Track sharing signs slashed
Signs on some Wellington mountain-bike tracks have been slashed with a sharp object, in what has been described as a ‘‘rise in walker-related vandalism".
Miramar Track Project (MTP) co-founder and mountain biker Ben Wilde said the vandalism was frustrating because the tracks were built by mountainbikers.
‘‘It was our initiative to put the trails in there in the first place. It’s happened a few times. There’s often a lot of vitriol towards us,’’ he said.
‘‘It could be kids, it could be random. But it is frustrating because if it weren’t for mountain-bikers, [the track] wouldn’t have happened.’’
As a group, walkers didn’t tend to cut tracks as often as cyclists, he said.
MTP works in partnership with Wellington City Council to cut mountain-biking tracks in the Centennial Reserve on Mt Crawford. Some were shared tracks, while others gave priority to bikes. The damaged signs bore the council logo.
Council spokesman Richard MacLean said there had been some tension between walkers and mountain bikers in previous years, but he did not think it was a ‘‘widespread thing’’.
‘‘From time to time around town we get this vandalism going on,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s well-known that there are elements in the track walking and mountain bike community who don’t like having to share tracks and so we get hot spots flaring up from time to time. Our priority is to try to get track users to use them safely and courteously.’’
Some people get scared by mountain-bikers ‘‘whizzing’’ past, he said.
Claire Gregg, of Brooklyn Walkers, said she walked on tracks all over Wellington and didn’t think mountain-bikers were badly behaved on the shared tracks. ‘‘Most of the people we come across on a bike are pretty considerate and yell, or ring the bell and most slow down.’’
She mostly walked on tracks on weekdays when there were fewer bikes on the trails, but she thought it would be ‘‘crazy’’ at weekends. ‘‘We just try to scuttle away as quickly as we can.’’
Wilde posted a photo of one of the damaged signs, which appeared to target cyclists specifically, on the MTP Facebook page on Sunday. ‘‘We are seeing what appears to be a rise in walkerrelated vandalism.’’
There were also concerns that walkers were cutting their own paths near the wide-sweeping curves of the mountain-bike tracks. ‘‘If you see anyone attacking signs or cutting illegal lines on the trails please get in touch.’’
MTP had planted 500 native seedlings each year, removed rubbish from the area and partnered with police to provide youth community service opportunities.