Cycle speed limits call for Royal Parks

The charity responsible for London’s Royal Parks is demanding the Government create new laws to make cyclists obey 20mph speed limits. In a move that challenges the way some cyclists use the capital’s outdoor spaces, The Royal Parks is seeking new legislation so that cyclists can be prosecuted for speeding in the same way as car drivers and motorcyclists. 

It follows a series of injuries connected to cycling, including the death of Hilda Griffiths, 81, who was hit by a cyclist in Regent’s Park in June 2022. Her inquest was told that police did not prosecute the cyclist, riding at 29mph in a 20mph zone, because speed limits do not apply to bikes.

 Lloyd Grossman, chairman of The Royal Parks, has now written to the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, requesting that the laws be updated. The letter says the charity’s board wants an amendment to The Royal Parks and Other Open Spaces Regulations 1997 “with a view to setting speed limits for cyclists”.