-Run Traffic 

Great to see you again Francis 😁 more about our efforts to end the rat running in Richmond but also Regent's at membership.lcc.org.uk/royalparks 😘

It's a park, stop vehicles and allow it to become a beautiful natural environment

Really love Callum's passion to make things better, the cycling community is stronger for having people like him.

Looks like it's gotten worse since I left London 2 years ago. I used to love my winter commute for the fact that the gates are closed between dusk and dawn so I could commute through Richmond Park enjoy the beauty of if and listen to the clashing of stags antlers and not worry about cars and being close passed. It's an amazing place full of nature and I hope this campaign is successful.

Cycling is the future. When made safe there are no downsides.

Thoughts about some kind of cycling protest in Richmond Park? - I think it would be perfectly fair for us to stage a sit in at a few of the gates until the Royal Parks get their acts together.

It's ridiculous... I had so many moments when drivers are rude in Richmond Park... It seems to be an issue in the south more than east London I feel? It's so much better compared to 8 years ago when I first started riding in London... However still a long way to go... Big thank you to LCC for fighting for our rights on the road. 🙏🏽

Just got back from the park and seen a poor guy in a aluminium blanket after being knocked off by a car at Roehampton gate. The park is a joke at the moment

Thanks for doing this Francis - as someone who has used Richmond Park to cycle in it's great to see you giving this attention

Great video Francis.. highlighting London Cycle Campaign and the work being done to improve our roads for non-motorised road users

Signed up for membership! I fully support the work you're both doing to make cycling safer and more enjoyable for everyone

Thanks for bringing this topic up, Francis. We have similar experiences here in Germany, especially related to school drop-off. It seems like since the pandemic more and more pupils are driven to school instead of using public transport, which leads to highly increased traffic around school opening times. But most schools are in between residential areas (so that the pupils could possibly walk there), therefore the roads are not designed for that large amount of traffic.

that chap from LCC = what a fella - this is brilliant Francis - thank you

Calum is such an eloquent guy, us cyclists are lucky to have people like him, don’t live or ride often in London but I will donate to his cause. 👏👏👏👏

What a fantastic video! Thank you to you and Callum for getting this information out in such an enjoyable video. Seeing Callum's enthusiasm has definitely swayed me to sign up to LCC. Fingers crossed that this Royal Parks Movement Survey makes a difference.

The amount of traffic is madness! Big up to Calum for his sterling work in making change happen; we should all be so grateful for individuals (and groups) who keep battling away with passion and intellectual reasoning 👍🏻

Great work raising awareness. Have filled in the survey!

Love Callum’s passion. Where would we be without people like yourselves? Those earlier morning (traffic free ) views👌🏻 Awesome colours and filming 😃

I love riding in Richmond Park but the traffic is absolutely horrendous! Love what you’re doing mate, superb vlog 🤗👍

Good form guys. Good footage Francis. I just listened to "Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality" which is a great discussion on the subject.

Signed. Anything which promote cycling is a good thing. I hope London and the other big cities get this right in months and years to come so that it can one day spread throughout the country.

I'd forgotten how good your work is. Must watch more... Thanks!

Very informative and Valid points raised.....👍🏻

It was really good to experience the park with no cars earlier in the year, completely changed the dynamic and made it so much nicer!

If I only watched the intro clips, I wouldn’t have thought it was a park. Looks like a highway

Really appreciated this episode. Cheers from Montreal 👊

Filled-in and submitted. I completed a similar survey last-time and it made no difference. I'd like to think this time will be different......... I cycle thru there pretty much everyday on my commute and sometimes train in there (very) early mornings and I've never seen it as busy as it has been this year. It's not just the amount of traffic, but also the worsening standard's of driving in there. It would be nice to think that the Royal Parks will do something about this, but I'm not sure they have the appetite to fight the local highly vocal minority, who will push back against traffic being re-routed onto the local streets (which I assume is the reason the park re-opened to traffic following Lockdown 1). Fingers crossed. Wishing you the very best with the campaign Calum.

