Richmond park gravel danger and dust cloud

[Charlotte]

Apologies for the cross posting across several flora, but for any West London types who train in RP, this one's worth knowing about.

For the time being, I’d advise any cyclists using Richmond Park to be extraordinarily careful about the section between Roehampton and Richmond gates. Some kind of fine gravel has been spread on the carriageway and it’s started to get moved around by the cars into uneven piles across the road. If you’re turning or braking when you ride across one of these piles, it could well have you off your bike.

I've grinked the Royal Parks Chief Exec and there are more details and photos on my blog

 

[theives]

Richmond Park Grit/Gravel Menace

I have written to Zac Goldsmith the new Richmond MP and he replied as shown below:
"Thanks very much for your email.
With your permission, I'd like to forward your message to the Highwaymanagement Group at Richmond Council, as well as Simon Richards at the Royal Parks Authority. I'll also bring it up with the Surface Transport team, who I'm meeting on 13th July in Westminster. Very best wishes in the meantime
Zac Goldsmith"

 

[Charlotte]

Blimey - your MP replies to you? Mine's yet to ever even acknowledge correspondance! Nice reply too; let us know if you hear any more.

 

[Hutch 75]

Went there last night, bloody awful, did one lap and buggered off home, hope it's not going to stay like that, think it's due to some sort of roadworks, think I saw some signs up to that effect, perhaps it's been done on purpose to stop the cyclists ?

 

[RyanW]

Im thinking its possibly a measure to stop too much surface damage over the busy period they can now expect due to tennis. i vaguely remember this happening before, but not to such an extent,

 

[RyanW]

Just though of an upside, my tyres no longer stick to the road on hot days (like today) well, at the parts they have throw that sh1t down

 

[HaloJ]

So it's still an awful mess then? I was hoping for it to have been sorted out for tomorrow as part of the London Bikeathon runs on that section of the park.

Abs

 

[Mattyboy]

If the Bikeathon really does run over that section of the park, someone should get down there with a camera/video camera. People will fall off - I went round the park on an (abandoned) evening lap and nearly killed myself.

Those responsible need to see the effect their lack of consideration has on the cyclists who have very little alternative to Richmond Park as a safe (ish) place to train.


Richmond Park...what a joke. I mean if you can't sit in a traffic jam, cut up cyclists and take shortcuts through a Royal Park, where can you sit in a traffic jam, cut up cyclists and take shortcuts? Oh that's right - everywhere else in London...

 

[Globalti]

I gave up riding in the park years ago......

 

[ianrauk]

Is this still ongoing? Has anything been done to clear up the gravel? Or is it there to stay?