Runs aren’t fun for everyone
30 Apr 2010
Docklands resident Karl Bierl has had just about enough of the road closures put in place for fun run events held in Docklands.
Upset about the road closures put in place on April 18 for the Dow Live Earth Run for Water event, Mr Bierl contacted Docklands News hoping to highlight the issue so that it wouldn’t happen again.
The Dock 5 resident was specifically distressed because the closures threatened to prevent him visiting his sick mother.
Mr Bierl said previous events had stopped him playing Sunday morning tennis, but April’s road closures were particularly upsetting.
“It was more personal as we had made arrangements to travel to Ringwood to visit my very sick mother in hospital,”
Mr Beirl said.
Planning on having his mother-in-law arrive at his apartment at 10am to share brunch before the hospital visit, Mr Bierl was concerned when she hadn’t arrived.
He said he called her and, as there were no trams operating, he decided to pick her up in his car, which proved even
more difficult.
“I was stopped and not allowed to exit the area. I put in my complaint and eventually they let me through on the condition that I was not allowed to drive back. I therefore left my car at my mother-in-law’s apartment,” he said.
Mr Bierl said he and his mother-in-law then walked back to his apartment, a distance of about two kilometres, which was hard on his mother-in-law.
“I was told we could not exit until lunchtime when the event was over. I have since spoken to other Dock 5 residents who were also not allowed to exit the area. I think this is a stupid, dangerous situation when you cannot travel in and out of your residence because of a fun run event,” Mr Bierl said.
Mr Bierl is also angry about how he was treated by those guarding the road blocks.
“The two ladies at the road block said that they had police powers not to let us through. I was almost in disbelief and distraught because of my mother’s situation,” he said.
Melbourne City Council was contacted , but failed to reply.
The Dow Live Earth Run for Water was an international event held to raise money and awareness for the safe drinking water crisis. A series of 6km run/walks, the average distance women and children walk everyday to secure water, were held in 150 countries around the world over 24 hours.
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