Central Park Thumbtacks Attack Worry Riders
Cyclists in Central Park have been cautioned to be on the lookout for thumbtacks as a number of riders have experienced flat tires and some serious accidents as a result of the tacks being placed at certain points along bike paths.
Reports indicated that the tacks began to appear on July 3 as riders had an unusual number of flat tires while they biked through Central Park.
One rider explained that he always rides around Central Park and has had flat tires before, but something was different when his tire went flat.
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"When I went to check the hole in the tire, it was minute, it was so thin. I couldn't see it through the tire, but all I knew was that the air was coming out of the inner tube," Tony Smith, 1010 WINS.
"A thumbtack you can't see, you're not paying attention for a thumbtack," Smith explained.
Some cyclists felt as though his was just a few young kids having fun and pulling pranks, but still feel that it is dangerous.
"You can't stop and you've got no traction, so it's no joke, it's serious," James Harris told WLNY.
Rapidly losing air pressure has caused some riders to hit the pavement as a result of the thumbtacks
That's what happened to Steve Vaccaro when his tire was punctured by a thumbtack while biking in Central Park.
"I was injured, thankfully, not seriously. I skinned my elbow. I think it will grow back," Vaccaro told CBS.
Some riders are even wondering if the tacks left in the bike lanes are part of a wider bike riding backlash.
"We've seen a lot of change in recent years with bicycling taking more prominence in Central Park and elsewhere in the city, with the new bike lanes and other changes, and I think we've just seen people being afraid of change," Peter Niessen told WNLY.
