Bicyclists are always on the lookout for something dangerous in front of them, but sometimes the hazards can be so small, it might be too late.
When one biker in Newton got three tacks in her front tire while riding on Winchester Street this week, she stopped, looked around and gathered 50-100 tacks in the bike lane.
“I’ve never seen thumbtacks,” said Jack Kisseberth, who often bikes through Newton. “That’s a new one.”
This is the second similar incident.
Dozens of tacks were found--also on Winchester Street--in April, and several bikers in a group got flats, according to the bike safety group Bike Newton.
“A long strew of tacks that are all facing upwards it’s hard to think that’s accidental,” said Bike Newton President Alicia Bowman. “It leads you to believe someone intentionally put them there.”
If it continues, it could lead to a disastrous situation.
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“Very dangerous,” said bicyclist Colin Campbell. “You get a flat tire, you’ve got no control whatsoever.”
Bike Newton has now put out a warning to its members that they are being targeted.
“That makes us sad,” said Bowman. “Whether they think it’s funny or something more grave, either way it’s not a good situation.”
City officials in Newton say they would be sending out street sweepers in popular bike riding areas to look for any more tacks or other hazards in the bike lanes.
