Ban on cars in Royal Parks to boost walking and cycling
CARS will be banned from driving through a number of Royal Parks to promote walking and cycling and reduce their use as “rat runs”.
The changes, which will be trialled for six months, will include closing Constitution Hill and The Mall for the entire weekend rather than only on Sundays.
North Carriage Drive in Hyde Park will be closed throughout the week and South Carriage Drive shut on Saturdays in addition to Sundays.
Restrictions in Richmond Park are due to be revealed “shortly”, in a second phase of changes, while there are longer-term “traffic management” plans for Regent’s Park. Both of these parks are heavily used by through-traffic, resulting in regular clashes between drivers and cyclists.
The changes, part of the “movement strategy” being implemented by the Royal Parks charity to safeguard them as a “refuge” from city life, will still allow visitors to drive to the parks. Consultation was launched last year and attracted thousands of responses but the implementation of the plan is being “accelerated” as part of the capital’s switch to “green” travel as it emerges from the lockdown.
The closure of Constitution Hill, The Mall and South Carriage Drive at weekends will create more safe space for the thousands of visitors to Hyde Park, Green Park and St James’s Park to socially distance and, at a stroke, a traffic-free corridor from Kensington to Trafalgar Square.
The car parks in the Royal Parks will be reopened on a staggered basis from next Tuesday and the changes will follow over the coming weeks and months.
The Avenue in Greenwich Park will be closed throughout the week but the car park in Blackheath Avenue will remain open. In Bushy Park, all through-traffic will be restricted with a partial road closure on Chestnut Avenue, between Teddington and Hampton
By restricting this traffic in Richmond Park we will create a safer and more enjoyable space for visitors Royal Parks
Court Gates. The Royal Parks said many of the measures were effectively already in place due to restrictions introduced in response to the lockdown being imposed in March. North Carriage Drive was previously closed for half the year due to events in Hyde Park.
Cycling was temporarily banned in Richmond Park at the peak of the pandemic due to concerns about cyclists failing to socially distance. The Royal Parks said Richmond Park was “the most complex of all our road networks”.
It said: “Our studies show that the majority of all motor traffic in Richmond Park is through-traffic. By restricting this traffic in the park we will create a safer and more enjoyable space for visitors.”
Mat Bonomi, head of transport for the Royal Parks, said: “Our parks have been a lifeline for Londoners during the pandemic and, with more people than ever walking and cycling, these trials will be a chance for Londoners to continue to enjoy new car-free areas of the parks.”