The Poplar Street parkrun, which took place from Poplar Street Park in Lindhaven, has officially been shut down after less than a year.
Due to problems that the runners and the parkrun management faced throughout the period it had been open, management have made the decision to shut it down for good.
“The runners’ safety is our top priority. There were some problems in Poplar Street that were just not being resolved, such as sewage spills in the roads,” Kip Norman, the West Rand parkrun Ambassador explained.
Ward 71 councillor, René Benjamin added, “The runners felt unsafe and scared due to protest action happening from time to time in a certain section the parkrunners used.” She said that they had implemented and processed a number of ideas. “Due to the nature of the City’s processes, budget dependability, a solution might still be a long way off,” she said.
Kip mentioned that the runners should not lose hope, as there will be an event in the future. “We are moving the parkrun towards the Princess dam. The parkrun will be renamed and have a new route. We are still waiting on approval from Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo to use the grounds before any further action could be taken and arrangements made. We can expect approval anytime from July this year,” he explained.
The route for the runners has already been mapped out. There will still be two laps, and some new adventures that include two small hills. “We believe it will work out better, and that the route will be suitable for the runners,” he commented.
The community-driven event is still expected to take place every Saturday, and management is looking for any volunteers to help out. “The parkruns depend on volunteers, and we usually need 10 or more volunteers to get a parkrun up and running,” Kip added.
The parkrun management stated that further information will be given through to the community about the launch of the new parkrun.
“We ask the community to be patient and bear with us. We will inform everyone as soon as the event has been approved,” Kip concluded.
