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A battle has broken out between the Royal Parks and Boris Johnson over his plan to create a 15-mile safe cycling route across London.

The Mayor wants to create an east-west route, dubbed “Crossrail for cyclists” as it will follow the train line, by 2016 as a pan-London legacy of the Olympics.

But park bosses fear the proposed use of Hyde Park and Green Park would lead to a dramatic rise in the number of cyclists and increase the risk of collisions with other park users.

They have proposed diverting the Hyde Park section of the route away from Speakers’ Corner — forcing cyclists into a mile-long diversion towards Knightsbridge as they ride between Bayswater Road and Hyde Park Corner.

Further concerns have been raised about a north-south route in Green Park, where cycling is currently banned. The Royal Parks is “absolutely clear” that any route “must avoid the body of the park”.

In a letter to the Mayor’s cycling czar Andrew Gilligan, Royal Parks deputy chief executive Colin Buttery says there is an “absolute preference” for the route to follow the existing road network in Hyde Park.

He writes: “This means that West Carriage Drive and South Carriage Drive should be used as the option to be investigated to take cyclists from the Bayswater Road to Hyde Park Corner.

“The existing cycling routes along Serpentine Road and the Broad Walk [in Kensington Gardens] are not suitable for larger volumes (in the same way that it would not be appropriate to encourage more cyclists to use Rotten Row).”

A Royal Parks spokesman said: “It is essential that any new routes are safe, not just for cyclists at busy junctions like Hyde Park Corner, but also for the many thousands of other people who use the parks, including pedestrians, children, runners and horse riders.”

Westminster council wants to see improved routes in the Royal Parks as part of the “central London grid” of continuous, signposted routes, which will link in with the Mayor’s scheme.

A spokeswoman for the Mayor said: “Discussions are ongoing between Transport for London and the Royal Parks about the proposed east-west cycle route. We are working on a solution which ensures a safe and enjoyable experience for both pedestrians and cyclists.”