Excellent video. I have taken up cycling around Richmond Park since the pandemic, it's been an absolute joy when it's sunny or misty or sun is setting. However, the close passes and dangerous overtaking by cars have been really off-putting not to mention being sat behind 10 cars in a convoy. it makes you realize what a problem this park has with it being used as a rat run by car drivers. Keep up the good work.

Fantastic to see Callum’s passion in trying to make it safer for cyclists to ride. Well done Francis for bringing this very worthwhile initiative to the RU-vid masses. 👏👍

The issue can be GPS which finds the fastest way from A to B, which often is via rat runs.

Just completed the survey...'Ting been done did' as Harry would say

Awesome man, completely exposing the car problem in our park

One of the best episodes ever on RU-vid talking about this problem , very cycling very London. The guy is clearly passionate about this cause unlike the Regent Park guy (can supply name on DM) who I communicated with a few times and clearly isn't bothered !

Excellent. Been volunteering for our school street in Hampton change is coming 👍

Been following the debate around the closure of the park to cars, good to see some larger figures weighing in aswell

Not sure how long the offer is running, but members at LCC also get some CatEye lights. Cheeky little bonus to go along with the third-party insurance and supporting great efforts. Thanks, Calum.

I was there on Saturday, traffic was mental. let's bring some change!

I use Richmond Park for cycling, running, and dog walking, and I sometimes use the car parks. No-one in their right mind should consider driving there, especially not at weekends. It’s a nightmare with all the cyclists riding on your bumper 😀. Seriously the two groups cannot coexist safely on the park’s narrow roads. The speed limit is too high for some cyclists to hit and too low for others to stick to, which encourages dangerous over/under taking by cars and bikes. With two way traffic it’s frightening and stressful whether in a car or on a bike even if you are a competent cyclist/driver. The park is just too busy, and seemingly more so since lockdowns started. Best to get in, do a few laps and then leave, before the gates open, otherwise it’s just an unpleasant experience.

I took a trip to Richmond Park on my bike early on sunday morning just gone, did a couple of laps and enjoyed the spectacle of literally 100s of cyclists enjoying the park. Had no idea it got so busy with trafiic!! Closed road on sunday morning made it so enjoyable. Lets hope this can make a difference, top work!!

Admire your efforts. Keep at it n don’t ghost on it! Not everyone can or wants to move up north

First off.... Callum...😍😍....secondly, all those SUV's 😱 I live in West Ireland in countryside and even I don't need an SUV, come on Londoners - you don't need them!! And lastly, this is what I love about your channel....bringing up important subjects to challenge and hopefully change. Hope you and Daisy are well

Cracking video. Good luck with the campaign.

Great video. Thank you.

Great vid, cheers Francis. Putting that clout to good use!

Keep fighting the good fight guys. It was so depressing going to Richmond Park last weekend. It was the first time I'd been back since they reopened the roads to through traffic and it was more stressful than a normal london street.

3:28-3:39ish is some of the most beautiful photography I've seen on your channel. Early morning light? Wide aspect ratio? Either way, lovely!

Remember riding there in 2012 after the cycling race when it was closed to traffic. Incredible.

Brilliant, I used to live in Ealing and would often visit Richmond for a drink, but although i knew of the park I never visited it ever! But just looking on google maps its huge, with what seems to be a labyrinth of inter connecting roads tracks and paths , which could add up to hundreds of kilometres! Get those bloody cars out of there full stop, and that park could hold crit races and championships on different routes, possibly off road gravel/ mtb/ cyclocross events, the list is endless whilst all the time coexisting with runners, dog walkers and family picnics etc etc!! It seems you have some work to do mate!

What an excellent program, this would almost certainly not work in these parts, I think your program is great.

My man Francis, using your platform to do good 🙌

Sadly we have many of the same issues over here in Ireland. The Phoenix Park in Dublin is pretty much the exact same as what you’re describing

Watching this video while listening to the honking of a cab demonstration for nearly an hour here in Vienna...

Just ridden up boxhi to support Chris and its ridiculously busy i had so many close passes coming up.

It’s the exact same problem in Dublin with the Phoenix Park, it is seen as an major road rather than a park.

The light! Oh man, the light. Stunning.

I ride in traffic often but this even for a slow speed road is is super scary especially with how dense and agro that traffic is.

