Cycleway littered with tacks – yet again

A father and daughter are the latest victims of Island Bay bike sabotage, after more tacks were found on the controversial Wellington cycleway.

The man, who did not want to be named, and his 11-year-old daughter were biking to the coastal suburb for lunch on Saturday when they came across the tacks on the cycle route.

The Island Bay cycleway has been a flashpoint of neighbourhood tension since its creation, with an ongoing argument over the chosen design.

It is the second time this year that tacks have been found on the bike path, following a similar incident in 2016, and has led residents to believe it was a deliberate act.

On their way back to the city, the father and daughter stopped to sweep up some of carefully placed tacks.

The daughter cycled ahead to clear another pile. There were four scatterings of tacks along the lane before Dee St’s roundabout.

‘‘We later found my daughter had two nails in her shoe; luckily, she was wearing thick-soled trainers, so they only just penetrated the sole. This was from brushing the nails into the channel with her foot.’’

The father, who said this was ‘‘clearly a deliberate action’’, reported the incident to Wellington City Council and police.

‘‘How do you explain to an 11-year-old why people are trying to hurt her for riding her bike down this facility?’’

Island Bay Residents’ Association president Vicki Greco said this type of behaviour would not be tolerated. ‘‘Whoever is doing this is trying to stir up nastiness again – it needs to stop.’’

Southern ward councillor Fleur Fitzsimons, who also holds the city’s safety portfolio, had been approached by a parent about the incident.

"We later found my daughter had two nails in her shoe, luckily she was wearing thicksoled trainers."

A Wellington father who encountered tacks on the Island Bay cycleway.

She was disappointed and concerned about public safety, urging anyone who may have seen anything to contact police and the council. People with issues about the cycleway should use existing channels to share their opinions.

In the meantime, she has asked council staff to check CCTV cameras in the area for footage.

Police said: ‘‘Placing tacks or sharp objects on a roadway is inherently dangerous and could cause injury to either pedestrians, cyclists or even animals.’’

A deliberate act could be a criminal offence.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said the council was concerned. A clean-up crew was sent to Island Bay yesterday to ensure no more nails had been thrown around overnight.

Last September, the council voted to support a ‘‘common-sense’’ compromise, submitted by mayor Justin Lester.

But some Island Bay residents continue to be vocal in their opposition to the bike path, saying the new proposal ignores those who want The Parade returned to its pre-cycleway design