A large volume of cyclists, cyclists speeding or without helmets, a fear of transmission through exhalation of air and excess burden on the NHS were amongst the key reasons that the Royal Parks made the decision to ban cyclists from Richmond Park, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request reveals.

The FOI request was made by a London Cycling Campaign member David Williams (Twitter user @Bigdai100). It was then posted to Twitter by the Richmond Borough group of the London Cycling Campaign, @RichmondCycling.

The FOI request was granted with three documents detailing the evidence gathered in the build-up to the Royal Parks' decision to ban cycling, as well as the discussion points between the Richmond Park management and the Executive Committee of the Royal Parks.

In response to the official request, the Royal Parks' stated reasons surrounding volume of cyclists, claiming, 'At the Roehampton Gate roundabout alone, 1,072 cyclists passed in a one hour period.'

Poor obedience with regards to Park bylaws was also a cited issue: 'Sports cyclists were gauged as reaching up to 34mph on several occasions.' Richmond Park has a speed limit for bicycles of 20mph, and cyclists have historically been fined for being recorded over this limit.

The letter also mentions fast pelotons of riders passing 'less experienced cyclists on shopping bikes with no safety helmets.'

A separate document, which details correspondence between Simon Richards, Park Manager for Richmond Park, to the Executive Committee of the Royal Parks (described as SMT in the letter) has drawn more criticism for its content.

In the Park Manager's letter to the executive committee, he explained that current cycling levels were, 'incompatible with current government advice,' because, 'cyclists exercising hard inevitably cause a plume of exhalation in their wake possibly endangering those behind them.'

He added, 'Be good to get a medic to support this assumption on our part.'

The idea of transmission in open air from cyclists has been discussed across social media after a Belgian study using CfD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis suggested droplets could be carried over large distances. The suggestion is yet to be supported with any evidence of open-air transmission of Covid-19 between cyclists.

The Royal Parks letter also suggested that staff had observed, 'inexperienced road users frequently without protective clothing and some travelling at high speed,' which they argued, 'significantly raises the likelihood of a severe accident at a time when the NHS can ill afford to be dealing with avoidable accidents.'

While wearing protective clothing such as helmets is encouraged by the Highway Code, there is no legal requirement to wear a helmet while cycling in the UK.

A report detailing evidence of this was compiled by Richmond Park staff on 24th March, and included traffic counts, speed gun readings and photographic evidence of crowding.

In this report, the Park staff's preferred recommendation was to close Richmond Park to cyclists over the age of 12. The report states, 'Arguably most cyclists have already exercised by the time they have got to the park, and do not need to cycle in the park for their mental well-being.'

The report stated that staff would recommend a full closure if sufficient police were not available to enforce the ban on cycling, claiming this was, 'not really in tune with government preferred policy but will be the only option if cyclist do not comply or police are not available.'

In a statement on 27th March the Royal Parks said:"Cycling in Richmond Park will be suspended until further notice from Saturday 28th March to support social distancing guidelines as set out by the government to stay 2m apart and to prevent crowds at park gates which are becoming hugely congested.

"It is necessary to suspend all cycling in Richmond Park to protect public safety and ultimately help keep this vital green space open for everyone. Cycling is still permitted in the other Royal Parks, where there is no current evidence of congestion.

"We're continuously monitoring the situation and intervening where appropriate, with the support of the police, to reduce congestion in all areas across all our parks.

"Many Parks are closing across the UK because people aren't following the Government's guidelines and people are gathering in groups of more than two. We really want to keep our eight Parks open across London as they are such important green spaces for those that can reach them safely for daily exercise and to walk in nature.

"NHS workers with their staff passes and key workers approved by the Government going directly to or returning from their place of work can also cycle through the Richmond Park upon presenting documentation from their employers. Those aged 12 years and under can also continue to cycle in the park."

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