The Royal Parks announced tonight that Richmond Park would re-open to cyclists under new guidelines from next Tuesday. (June 2)

Usually hundreds of cyclists from Teddington use Richmond Park as a short cut 'commuter route' into central London.

Initially, cyclists will be allowed to use the park on weekdays only BEFORE 10am and AFTER 4pm in a 'managed re-introduction.'

A Royal Parks spokesperson said:"We will undertake a managed re-introduction of cycling back into Richmond Park to provide access for weekday commuters."

The easing of the restrictions follows the temporary cycling suspension that was introduced at the end of March to support the Government's social distancing guidelines, maintain public safety and prevent serious congestion at park gates.

The Royal Parks spokesperson added:"We've been working hard to find a way to allow cyclists to return to the park that supports their safety and the safety of other park visitors.

"By re-opening in a limited capacity, we will be able to accurately monitor the impact of the re-introduction of cyclists on the park, and on other park visitors, informing any future decisions around opening the park more widely to cyclists.

"We would like to thank everyone who has supported the temporary restrictions which have been in place during these unprecedented times, in order to enable the park to stay open for everyone who needs it.

"We would also like to thank all those cyclists, cycling groups and other park users who have given constructive feedback and suggestions on how to re-open the park safely."

Cycling groups have been campaigning for the full re-opening of the park for cyclists as it is a popular commuter route into London.

The new guidelines:

Cycling permitted for all cyclists before 10am and after 4pm.

Key workers commuting to work will still be permitted to cycle through the park at any time during park opening hours.

Children aged 12 and under will also still be able to cycle at any time and their immediate family will also be permitted to cycle with them.

The park roads on the eastern side of the park around Priory Lane and Broomfield Hill will be temporarily suspended to adult cyclists at all times, in order to maintain safety and provide a safe area for children and families to play.

Earlier in May, a Freedom of Information request (FOI) from a London Cycling Campaign (LCC) member to the Royal Parks over why the park was closed to cyclists revealed that park staff had witnessed cyclists using their phones, riding at excessive speeds and a large increase in numbers, prior to the cycling ban during the coronavirus lockdown.

Royal Parks had initially said the decision had been taken because cyclists were not adhering to social distancing rules.

With lockdown measures nationwide easing again on Monday, the park has now decided to make a limited reopening.

However, LCC borough coordinator for Richmond, Tim Lennon, told Cycling Weekly earlier this month that the initial decision to close the park to cyclists was the wrong one.

"We understand why the decision was taken, but we think it was the wrong one," Mr Lennon said.

"If the problem were crowding at the gates, this could have been fixed with partial opening of gates, or one-way as used at Bushy Park. If the problem was people not being able to socially distance on bikes, we need some evidence of that: perhaps there were instances of this, but none of them justify the way the parks summarily banned cycling."

For full details of Richmond Park re-opening details

Reaction from Cycling Weekly