Grrrr! Tacks on bikepath

[kevinvc]

Someone scattered thumbtacks (http://bikeportland.org/2015/01/07/tacks-westbound-hawthorne-bridge-take-bike-tires-130642#more-130642) on the bikepath of Portland's busiest bridge crossing. The Hawthorne bridge gets around 5,000 bike crossings a day during the winter. The shared bike / pedestrian sidewalk is a raised concrete path about a foot higher than the metal grating of the auto roadway. Crashing can lead to serious injury.

Besides the story linked above, I've talked to some co-workers who rode across this morning and saw a lot of tacks in a few areas. They said there were way too many and scattered in too many areas for it to be anything less than an intentional effort to affect as many cyclists as possible.

It's hard for me to imagine the mindset of the person who would do this. I don't know if it was a sophomoric "prank" or an intentional effort to cause property damage and injury. At least it's dry today so folks weren't having to change flats in the rain.

[Idris Icabod]

We had a long period last year in Tucson where tacks were placed on Mt. Lemmon highway. It got quite a lot of press locally and the police seemed to make an effort to catch the vandal/vandals. It seemed to get better after the press and I haven't heard anything recently. I guess some people really hate others having fun, must be quite unhappy people.

[MattTuck]

road tubeless with sealant. :)

I don't want to change the subject, but it seems to me that with 100 dollars at the local hardware store, you could build enough caltrops to cause a major incident on the roadways of any major city.

Haven't they created a better solution than air in a tube? Seems we are all vulnerable to an attack like this, no matter what vehicle we are using on the roads.

[stronzo]

Savages. :butt:

[Mark McM]

Haven't they created a better solution than air in a tube? Seems we are all vulnerable to an attack like this, no matter what vehicle we are using on the roads.

Do you mean a better solution to the pneumatic tire, performance wise? No. That's why all high performance vehicles (racing cars and motorcycles, airplanes, etc.) still use pneumatic tires 125 years after they were first invented. There is nothing else that provides the same traction, shock absorption and load distribution as a pneumatic tire. There have been, and continue to be, non-pneumatic tires/wheels available, which may provide lower maintenance, but none as yet have provided nearly the same performance.

There have been bicycle tires produced that are less vulnerable to punctures. But most people would not want to ride them. Their extra belting and tread thickness increases drag (and weight), decreases shock absorption to make them not worthwhile for most riders.

Be glad that we are riding pneumatic tires, and not the iron rimmed wheels from the bone-shaker days, or the solid rubber tires that immediately proceeded John Dunlop's most excellent invention.

[kevinvc]

We had a long period last year in Tucson where tacks were placed on Mt. Lemmon highway. It got quite a lot of press locally and the police seemed to make an effort to catch the vandal/vandals. It seemed to get better after the press and I haven't heard anything recently. I guess some people really hate others having fun, must be quite unhappy people.

Yikes, that's a fast descent! I've had a blowout on a straightaway at 25 mph and that was scary enough. I can't imagine having one or both tires blow on a 35 mph twisty downhill.

We've had other tack incidents here in Portland, usually on highly traveled roads. This one is probably the most dangerous because of the chance of falling onto a metal grate roadway with heavy car traffic. There was an incident this fall where someone set up a trip wire connected to a shotgun shell along a park path heavily utilized by walkers and bicyclists. Fortunately it didn't go off when a dog tripped the line.

It's a crazy situation. Of course the local media loves to seize on these things as a way of continuing to stir the "bikes vs. cars" meme.

[JAllen]

Wow that is upsetting. I didn't bike today by chance. I cross the Hawthorne bridge every weekday morning and evening! I just don't understand the anti bike mentality. Even in this wonderful city! If it's just a prank, I still don't get it.

[kenw]

Simple pleasures for simple minds

[Satellite]

Haven't they created a better solution than air in a tube? Seems we are all vulnerable to an attack like this, no matter what vehicle we are using on the roads.
We are all good come Oct:

Oct. 21, 2015

That date, Oct. 21, 2015, is when "Back to the Future Part II" is set, and the movie imagines a world of flying vehicles, hoverboards, drone dog-walkers — and in the future a lot of stuff will float.

