Deliberate tyre puncturing?

[downfader]

Have noticed a lot of glass recently in Southamptons roads, seems to be mostly bottles smashed where cyclists would have their wheels (about 1m or less from the kerb, or on the cyclepath - southampton common, the cyclepath around JJBs in the centre, the itchen bridge etc)

I get the feeling someone is trying to make a point.

My front gator got punctured ..twice.. the other week on the Kinesis, still havent had time or inclination to fix it. Have been on the other bike and have to say my attention has been stolen having to look out and avoid this crap, though the last two days I've seen the road sweeper out doing a stirling job.

I see they've been doing it down in Bournmouth too:
http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/8626606.Cyclist_warns_of____deliberate____tyre_punctures/

 

[summerdays]

Could it be the recycling? I've occasionally had to ask them to sweep up glass after they have dropped it and go to move on. (I'm sure Arch wouldn't ever do that )

 

[HLaB]

No doubt you remember the Etape Caledonia a couple of years back, other than this I've not heard of anybody deliberately targeting bikes (other than neds/ chavs of course).

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Broken glass (and any other debris) gets naturally swept toward the gutter / nearest 1 metre of the roadside by road vehicle tyres, however good your local lanes, cycling schemes etc. It's just one of those things we face as gutter / nearside lowlives. Get some puncture resistant tyres mate!

 

[ufkacbln]

My wife commutes and has the same experience on the Common, and also by the Station. She concurs that it seems to be specific areas rather than random broken bottles.

 

[661-Pete]

Broken glass: one of my biggest gripes. Problem spots all across town, not just outside pubs - though football nights tend to bring an increase. I don't think it's deliberate: more of a 'couldn't care less' attitude. But I would like to see glass banned from all 'problem' pubs... If they want to get p*ssed on fizzy tasteless lager, let them drink fizzy tasteless lager out of plastic cups...

 

[downfader]

Could it be the recycling? I've occasionally had to ask them to sweep up glass after they have dropped it and go to move on. (I'm sure Arch wouldn't ever do that )

Recycling vans dont drive on these routes as they're either closed off from traffic or non residential.

No doubt you remember the Etape Caledonia a couple of years back, other than this I've not heard of anybody deliberately targeting bikes (other than neds/ chavs of course).

Yep. Remember it well. The geezer that did it lost his gun license iirc as a result.

Get some puncture resistant tyres mate!

Gators are, and nothing is going to stop a 1/2 inch long shard going through your tyre

My wife commutes and has the same experience on the Common, and also by the Station. She concurs that it seems to be specific areas rather than random broken bottles.

Yep agree on the Station! I know cycling is banned along the pavement outside central station and people dont like the pedallestrians. Still its annoying having to lift the bike over when on foot. Or slashing your trainers up when walking jogging.

Broken glass: one of my biggest gripes. Problem spots all across town, not just outside pubs - though football nights tend to bring an increase. I don't think it's deliberate: more of a 'couldn't care less' attitude. But I would like to see glass banned from all 'problem' pubs... If they want to get p*ssed on fizzy tasteless lager, let them drink fizzy tasteless lager out of plastic cups...

I've started to think it is deliberate as its often not near the pubs. I expect it outside the pubs, but its like they've travelled a mile just to break the glass.. heres one of the roads I did find it on:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&s...Zn5Ko0gy2ndbUGD-yOf8Dw&cbp=12,148.03,,0,14.43

Its a well known route for cyclists, however its closed to all but buses, taxis and cycles (unless you're a resident)

 

[automatic_jon]

This is the main reason, apart from small suicidal dogs, that I don't use the shared use path between Tipner lake and Alexandra playing fields in Portsmouth. It seems that anywhere that there are benches but road sweepers don't go there seems to be broken glass. What lovely cities we live in eh?

 

[gemsno4]

I think you could be right about it being deliberate in Southampton. I'm not usually the paranoid type but the same thought occurred to me over the summer. Ever since I moved here (1 year ago) a set of lights I go up to had building work and barriers in the road over the cycle lane. There was never any glass, until the week they removed the barriers and repainted the cycle lane and now it regularly has smashed bottles. Again not near any houses or pubs.

 

[fossyant]

I dug about 8 shards of glass out of my front GP 4 Season the other day - hadn't checked them for ages - no puncture though

 

[mcshroom]

There was a section of the Hadrians in Newcastle that was having carpet tacks spread on it periodically at one point. You do wonder what (if anything) is going through the minds of these morons when they do things like this.

 

[summerdays]

There is one part of the Taff Trail which literally sparkles with all the broken glass - I assume that is deliberate.

 

[downfader]

There is one part of the Taff Trail which literally sparkles with all the broken glass - I assume that is deliberate.

Or sparkles with the many broken dreams of the cyclists having to walk the rest of the way, and the dogwalkers having to carry Rex and Fido... wonder if I can fit a broom on the front of me bike?