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Cyclist charged after two others hospitalised in Richmond Park crash

Police say rider charged with careless cycling had been riding uphill on wrong side of road

A cyclist ​is due to appear in court next month following a crash in South West London’s Richmond Park earlier this year that resulted in two other riders being taken to hospital.

According to a tweet from Royal Parks Police, the cyclist was on the wrong side of the road as he climbed Broomfield Hill in the south of the park.

The two riders who were injured had been descending the hill in the opposite direction and on the correct side of the carriageway.

According to officers, another cyclist who was also riding downhill was forced to swerve to avoid the collision.

The cyclist riding uphill, who has been charged with cycling without due care and attention In connection with the incident which happened on Sunday 1 May, has been named by police as a Mr Stringer from Surrey.

The 45 year old, who according to the June edition of the Richmond Park Cyclists newsletter sustained broken ribs in the crash, is due to appear at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 16 November.

Referring to the other two cyclists, the newsletter added: “One of the pair had grazes and cuts, the other memory loss, bruises and scrapes.”

Earlier this year, speaking on Radio Jackie, Sergeant Peter Sturgess of Royal Parks Police rejected claims put to him by a presenter from the station that cyclists were using Richmond Park, which is a national nature reserve, were treating it like a velodrome.

“The majority of cyclists are considerate and safe and don't cause problems,” he said.

However, in August, The Royal Parks said that cyclists who did not observe posted speed limits on the roads for which it is responsible could face prosecution – even though it, and the Metropolitan Police, have both confirmed that such limits do not apply to people on bikes.

> Cyclists in Richmond Park face crackdown for ‘speeding’ – even though limits do not apply to them

Instead, cyclists not observing speed limits in the parks under its management were warned that they would be subjected to a crackdown and could face fines and even prosecution for recklessly endangering others.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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25 comments

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thereverent | 1 year ago
1 like

I'm guessing this incident might have taken place on one of the two right turns before the long drag left which is the steepest part (one which has an old oak which obsures the view around the corner).

I always try and avoind overtaking anyone at those points as anyone decending will need the extra width round the corner. Although at busy times that might be harder.

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BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP | 1 year ago
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Fair enough - it will be interesting to see the outcome. 

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janusz0 | 1 year ago
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We keeping hearing about incidents in Richmond Park.  If I was thinking of moving back to London, would it be safer* to exercise on the South Circular rather than Richmond Park?

* ignoring air polluton.

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RoubaixCube replied to janusz0 | 1 year ago
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Regents park.

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henryb replied to janusz0 | 1 year ago
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There are a lot of cyclists in Richmond Park. The actual number of incidents per cyclist per kilometre might be quite low.

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Rendel Harris replied to henryb | 1 year ago
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henryb wrote:

There are a lot of cyclists in Richmond Park. The actual number of incidents per cyclist per kilometre might be quite low.

Yes, I've been riding round or through there on and off since I was twelve, given that I'm now fifty-three I must have done tens of thousands of miles on its roads and I can only remember (caveat, as I said, I'm fifty-three!) four incidents I've seen of cyclists being in collision with cars or each other, and a handful more of solo-cyclist-only incidents. No idea of precise cyclist visitor numbers but it must be in the thousands at weekends.

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NOtotheEU | 1 year ago
10 likes

I wonder if this collision confused the police as there was no driver to instantly absolve of any blame?

It will be interesting to see if the Magistrates’ Court decides to treat a careless cyclist hurting other cyclists with the same leniency as a careless driver doing the same.

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alan sherman | 1 year ago
8 likes

To be charged with careless riding I wonder what the guy going up the hill was doing?  I'd like to hear a bit more detail about the crash when the case goes to court.  Since the road on that hill was closed to cars there are often pedestrians walking on the road, kids on balance bikes etc, also deer and geese go on the road just where the trees cast shade.  So riders descending need good observation of dangers, and be ready to slow quickly.  

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Brauchsel replied to alan sherman | 1 year ago
8 likes

I'd imagine being on the wrong side of the road, especially if doing so by weaving about, would be enough to count as careless. 

Coming round the sharp right-hander downhill (if I'm thinking of the correct descent) does need good observation/brakes (and I've had some sketchy moments on the gravel at the outside of the bend where I've been overambitious). But, kids/deer/geese can't be expected to anticipate someone hurtling downhill towards them or to know which side of the road to be on: a middle-aged man on a bike can. (Source: am a middle-aged man on a bike).

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Jitensha Oni replied to Brauchsel | 1 year ago
1 like

This. The original tweet says he was climbing on the correct side of the road but veered into the path of the descenders. The uphill is a long left-hander and the road is pretty wide there so you’d not really need to go close to the opposite lane, even overtaking, so such a manoeuvre could well count as ”without due care and attention”. As a frequent user, I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything remotely like this, though.

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thereverent replied to Jitensha Oni | 1 year ago
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The two right handers before the long drag could be the location possibly.

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jaysa replied to Brauchsel | 1 year ago
2 likes

Descending Broomfield Hill, I have encountered climbing cyclists in the middle of the road at the sharp right hander and again after the ensuing left hander, behind the tree. There were deer there once too.

Descenders need good observation and careful control of speed. I try to descend on my own to avoid riders on my tail ...

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leipreachan replied to alan sherman | 1 year ago
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Probably he was overtaking someone slower. Or even a couple of someone -- and he decided to overtake them.

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Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
5 likes

Just for pedantry, that's Sawyers Hill in the top picture. Not entirely surprised by a crash occurring on Broomfield, although it's short it is pretty steep and since the closing of that section to traffic some less fit riders have taken to weaving their way up using both lanes, often head down... obviously don't know if that's what happened here but seems likely. 

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brooksby replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
3 likes

I had assumed from the story that this was going to be some sort of hell climb, hence Mr Stringer going over to the wrong side of the road.  And yet it doesn't look particularly bad on streetview...  On streetview, TBH, you'd not realise that it is a hill.  But you have local knowledge so I will bow before that  3

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Rendel Harris replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
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It's not really a hard climb at all, the Veloviewer segment is 1.1 km at 3.7%, but the last 200m is a curve average around 9.5% maxing out at 12.5% so something of a test.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
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Which one was the "hill" used for the Ride London? 

 

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nniff replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
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AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Which one was the "hill" used for the Ride London? 

For the Essex version there was a drag up to Epping Forest and some flyover ramps, and an urban thing somewhere on the way into London.  Hilly it was not.  For the Surrey version, there were several - Newlands Corner, Box Hill, Leith Hill as the main events

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to nniff | 1 year ago
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Only got the Pru 46 entry before Covid and the changes made so the only climbs I did were in Richmond and Wimbledon Hill, so the question was on which one in Richmond park was used for Ride London? Sorry, should have been clearer. 

Thanks Ren and Leip for the answers.

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leipreachan replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
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You're talking about Sawyers Hill

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to leipreachan | 1 year ago
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Ta.

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Rendel Harris replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 1 year ago
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AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Which one was the "hill" used for the Ride London? 

Sawyers, they came in at Sheen Gate, up Sawyers to Richmond Gate then virtually all downhill from there to Kingston Gate.

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kil0ran replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
1 like

Had a superb time on that section, full gas in a bunch, inches from disaster. It had absolutely tipped it down the night before so was quite sketchy in places

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brooksby replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
1 like

Seems odd that this bloke would be wandering around all over the road, then.  I imagine he was "local" and would know it's a two-way road?

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Rendel Harris replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
3 likes

You'd hope so but it's closed to all motor traffic now so maybe false sense of security.

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