Richmond Park- No through route for cars, is this a good idea?

It was another Saturday in the Pacciani household and we decided to go for a walk. Richmond Park seemed ideal as after taking a stroll we could hop back in our car and lunch in Richmond.  It would seem too easy. However, it was a Saturday, and on weekends the roads are closed to traffic to allow cyclists to enjoy the park safely. In the hour it took for us to drive around the park, observing the traffic I wondered if this was a good idea for the benefit of the park or maybe it was causing greater environmental problems. 

Some may say I was selfish to wish the roads were open. After all, in order to better look after our environment, will we not have to make sacrifices? Recently, there has been a growing concern for cyclists in Richmond Park as several cars have not respected their place in the park. Stories of injuries and the hazards of cycling dominate many newspapers and even I can admit that it filled me with joy to see how many people were taking advantage of the peaceful roads and paths that morning.

Surely this would be so much better for the local environment too? Richmond Park has a population of 670 deer. Now that these deer are not limited by noisy cars and the risk of getting hurt they can surely venture further than before in safety. Additionally, less pollution from traffic has allowed for even cleaner air than before and so walking in the park is genuinely be a breath of fresh air.

However, once I try describe the sheer difficulty in getting to Richmond without being able to drive through the park, you may sympathise with my scepticism. Google Maps declared it would take 12 minutes from Roehampton gate to Richmond. However, not long after we set off, hopeful of a nice early lunch, we met one long queue, and then another, and another. In total it took us one hour to reach just outside of Richmond town centre, where we surrendered and parked on a side street, leaving the gridlock outside of the car park.

The congestion caused by cars trying to make their way across Richmond, on streets clearly not equipped for such a large volume of cars, is surely causing extremely poor air quality on account of the pollution. Additionally, the lack of trees on these roads meant that there were not even any plants shield residents from this toxic air.

So to conclude, is closing the roads in Richmond at the weekend a good idea? Was the traffic unrelated? Is this just the consequence of my cranky attitude when hungry? While in reality a large proportion of the traffic may have been due to the closure of Hammersmith Bridge, the traffic was surely exacerbated by the additional closures in Richmond Park. With roads closed the traffic could only get worse.

I think that encouraging people to use public transport and cycle often is excellent; our habit of using our cars is one that needs to be challenged. But when changes are made by councils (or the Royal Parks in this case), the question of practicality must also be taken seriously. Would designated cycle routes have achieved the same goal? Or better distribution of traffic around Richmond Park? Surely effective solutions to environmental issues must ensure that in solving one problem they do not create an even greater one?