The Royal Parks in London have set out a long term-vision for improving the experience of park users, the vast majority of whom are walkers. They are currently consulting on this vision and have invited comments from the public and interested organisations. As part of their new vision, they are conducting five trial projects that are testing ways to reduce the amount of cut-through traffic in the parks.
They are seeking the public’s views on these trials.
Please let them know you support reductions in traffic levels across London’s Royal Parks.
The trials are underway in Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, Bushy Park, St. James’s Park and the Green Park, Greenwich Park, and Richmond Park. At the end of the trial the Royal Parks will assess the impact of these trials and decide whether to make these changes permanent.
The Ramblers support these moves to reduce motor vehicle traffic in the Royal Parks. High volume car traffic in parks poses a serious risk to walkers ‘safety and negatively impacts the character and enjoyment of the parks through increased air and noise pollution as well as reducing the amount of space available for park users to enjoy on foot.
Walking has become more important than ever to the nation’s physical and mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic. Green spaces are important to almost everyone. Our recent report, The grass isn’t greener for everyone: why access to green space matters, found the top reason for this was that they are a good place to walk (78%). We also know that people are planning to walk more when COVID-19 restrictions have ended.
London’s Royal Parks have been used by huge numbers of people throughout 2020 – and it’s vital we make them safe and pleasurable for everybody. As a result, we are urging Londoners to make their voice heard by taking part in the consultation.
The consultation ends on January 10th.