Jeez that’s mad! So glad I live up North, it might be grim but at least it’s quiet

Cracking video Francis. 🚴‍♂️👍

I was thinking how beautiful the park looked, but then.... the cars... they are the bane of my existence. I'm totally with you. We need to prevent cars or at the very least, have none car days. When will they understand.

I've been living in North London since August this year and ride Regents Park once or twice a week and done Richmond Park a handful of times. The thing that stands out to is the fact that in Regents Park when I ride early morning, cyclists out number vehicles 2:1 or 3:1 (depending on weather) as for Richmond, this past weekend even on a dull, overcast, chilly autumnal morning I have never seen so many cyclists in one place, I'd put an estimate on cyclists outnumbering motorists 30:1 One thing I still cannot get over though with London cyclists is ... its 6-7am, 5-10 degrees, bit frosty, pretty cold ... shorts weather - 0:01 for example.

great video - there is also rat running in bushy park

Good work. I'm local and only go in R.P for night rides. Too horrible during the day.

I love these videos and Callum is a hero.

Same issue at Holyrood Park in Edinburgh. The main reasons cyclists go is to do laps of the Arthur's seat Climb (check strava, great wee climb in the middle the city) and we have really benefitted from covid in that respect as it's been closed for covid to cars. They've also closed the park sat and Sunday 8.30am - 4pm for cars to rat run through, open at one entrance for the car park. We do have a 20mph speed limit in edinburgh city centre so not as bad as this, dont think it needs to be fully closed. But I'd certainly love the single lane road up and around the climb to remain closed forever to cars!

Totally defeats the purpose of a park. That is frustrating. Best of luck to you guys on your mission to change it!

So my two cents as a local (Lived and cycled around Kingston my whole life) I 100% support RP being closed to cars for good, it is a blissful park. How do I test my fitness? A timed lap of Richmond Park. It is unbeatable. The park is one of, if not my favourite place in London and over lockdown when it was closed to cars it was amazing. Completly quiet apart from the occasional dog or bike. As soon as it opened to cars it became noisy and unpleasant. (just a tip for you adrenaline junkies out there, a lap of the park in summer at night is fucking amazing, like 2/3am *chef's kiss*) HOWEVER the issue is... The road (not through the park) between Richmond and Kingston is awful. The key part of that being the tight corner in Petersham, if two 65's come through there at the same time, prepare to be stuck in traffic for a bit. It is a very tight road, and the council (sometime in the 70/80/90s) bought some of the lands from the owner of the large house on the inside of the corner to expand the road after a sinkhole ate the road. The person that owns that large house has said they are unwilling to sell their land to expand the road more. Petersham is a very expensive area, and that plot of land would cost the council a huge amount of money. This area as well is on the border of Richmond Council's jurisdiction and they could care less about that area of traffic as it has no real effect on the greater area of Richmond and their income centres (Richmond Hill and high street). The park should be closed, but until a good alternative can be made for the road between Kingston and Richmond, this will not happen. The traffic on that thin road would be a nightmare and would basically be like the M25 during rush hour, every hour of the day. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk (feel free to comment or ask questions, always happy to discuss RP)

If the government here in the UK are wanting to get more people active they should be supporting things like this. Over lockdown when the park was closed to vehicles and open to cyclists at certain times it was perfect, I got so many friends into cycling in London who were scared too due to the London roads. But Richmond gave them a place where they could build confidence and in general not worry while getting fitter! I couldn’t support this anymore!!

Nice work guys

I'd love to cycle to work but the amount of traffic really puts me off

Bushey Park also has a road running straight through it.

I don't live in London but I support this idea

Good work

This is very important.

Survey done. Ridden in Richmond park for 10 years and never knew how nice it could be till lockdown 1.

I have not read all the comments so it may been covered by somebody else but in New York City the two most famous parks do not allow cars in any more anytime. Prospect Park in Brooklyn started it followed by Central Park.

These vids make me so happy to live in very sparsely populated country.

Am a firm believer that the bicycle is one of mankind’s best inventions. An endless amount of people have the same attitude towards their shoes as they do their cars, if they leave the house they can only do it by car.

