Longstanding London park time trial cancelled over concerns of speed and 'cycling-related incidents'

A long-running time trial in one of London's biggest parks has been cancelled over fears of cyclists breaking speed limits and after "several cycling-related incidents".

London Dynamo organised two time trials in Richmond Park in late-June and early July, which have been running for 15 years. However, the two events have now been cancelled due to the park's operators, The Royal Parks, embarking on a review of its cycling policy.

The time trials were well-organised and abided by Cycling Time Trials' regulations; they were due to take place on 23 June and 7 July. It is understood to be a permanent decision.

The cancellation comes in the wake of a deluge of coverage on the case of Hilda Griffiths, who died after being hit by a cyclist in another of The Royal Park's charges, Regents Park, in 2022.

Her death was recorded as an "accidental cyclist collision death" by a coroner's court earlier this month, with no prosecution brought against the bike rider. She had stepped into the road in front of rider Brian Fitzgerald, who had averaged 25mph around the park perimeter as part of a pace-line, reaching speeds of up to 29mph.

The tragedy led to the Royal Parks contacting Strava to ask that segments within the parks be removed from the platform, to discourage fast riding. 

The news also prompted many anti-cycling stories in the UK media. It was understood that the cancellation of the Richmond Park time trials were linked to these events, but it was confirmed by the person in charge of the park on Friday.

"The Royal Parks charity takes the safety of all park visitors and road users extremely seriously," Paul Richards said. "Following several cycling-related incidents within the Royal Parks, linked to a minority of people cycling at excessive speeds, it is our duty to take action to minimise the risk of accidents and our priority to ensure the safety of all cyclists together with other visitors. 

"We strive to create a relaxing and welcoming environment for the cycling community. We have reduced cut-through motor traffic and invested in safety measures to protect cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users, including the equine community."

"We continue to review and explore our current cycling events, our cycling policy, and the infrastructure across the Royal Parks," he continued. "During this period of review, we have taken the decision to not permit the time trial events on 23 June and 7 July, as they directly encourage cyclists to go faster than the speed limit of the road.

"Enforcement of the law and park regulations is the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police."

Speed limits do not apply to cyclists, but riders within the park are expected to abide by them.

The organiser of the Richmond Park Time Trials, London Dynamo chairperson Andy Taylor, told Cycling Weekly on Thursday that he was "disappointed" by the news.

"This is the first time it has been cancelled," he explained. "We've run it for 15 years without any incidents. We just got wind a couple of weeks ago, that the Royal Parks were getting cold feet. I think it was all around the anti-cycling sentiment that went on at the time. I think The Royal Parks has come under quite a lot of pressure and focus since then. We got wind that they might be having second thoughts about our time trial. And sure enough, they just cancelled it in the last couple of days."

"There's a 20mph limit across the park, and they're worried that this event is seen as encouraging cyclists to break the speed limit," he continued.

"They also said the deer posed a risk to the cyclists," Taylor explained. "They've been there all this time. So they obviously can't say 'we're doing this because we're reacting to the Regents Park incident', but that's what it is. We've fallen victim to that. We tried to engage with them in terms of meeting face to face and to hear any concerns, but they refused to do that."