Race locked up port

Jessica Benton
A cycling race kept furious Portarlington residents captive in their own homes for two days, councillors have heard.
Last week’s council meeting heard the Jayco Bay Cycling Classic had effectively put residents under “house lock-up”.
Resident Pam Edwards told the meeting organisers blocked her Fenwick Street as well as part of Hood Road and Mercer and High streets.
City of Greater Geelong advised residents “to stay at home” during the January race, she said.
“We received notification on the Wednesday before the ride from COGG.
“We were told we couldn’t leave our homes unless we went and asked the event marshals,” Ms Edwards said.
“We were virtually locked in between 8am and 2pm on both days and told that we were to be house bound.”
Ms Edwards said the disruption was particularly difficult for Portarlington’s large population of elderly residents who relied on mobility scooters.
“We have a lot of people that use those mobility chairs, so this affected a lot of the elderly on Sunday who wanted to reach the churches.”
Ms Edwards said Portarling-ton’s Catholic, Anglican and Uniting churches were all on the cycling event’s path.
The road closure restrictions had the greatest impact on Hood Street residents who did not receive the notification letter until the week after the event, she said.
Hood Road resident Jackie Sorrenti said roadblocks wrecked her weekend.
“I’m not a person who goes out much but if you need to go to something you should be able to easily. I had things planned and I also had visitors staying with me.”
Ward councillor and Port-arlington resident John Doull said the event was “a nuisance” but provided an economic windfall for the town.
“We’ve got to weigh up the benefits for the town,” he said.
“These sorts of events really put Portarlington on the map and draw large numbers to the area.”
Councillor Bruce Harwood, who holds council’s tourism and major events portfolio, said the race was “run pretty poorly”.
A report tabled at the meeting said ratepayers contributed $30,000 to the Jayco race and $50,000 to a similar Oceania Road Cycling Championships.