The Royal Parks is consulting on the closure of South Carriage Drive to vehicular traffic [TRP]

A ROAD running along the south side of Hyde Park may be permanently closed to vehicles in a bid to reduce the number of motorists driving through the famous green space.

The Royal Parks has opened a six-week consultation into whether to shut South Carriage Drive which has historically only been closed to vehicles on Sundays.

Closures to traffic was extended to include Saturdays in 2020, as part of a trial to cut vehicle numbers and improve the park experience for visitors. This was to temporarily cover seven days a week after Transport for London introduced a new cycle lane on Park Lane, which intersects with South Carriage Drive.

The Royal Parks, the charity which manages some of London’s most well-known green spaces, wrote on its consultation web page that the move was intended “to address safety concerns between cars and cyclists”, and has been in place more than three years.

It added the proposal aimed “to ensure that pedestrians and cyclists experience a safe and welcoming entrance to the park every day”.

The consultation runs from now until March 17. Respondents are can register their feedback online, or via face-to-face surveys around Hyde Park.

Darren Share, Royal Parks director of parks, said: “As custodians of Hyde Park we have a duty of care to provide a safe space for all visitors. Following consultation on Saturday closures, we received significant feedback from consultees to request a permanent closure across all days of the week.

“Considering this, and the significant increase in cycle traffic now using the park, we felt it was only right to ask the community for their views.”

TfL made the Park Lane cycle lane permanent last year, a move welcomed by groups including the London Cycling Campaign.

Others, for example, the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association however said it worsened congestion in the area.

Susan Hall, Conservative candidate for London mayor, has said she would remove it if elected.