§ Mrs. RocheTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has to introduce more cycle routes in the royal parks.
§ Mr. SproatResponsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Royal Parks Agency, under its chief executive, Mr. David Welch. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from David Welch to Mrs Barbara Roche, dated 8 July 1994:
The Secretary of State for National Heritage has asked me to reply to your Question about providing more cycle routes in the Royal Parks.We currently have a cycle lane that runs around three sides of Hyde Park and joins Knightsbridge by the Albert Memorial. Apart from being able to use the Park roads, in Richmond Park cyclists may also use roads that are closed to other vehicular traffic.We shall be issuing a paper on cycling in the Royal Parks to interested parties for discussion later this month. This will propose a range of measures to improve arrangements for cyclists in the Royal Parks. Amongst other things, it will propose the following additional cycle lanes:In Hyde Park, north/south from Albion Gate, roughly following the route of the horseride, then across the Serpentine Bridge and alongside West Carriage Drive to join the current cycle lane opposite Coalbrookdale Gates;705WIn Green Park/St. James's Park, from Hyde Park Corner, parallel to Constitution Hill, behind Canada Gates and alongside the Mall;In Regent's Park, one way advisory cycle lanes from Macclesfield Bridge, either side of the Outer Circle and Park Square, to Marylebone Road;In Richmond Park, a purpose-built off-road track to allow cyclists to travel around the perimeter of the park.We propose that all cycle lanes in the parks will be specially marked in a different colour to pedestrian paths and will improve safety provision for cyclists at those points where they cross roads carrying vehicular traffic.