Richmond Park car parking consultation

Gavin Gilbert

This is more of a Campaign issue, but there are a number of Park users on this Board so it makes sense to post here.

http://www.royalparks.org.uk/press/2009 ... se_190.cfm

All of us that use the park for either leisure or training rides will understand how traffic blighted the ring road can be, and how the queues to enter the congested carpark disrupt cycling.

Therefore I suggest the proposals from The Royal Parks are a very good thing in that they are likely to decrease car usage in the Park as a whole. Furthermore, the suggestion seems to be that the money raised will be used to fund the Park. Hopefully this will result in some long overdue resurfacing.

There is already opposition forming from 'the car lobby' as well as some local residents. Please consider writing in and supporting the proposal. It would be a shame if this 'small win' was lost to louder voices.

elyobelyob

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

This is more of a Campaign issue, but there are a number of Park users on this Board so it makes sense to post here.

http://www.royalparks.org.uk/press/2009 ... se_190.cfm

All of us that use the park for either leisure or training rides will understand how traffic blighted the ring road can be, and how the queues to enter the congested carpark disrupt cycling.

Therefore I suggest the proposals from The Royal Parks are a very good thing in that they are likely to decrease car usage in the Park as a whole. Furthermore, the suggestion seems to be that the money raised will be used to fund the Park. Hopefully this will result in some long overdue resurfacing.

There is already opposition forming from 'the car lobby' as well as some local residents. Please consider writing in and supporting the proposal. It would be a shame if this 'small win' was lost to louder voices.

I disagree fully with their proposals. People will go to the park in their cars still, but will drive around and around so they don't have to pay the parking charge. The more blighted the car parks are, the more people will reconsider their mode of transport before even going.

What needs to be stopped is the usage of the park as a cut-through. I have no problem with anyone being in the park that is there to enjoy it.

Kléber

What is wrong with Richmond Park? On the times I have visited, it works well. Plenty of people cycling, few accidents and given its in one of the world's largest cities, it's surprisingly calm inside.

A queue for traffic entering a car park doesn't sound like much of a blight, if a row of traffic is as bad as it gets, will any changes fix this and is this a real problem?

chuckcork

Kléber wrote:

What is wrong with Richmond Park? On the times I have visited, it works well. Plenty of people cycling, few accidents and given its in one of the world's largest cities, it's surprisingly calm inside.

A queue for traffic entering a car park doesn't sound like much of a blight, if a row of traffic is as bad as it gets, will any changes fix this and is this a real problem?

Having seen massive tailbacks inside the park in Summer caused by people determined to get into already over capacity carparks, and blocking the roads by doing so (well, not to bikes :P ) perhaps this would reduce some of the pressure on parking that occurs, especially at weekends?

Anyway, its is supposed to be a Park, not a thoroughfare. The traffic might not be a problem for you, but there are more than a few collisions through the year with the deer, and have beem more than one incident of horse riders and cyclists being hit by vehicles using it as a cut through. One such incident is I believe the reason why Robin Hood gate is now closed to vehicles.

snakehips

I imagine the objective of car park charging is to get the people who use the facility to pay for it. In an age when lots of people expect to get everything they need or want paid for by somebody else , this may sound like an antiquated notion , but it still appeals to me.

pinkbikini

Not sure I agree with this. I can understand residents being a bit miffed (never thought I would support the local residents) - even if they get residents parking, it won't be over the weekend, and they'll be unable to park anywhere near their houses on warm summer days because all the cheapskates will be trying to avoid the parking charges. To be honest the parking situation is particularly bad already.
The traffic problem is (IMO) mainly caused by people taking a shortcut through the park. The local residents are the first to speak up whenever there is a discussion proposing closing the park to traffic as their roads will be used as rat-runs.
Richmond Park is not readily accessible by any public transport.
There are a number of solutions that could have been put forwards - I think the one proposed is to raise revenue to resurface the car parks. No benefit to anyone else. I don't see it as any solution at all...

Gavin Gilbert

pinkbikini wrote:

The traffic problem is (IMO) mainly caused by people taking a shortcut through the park. The local residents are the first to speak up whenever there is a discussion proposing closing the park to traffic as their roads will be used as rat-runs.

I used to subscribe to the Ham by-pass theory but I then noticed how quiet the parks roads are when it's awful weather (I'll normally only use the place on a day where I really day feel like a loop out to Windsor because it's throwing it down)

pinkbikini

Well it is true, there are a lot of deer-spotters pootling around during the day. But they don't park properly either - they just stop at the side of the road and whip out the cameras and wonder off for a bit of a stroll!!!

Roadworks on the Upper Richmond Road at the mo - lots of thru-traffic in the park.

kingstongraham

This will only reduce traffic by reducing the number of people enjoying the park. The way to reduce traffic completely is to make the roads so that if you enter through one gate, you can only leave through the same gate.

So if you came in through Kingston Gate you could park in Kingston car park or Robin Hood, through Ham gate to park in the big one with the tea shop, through Roehampton you can park in the golf course one, and through Sheen gate to get to the one in the middle (maybe, but that would make it a bit bad where all those photos of the stags and the ponds get taken). Or you shut a couple more gates and do something similar.

chuckcork

pinkbikini wrote:

The traffic problem is (IMO) mainly caused by people taking a shortcut through the park. The local residents are the first to speak up whenever there is a discussion proposing closing the park to traffic as their roads will be used as rat-runs.

The roads around the outside of the park are already used as rat runs, aren't they?

Having lived in North Kingston when the residents parking was introduced and seen the impact of removing public parking on traffic volumes (became much, much quieter), a combination of both restricting through access in the park itself and parking restrictions around it would probably make things BETTER for those residents nearby.

Still have to deal with the question of how are people going to get to the park in the first place, of course.

I know! The bicycle!

Problem solved. Now, can I have my fee please? For you, a mere ££££££, worth every penny.

Greenbank

Congestion charge style number plate recognition cameras at each gate.

£3 fee if you leave the park by a gate other than the one you entered by. Free if you leave by the same gate you entered by (no time limit but car parks still charge).