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Opening up new routes will give cyclists their park life

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CROYDON COMMENTARY: A scheme to allow cyclists to ride through some of Croydon’s parks needs your support, writes KRISTIAN GREGORY

As Croydon Council moves towards legalising cycling in Park Hill Park, I’ve been asked if the Croydon Cycling Campaign thinks this is an important change worth fighting for. It’s a difficult question to field, as opening up the route via Park Hill is hardly going to open up the flood gates to hundreds of people cycling through into Croydon.

This is how cycling in Croydon is most of the time at present

However, context is key, and given the context, it’s crucial.

The Sustrans Connect2 route aims to connect up green spaces across the centre of Croydon, creating a pleasant and attractive (albeit slow and indirect) route from east to west, passing through the very heart of Croydon. This is a route for leisure cycling, particularly for parents travelling with children. Without such links, parents cycling with children will be reduced to the kind of road conditions they face at present.

Croydon needs places where adults can take their children to learn to cycle. They need routes they can practice cycling with, and be able to make real journeys into the town centre accompanied by their children in safety. Child obesity rates in Croydon are soaring, with a lack of exercise a major contributor. Air pollution is severely damaging to the delicate developing organs of our young. We have to get people out of their cars and on to bikes.

Cycling in parks is a key part of making this vision happen. I fear some residents picture a small local park like Park Hill being overrun by racing cyclists. This route will never appeal to fast, racing or even commuting cyclists, however. This will appeal to adults with young children, the elderly and children cycling to school.

Riding bicycles in parks allows parents to teach children how to be safe when cycling

The Sustrans Connect 2 route is perhaps the only significant cycling project Croydon Council has attempted in the past eight years (the report to the council, from four years ago, can be seen here).

It’s a simple route, not changing too much, not costing much and not impacting on much. Resistance from residents on the adjacent road has dragged it out for years. Compare the impact of this scheme to what the residents by the Fiveways flyover are facing. Years of disruption, noise, air pollution and some may even lose their homes.

Getting people cycling will be much less disruptive in the long run than continuing support for our mass driving culture.

Opposition to this scheme also puts future schemes at risk. It’s demoralising for staff at the council working on the project and discourages councillors from attempting more cycling projects in future. So my plea to local residents and friends of Park Hill is this: Please help support us in our vision to make Croydon a safe and pleasant place for the future. We’ll all benefit in the long run.


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