Plans to cut the speed of driving in Greenwich Park have been announced by Margaret Hodge, the Minister for Culture and Tourism.
The speed limit in the park will be reduced from 30mph to 20mph. The change came as part of a package of regulation changes throughout the Royal Parks which were subject to a public consultation last year.
The new regulations will also allow Private Hire Vehicles into the park for the first time, and also bring parking charges, which have been frozen since 2004, and penalties for non payment into line with Greenwich Council car parks.
Subject to parliamentary approval, the changes are expected to come into force in Spring 2010.
Fantastic news about the speed limt! For too long Royal Parks and local councillors have hidden behind “its too hard, it will require an act of parliament”. About time.
Young Lewisham and Greenwich Cyclists had lobbied for a 12 mph speed limit in the park and a ban on motorised through traffic. It is absurd that motorists are encouraged to use the Park as a rush hour rat-run. A 20 mph speed limit is a welcome step in the right direction, but does not go far enough. If the road through the park can be closed for two weeks for the Olympics, it can be closed permanently for motor traffic.
Cyclist Leonard Woods was killed in the Park on 26 June 2008 as he cycled slowly up the hill. A driver coming down the hill drove on the wrong side of the road and hit Mr Woods head on. Two other cyclists have been killed on Greenwich Roads in the past 12 months, yet local councillor and chair of the Planning Committee, Alex Grant, allowed Hexagon Housing Association to build a wall across a motor traffic free cycle route and public right-of-way to a local school between the Old Dover Road and Charlton Road. Cllr. Grant conceded that to extingush a right-of-way requires a public enquiry, and the committee he chairs agreed in April 2009 to hold a public enquiry. However, as far as I am aware, Cllr Grant and his committee has taken no action to arrange a public enquiry.
If it was my shout i’d ban all motorised through traffic in Greenwich Park, we have to have somewhere in our area where we can escape the motorist for half an hour, I also think that nobody will observe a 20mph speed limit to be honest!