Cycleway tacks cause havoc among Wellington bike riders
Photo:
RNZ / Jazlyn Whales
Increasing instances of tacks on Wellington cycleways have seen an uptick in tyre punctures and drawn a sharp reaction from the city council.
A Wellington bike shop owner says more cyclists are coming to his store for puncture repairs, while Wellington City Council spokesperson Richard MacLean said "it would be nice if the people involved would just grow up and stop being dicks".
MacLean said tacks were being thrown onto some cycle lanes "quite frequently" and where cyclists encountered tacks, they should contact the council to clean them up.
"We're also aware that it'll be challenging to catch the culprits, but we urge anyone to get in touch, if they've got any information about who's involved."
Bicycle Junction owner Dan Mikkelsen said recently 2-3 people came into the shop daily, due to the damage caused by the tacks.
Social media posts in recent weeks complained of similar problems, which were also highlighted in January, when the city council
urging the public to report any issues
, which had occurred periodically in the city for years.
"We've got a lot of our customers riding cargo bikes with 2-3 kids," Mikkelson said. "If you get a puncture or flat tyre, you can lose control and it's dangerous.
"I don't think anyone's really considering what the consequences of it could be - it's not just a pestering nuisance, it's really unsafe."
He said cases had risen in the past three months.
"It's a real annoyance for people, a puncture on your way to work can really ruin your day."
Mikkelsen said the tacks on the road would not stop people riding.
Bicycle Junction owner Dan Mikkelson has seen a rise in tyre punctures in recent months.
Photo:
RNZ / Jazlyn Whales
"It's pointless, we're going to keep cycling," he said. "Just quit it, it's dumb."
RNZ staffer Andrew Robertson got a puncture from a tack Friday morning, while riding through Newtown. He said this had previously happened to him two months ago.
Wellington's cycling community had begun to come up with its own solutions to remove the tacks off the road.
"Somebody has a magnetic brush on the back of his bike that picks them up."
Robertson stressed the importance of educating people that this was happening, but recognised it was difficult to monitor.
"It would be great, if it didn't get to the point where someone got really hurt, before people realise how dangerous it is."
RNZ reached out to the police for comment.
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