Strava has been urged to remove the roads of Regent’s Park, London, from segments, after a pedestrian was killed in a collision with a cyclist.
The operator of Regent’s Park, The Royal Parks, has written to Strava and other cycling apps to ask for the removal of the Outer Circle from its leaderboards. It follows a collision involving Hilda Griffiths, 81, a pedestrian who was hit by a cyclist, Brian Fitzgerald, in June 2022, and later died of her injuries.
However, no prosecution was brought as speed limits do not apply to cyclists, with it being recorded as an “accidental cycling collision death”. At the Coroners’ Court hearing, it was said that the cyclists had been travelling at up to 29mph in Regent’s Park, where the speed limit for cars is 20mph.
The case has seen renewed calls for crackdowns on cycling speeds in the national media.
On Sunday, The Sunday Telegraph reported that The Royal Parks had written to Strava to ask for the removal of the Outer Circle segment. Regent’s Park is one of the most popular places to cycle in central London, with more than 62,000 people completing the Regent’s Park Outer Circle segment.
The theory is that with no segment, there would be less incentive for timed laps of the park. However, its popularity lies with it being a largely car-free space in the centre of one of the biggest cities in the world.
The fastest ever public completion of the Regent’s Park CCW segment, which is 4.4km long, was 4:49 in September last year, which means it was done at a speed of 54.8km/h, or 34mph.
It was also reported that The Royal Parks had written to clubs that used the park to remind them that cyclists using any royal park are required “to observe the motor vehicle speed limits for the park”.
A Royal Parks spokesperson said: “We were extremely sorry to hear of the incident which resulted in the death of Hilda Griffiths. We will continue to work with local stakeholders, including cycling groups, to inform our approach. We have made contact and will follow up with cycling apps such as Strava to request removal of the Outer Circle in the Regent’s Park as a segment on the app.”
The Telegraph reported that a document was sent to cycling clubs stating that “pedestrians have priority with the Royal Parks, as they make up the majority of park visitors”. It added: “We do ask that cyclists observe the motor vehicle speed limit for the park.” However, Cycling Weekly understands that this is not a new document, instead just the Royal Park’s policy statement from last year.
It is not the first time that Regent’s Park and cycling have been in the news this year. In February, an umbrella body of London-based cyclists called for action from the Metropolitan Police to tackle a series of violent bike robberies which have affected their members.