[m_sasso]

And we have this to deal with in VANCOUVER, BC - A 64-year-old woman accused of setting up traps on bike trails in North Vancouver is facing criminal charges after her actions were allegedly caught on video.

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/woman-charged-with-setting-traps-on-north-vancouver-bike-trails-1.2177346

[Jgrooms]

And we have this to deal with in VANCOUVER, BC - A 64-year-old woman accused of setting up traps on bike trails in North Vancouver is facing criminal charges after her actions were allegedly caught on video.

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/woman-charged-with-setting-traps-on-north-vancouver-bike-trails-1.2177346


Log / branch obstacles? Not condoning it, but "traps" would imply something quite a bit more serious.

[AJosiahK]

That's really disappointing. Someone has to go that far out of their way to cause problems for cyclists and likely motorists alike, they have a serious issue that stems beyond general dislike for cyclists.

There are a few trail systems in the Boston area which ive noticed blue and white ceramics scattered all over the trail, in numerous locations. Another intentional effort.

I just don't get those kinds of people.

[accident]

That's F'ed up! Some people just suck at life

[kevinvc]

Same bridge, more tacks, some spray painted black in order to be harder to see at night. This time they were concentrated in an area where riders begin a fairly steep and fast descent. Here's a link (http://bikeportland.org/2015/01/13/county-vigilant-hawthorne-bridge-inspections-tacks-claim-victims-130859) to the story on a local bike blog. It's been reported in the the other local media too, but I'd prefer not to link to their click-bait articles and trolling comments.

I haven't heard about anyone crashing because of this, but lots and lots of flats.

[unterhausen]

I probably would start taking the lane and encourage others to do so as well

[p nut]

That's too bad. We've got natural thumb tacks, ie goat heads, all around, so too familiar with this.

Maybe this less-than-supple tire by Britech would do the trick:

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/11/Mountain-Bike-Energy-Return-Wheel-Britek-2-edit.jpg

[kevinvc]

I probably would start taking the lane and encourage others to do so as well

Unfortunately, the roadway over this bridge is a metal grate. It's slippery, bumpy and not easy to ride even by experienced cyclists. It's also a cheese grater if you go down. Taking the lane might be manageable by some, but definitely not the majority. This bridge is the busiest bike commuter bridge in the city and gets thousands of riders daily.

[kevinvc]

The tack attacks are still happening on a regular basis. The county is now using the magnetic sweepers on the bridge's sidewalks. Hopefully they'll actually catch the person responsible for this. I've talked to a few people who have had flats due to these tacks and they are ticked.

Update article (http://bikeportland.org/2015/01/29/county-now-using-magnetic-sweeper-pick-tacks-hawthorne-bridge-path-131546#more-131546)

[Anarchist]

Log / branch obstacles? Not condoning it, but "traps" would imply something quite a bit more serious.

Log and branch obstacles on the North Shore could be deadly. Dense Cedar forest with solid canopy and at this time of year, little sunlight getting through. Traps set up at the bottoms of steep run outs with little to no visibility will either kill someone or put them in a wheelchair for life.

On the Shore, those are VERY serious.

[shovelhd]

Trapper cameras.

[skijoring]

The tack attacks are still happening on a regular basis. The county is now using the magnetic sweepers on the bridge's sidewalks. Hopefully they'll actually catch the person responsible for this. I've talked to a few people who have had flats due to these tacks and they are ticked.

Update article (http://bikeportland.org/2015/01/29/county-now-using-magnetic-sweeper-pick-tacks-hawthorne-bridge-path-131546#more-131546)

I saw a few tacks on Monday on the East side for sure. Right near where the bridge dumps into McLoughlin/MLK.

[BobO]

We had a long period last year in Tucson where tacks were placed on Mt. Lemmon highway. It got quite a lot of press locally and the police seemed to make an effort to catch the vandal/vandals. It seemed to get better after the press and I haven't heard anything recently.

I picked up a tack in the front tire this past September just below bad dog. I suppose it could have been a leftover though.