There has been some progress in regard to a running group permanently sharing the Bicentennial National Trail at North Weston Ponds. Since the Parkrun group have a permit until April this year it is unlikely that they will be prevented from running. There have been conversations with City Presentation about conditions they can place on the event in the interests of equestrian safety. Parkrun Coombs has done none of the things it said it would do; include horse interactions as a possibility on its web page or prepare a statement to runners about how to behave when meeting horses.
City Presentation, however, has consulted the BNT Coordinator and ACTEA about the installation of signage which will be useful regardless of whether Parkrun continues to use the area. There are some limitations due to the fact that most of the non-watery bits of the Ponds area is a pile of buried ancient asbestos building waste and no one is allowed to dig holes in the earth overburden. Signs will be placed on existing infrastructure near the RSPCA entrance to the Ponds, and on the approaches to the concrete ponds intersection that horses have to use to get to the trail down to the River.