It's been 27 years since I regularly cycled through Richmond Park and I was genuinely shocked by the amount of traffic but not just cars, bikes too. I would possibly see one other cyclist every other day. I appreciate the efforts to make cycling safer but fear that if it was completely closed to vehicles it would turn into a daily crit for racing cyclists and ultimately the park is the sanctuary of the deers that reside there. What the solution is I don't know, my decision was to move away from the busiest area of the UK and move to The New Forest but alas this is now getting busier too. Great content as always 👍

Nice work Francis. I can see Calum's political future in play...and he would be in it for the right reason which obviously is to make a difference. Thanks again for supporting meaningful causes and bringing them to light. Much appreciated!

Shared the video and link to the survey in Clapham Cycles Slack :)

The roads need decent cycle lanes alongside them. Kingston Council received a £33 million Mayor of London grant to build cycle lanes and storage units, which they first applied for in 2014 I believe. Did Richmond apply for it I wonder? The problem with closing the park to motorists completely is that the surrounding roads , many of which are narrow single lane ones, will come to a virtual halt.

My local park cause I live in Kingston. Really has been ruined. It is lovely for riding before and after the gates are shut

Does LCC offer up routes to do as a visitor in London to view what has changed of the past years? I would be very interested to do a bike holiday in and around London when COVID slows down.

Regent park it was a nightmare as well Living Cardiff now and we have a taff trail car free

Thank you.....

Quite sure the drivers don't even save a meaningful amount of time using it, it just SEEMS like they should, so they take it. Looking at morning rush hour from Kingston hospital to Richmond train station (so pretty much best case for taking a shortcut thru the park), google maps says 12-24 minutes thru the park, 14-28 minutes using normal roads. So 2-4 minutes saving in the most optimal scenario. Worth it to keep it open for that?

Love this video and initiative, thanks Francis. I filled out the survey and sent an email re. Regents. The aggressive nature of driving in the UK against cyclists is astonishing! Not sure if this is driven by the fact that the UK manufactures 1.5m cars a year? People also seem to struggle with the thought that something (a bicycle) invented 150 years ago is a strong contender to mitigate mental health problems (anxiety, depression) and climate change. Need more education work at early life stages (and to move away from considering a car “ownership” a status symbol). They should invite you into schools... 👍🏻

Greenwich Park has (or used to have) traffic in the mornings too.

Huge contrast with say the Vondelpark in Amsterdam where there are always lots of people walking, running, skating and cycling in the fresh air. But no motor vehicles.

I really hate to be that guy but where is Callum's helmet? He's about the best placed person to know about the dangers involved with cycling especially in London. But do love the message ❤️

I cycle here a few times a week and have just been so out off now the weather has closed in. I’ve cycled early (7.30) over lunch and towards closing (4.30) and without fail the roads are full of cars. The volume of cars is one issue but a (very small) minority seem to forget the rules of the road still apply... I tend to favour cycle lanes and roads down towards surrey as cars are better behaved, which is a shame but oddly feels safer than the park...

Don’t really know Richmond Park but could it not be closed to motor traffic, with access to parking only? Or does the layout not allow that without opening up the rat run?

done and done 👍

YES YES YES. Stopping through traffic is something that could and should be done immediately. Cars endlessly queuing for parking on weekends is also not okay - RP needs to promote getting to the park by means other than driving, and sort out visitor parking outside.

Just when I’m about to sleep...

Nice one Francis.

Richmond Council needs to be involved. Royal Parks are required by statute to consult with local highway authority before making changes to park roads.

Top chap!

Some of the drivers like to tell me “get off the road” in Richmond Park, followed by a loud horn and a close pass. Some drivers almost run me over cos they “didn’t see me” when they are turning to enter the parking. They overtake then do less speed than me. They also don’t seem to know that we are allowed to ride any public road we damn please. We are allowed to take the lane (but not hold up traffic when it is safe for us to let traffic go), and local and general tax is used to build roads NOT road tax. They also don’t realise that my bike costs more than their car. They also don’t realise I own a car and I am a better driver than them.

@francis cade Lead a protest! Even if it doesnt work it's good content.