Wednesday 6 July 2011

Cyclists on Parade?

The Royal Parks Agency manage Horse Guards Road and I have had a prompt response to my email about the advertised closure:
From previous closures it normally seems that the pavement adjoining this very wide road remains open and that events rarely take up the full width of the road, allowing the potential for a temporary two-way cycle path adjoining one of the pavements.

Please can you let me know whether this is something that you attempt to instigate when closing this road, which I think you'll agree is a much better road for cyclists than Whitehall, and if not whether there is the chance to trial it during this closure?

The Assistant Park Manager at St James's Park wrote:
This is something which is currently being discussed with the organisers, i.e. keeping a two way cycle route open when Horse Guards Road is closed to general traffic for the build of this type of event. I am awaiting a proposal, and will get back to you when I have further information.

I'm delighted that this is being discussed and I'm keeping my fingers crossed, though I'm a bit nervous that we're a couple of weeks away from the closure and a proposed option hasn't yet been presented to the Royal Parks, and even then it may only apply to the build and not the duration of the event itself.

I'd imagine that the more cyclists write in the greater the likelihood of a way being found.