Park run is not a danger to vulnerable people
Insufficient evidence has been found to support a complaint that a fun run in a Scottish Borders park was placing vulnerable people at risk.
The complaint was submitted regarding the operation of the weekly event at Hay Lodge Park in Peebles.
The complainant raised concerns about public safety, accessibility, use of public space, parking arrangements, and liability issues associated with the event.
Following investigation, the matter was considered under the council’s complaints procedure, and a recommendation was made that the event’s operating agreement, originally approved in 2018, should be reviewed by the relevant committee.
The complainant alleged that the current management of the run “does not adequately protect other users of the park”.
Concerns included participants failing to give way to other park users on shared pathways, resulting in vulnerable users, including disabled people, assistance dog handlers, older people and those with pushchairs, feeling compelled to leave paved paths.
The complainant argued that the existing control measures, primarily verbal reminders to runners that they do not have priority over other park users, were ineffective in practice.
Concerns were also raised regarding the potential for collisions between runners and vulnerable park users, particularly where runners pass at close proximity.
It was suggested that existing marshalling arrangements were insufficient, particularly at narrow sections of the route, and that marshals should actively manage pedestrian priority at these locations.
Additionally, concerns were raised about runners wearing headphones, potentially reducing their awareness of other users.
The complainant requested that any future permission for the event should require enhanced marshalling and stricter enforcement of shared-use arrangements.
The council investigated each aspect of the complaint and concluded that there was “insufficient evidence” to uphold the concerns raised.
Key findings were that the park run organisers confirmed that participants receive regular briefings emphasising that the park remains a shared public space and that runners must give way to other users.
Council officers advised that the arrangements in place are consistent with those adopted for similar events locally and nationally and reported no specific concerns regarding the current operation of the event.
No evidence was identified to demonstrate that run participants were systematically preventing public access to pathways.
Consequently, none of the individual complaint points were upheld.
When members of Peebles Common Good Fund Sub-Committee meet on Friday, September 18, they will be asked to note the findings and a decision to review the park run agreement to ensure it is “fit for purpose”.
A report states: “There is a need for continued oversight and assurance that the event remains appropriate for the site.
“The review is intended to ensure that arrangements remain fit for purpose and reflect current circumstances while supporting the continued use of the park by both event participants and the wider public.”