Cycle routes inside Regents Park

CCC with Westminster Cyclists have participated in the LCC Parks Group to get cycling permitted on a small number of routes inside Regents Park. We were represented on that group for several years by Stefano Casalotti. Our representative from Summer 2007 was Meade McCloughan. Our current representative is Anne Boston.

The Royal Parks Agency ran a pilot scheme of cycling on the Broad Walk from July to the end of September 2007. This trial applied only to the section of the Broad Walk from St Mark’s Gate at the northern end to Broad Walk Gate at the junction with Chester Rd.

For more details of the trial, have a look at Royal parks Info on trial

Currently (since August 2008) a second eighteen month trial is under way.

Two interesting reports are now on the Royal Parks website

Cycle Review at The Regent’s Park - Recommendations Report

Cycle Review at The Regent’s Park - Executive Summary

Outer Circle Issues

New campaign to improve Outer Circle - Summer 2008

Frances Mortimer is (since Sept 2008) leading a new campaign: we're drafting an idea about pedestrianising an area outside the entrance to the zoo with a view to enhancing pedestrian and cyclist safety. We have support from Living Streets and Westminster CC.

Regents Park: A Child-Friendly Approach to Park and Zoo

We sent an informal email to ZSLand received: ZSL Response to CCC proposal

Previous Campaign to improve the Outer Circle (2003-4)

This campaign was started by Norman Beddington of Transport 2000 London. Camden and Westminster Cycling Campaigns were involved, together with representatives from Friends of the Earth and Living Streets. T See web page detailing the proposal

Safety in the Outer Circle

We had been promised improvements. But in Spring 2007, we discovered to our horror that several big traffic islands had been built. To quote a cyclist:

"A new central island has been built which is not in itself a problem - however some genius has painted a cycle lane which extends straight into the back of a line of cars. The safe route to take (to avoid the parked cars) is about 2 metres wide of the bike lane. As can be seen from the photo, it might have been safer to have a footway build out to the width of the parked cars, so that the remaining carriageway is so narrow that there is no question of overtaking a cyclist in the gap."

Stefano Casalotti campaigned vigorously for the removal of these islands or at least some change in the road markings. However, nothing has yet changed.