Publication from Caroline Russell: Royal Parks Movement Strategy

Dear Andrew Scattergood,

I am writing in response to the Royal Parks Movement Strategy. In light of the Mayor’s Transport Strategy, it is a good time to reassess the right priorities and goals for movement within the Royal Parks. I believe parks are there for the people of London as a vital 'green lung' with large open spaces that are accessible to all.

Many Londoners’ hugely value visiting the Royal Parks. It is right that you seek to protect, conserve and enhance them when making changes or developments. As you state, they are spaces used for relaxation and recreation, which is vital in a busy city. However, historically movement has diminished our parks, particularly when Park Lane widened and absorbed the East Carriage Drive from Hyde Park in the 1960s.

A movement strategy needs to prioritise the right movements in the right places. While roads through the Royal Parks are in good condition, the movement on those roads is not what London really needs. 20 mph should be the maximum speed limit for all roads in all your parks, and you should further lower speed limits where necessary.

You are right to question the through-movement of motor vehicles in the parks. Traffic reduction in the Royal Parks would be transformative. This could be achieved simply by using existing gates to block through motor traffic. The open spaces of the parks would become places with far less intrusion from the noise, pollution and movement of traffic. Bird song would be more audible, the drone of car engines would not.'

Improving the parks for walking should be the priority. Paths should be wide enough to create a relaxing walking environment. With less traffic on them, existing roads would be safer for cycling. This too may help make the pedestrian paths more pleasant, and less contested where they are shared.

It’s important to consider accessibility. Some disabled people may use a car to access the parks, but everyone should be able to get around conveniently without using a car while in the park. Wide paths without rumble strips provide the best surface for people in wheelchairs, those pushing buggies and using other mobility aids.

Cycle hire could be extended to be more inclusive. I strongly support projects like Companion Cycling in Bushy Park to enable cycling for disabled people. And encourage you to look at how mobility shuttles and cargo bikes can be used to widen mobility.

I’d like to see the Royal Parks use a thoughtful approach to mobility to make the parks work more effectively as the ‘green lungs’ of our city. This would mean having a strategic goal to remove all through motor traffic from the parks, using the roads appropriately for access and for the recreation that parks can support. Our parks should be places where people walking and cycling come first, where birdsong is heard and where children can roam.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Russell

Green Party Member of the London Assembly