Strava asked to remove popular segment after pedestrian death in cyclist collision

The charity that manages London's royal parks has requested that Strava deletes "Regent's Park as a segment on the app" following the death of a pensioner who died from her injuries sustained in a collision with a cyclist riding laps of the park.

The Royal Parks believes it would remove incentive for cyclists to ride at high speeds on the route, a spokesperson adding that the organisation would also be working with the police and "local stakeholders, including cycling groups, to inform our approach".

It comes following the death of Hilda Griffiths in 2022, the story attracting attention in the past week since a coroner's inquest heard that Brian Fitzgerald — the cyclist riding laps of the park as part of a group ride and travelling at between 25-29mph when he hit the 81-year-old pedestrian as she crossed the road, causing her several broken bones and bleeding on the brain, injuries she died from in hospital two months later — would not face prosecution as the Metropolitan Police deemed there was "insufficient evidence for a real prospect of conviction".

Mr Fitzgerald told the inquest that he had "zero reaction time" to avoid Ms Griffiths, who had been walking her dog and was crossing the road to a pedestrian island, when she stepped out in front of the group of cyclists. While the speed limit in the park is 20mph, the Metropolitan Police confirmed that it does not apply to people riding bicycles.

The Telegraph also reported that on May 1 of this year a dog walker had been left with facial injuries and knocked unconscious after she was hit by a cyclist at the same spot where Ms Griffiths was fatally injured. The newspaper reported that Paolo Dos Santos was left with fractures to her eye socket, jawbone and cheekbone when she was hit by a cyclist overtaking "a car which was said to be observing the 20mph speed limit".

"Apparently, the cyclist didn't slow down but overtook the car by going around the pedestrian island on the wrong side of the road where I was crossing," she said. "It means he was very likely speeding and was on the wrong side of the pedestrian island."

In response to the incidents, The Royal Parks has contacted Strava to request the removal of the Outer Circle segment. It is not clear whether the charity has requested the removal of all segments on the Outer Circle or just the one covering the entire four-kilometre loop, but road.cc has contacted Strava for comment.

Other safety improvements are also under review, The Royal Parks suggesting it could install raised pedestrian crossings and cited Richmond Park in south-west London as a case study for where it has introduced "additional measures to encourage safe cycling". Additional measures, it could be pointed out, that have not been without controversy and criticism.

> Changes to Richmond Park road layout branded "unusable" and "increases danger for cyclists"

However, addressing the Regent's Park latest, a spokesperson for the charity said: "We were extremely sorry to hear of the incident which resulted in the death of Hilda Griffiths. We take visitor safety extremely seriously. The speed limit for motor vehicles in Regent's Park is 20mph and this is clearly signposted on both the Outer and Inner Circles.

"We are working closely with the police and other partners, notably the Crown Estate Paving Commission, to review if there are any additional measures we can put in place to encourage safe cycling in the park, as we have done in Richmond Park where we have introduced raised crossing points, improved signage and other road infrastructure."

In a second comment, the charity added: "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."

It has also been reported that a letter was sent to cycling clubs asking cyclists to observe the "motor vehicle speed limit for the park" and stating that "pedestrians have priority within the royal parks, as they make up the majority of park visitors".

In light of the media attention that the situation in Regent's Park has attracted, including renewed calls from some for stricter regulation of cyclists including number plates and registration, former Top Gear presenter James May today called the talk "nonsense".

"I don't think people should try to achieve personal bests through places like London. And I don't think people should race around the park. I think that is disrespectful and irresponsible and can lead to accidents," he said.

"The vast majority of people can't achieve even 20 miles an hour on a bicycle. I ride a lot in London, and I'm not particularly fit and I'm getting quite old. But even so, my average speed is usually ten to 12 miles an hour and I'm putting my back into it.

"Trying to cure the world's problems by adding more admin is pointless and expensive and makes life miserable. I've been listening to various debates, including one yesterday on another radio station. There were some terrible things being said on that about regulating bicycles, and bicycles were being blamed for drivers speeding and people were saying insurance would make bicycles safer and all sorts of things that were, to my mind, nonsense," he told Times Radio.

Last week, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said tougher laws for dangerous cyclists are "under review" and will be considered "with an open mind", the comments coming after Conservative Party colleague Iain Duncan Smith tabled a series of amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill that would see cyclists, as well as riders of electric scooters and "personal transporters", subject to stricter laws if they ride dangerously and kill or injure.