Olympic Bike Race Test Event

A year till the London Olympics, and you'll have the opportunity to watch the London – Surrey Cycle Classic which will follow the same route as the Olympic road race, and will feature road cycling's 'heads of state'. This is a closed-roads event, which isn't something that you get very often in the UK and certainly not in London. The route will go through Richmond Park.

“We are concerned about how the crowds are going to be handled, and how they’re going to make sure they don’t impact on the wildlife and environment of the park,” said Ron Crompton, chairman of Friends of Richmond Park.

It's a shame Ron isn't more concerned about the impact on the wildlife and environment of the park that is caused by motor traffic, which is allowed through 7 days a week from dawn to dusk throughout the year. Motor traffic damages the park's ecology in lots of obvious, and not-so-obvious ways: this was highlighted in a report by Dame Jennifer Jenkins in the 1990s, which said
"this stretch of countryside, itself quite extraordinary in a world city, is undermined by noise, pollution, congestion and danger from cars, all aspects of the surrounding great city which most Park visitors have come to escape”.

But of course, the Friends of Richmond Park includes a substantial number of people who are effectively Enemies of Richmond Park, because they are quite happy to drive their own vehicles to the Park and to support the right of others to drive in the Park.