Tacks on Vancouver Ave bike lane cause several flats

Tacks have strewn across the bike lane on
Vancouver Ave have caused several
flats this week.
(Photo: @seniortrio/Twitter)

Small and very sharp tacks have been showing up in the bike lane of N Vancouver Avenue for the past few days and they’ve claimed several victims.

I got the first report about them on Tuesday from reader Brian R. who said he was rolling on Vancouver at about 3:30 pm when three tacks pierced his front tire. “I was curious if any of your other readers had the same misfortune or it was just my bad luck?”

Then I heard from Metropolis Bike Shop owner Nathan Roll. Roll’s shop is on Williams, just one block away from Vancouver. Roll said he had two customers come into the shop with double flats caused by “large numbers of tacks in the Vancouver bike lane.” Roll said the tacks were in the road just south of Russell.

“The first time it happened [on Tuesday] one of my guys went out and picked up a handful of thumbtacks. Today, the customer went out and came back with a handful of tiny carpet tacks that are a dark grey color that I’m sure is almost invisible at 15-20 mph.”

Roll has called in a maintenance request to the city and he’s curious if anyone else has gotten flats.

And then just a few hours ago I got a message via Twitter from @senortrio who wrote, “Just got 2 flat tires from tacks in the Rose Quarter bus mall.” After I asked for more info, @senortrio added that he was headed down Vancouver before he noticed the tacks and that they got his friend’s tires too.

The tacks could have fallen off a truck and spilled into the bike lane. Or of course, someone could be playing a mean trick (it’s been known to happen in the past). Whatever’s going on, I’m curious if other readers have flatted in this location and I hope the City gets it swept up soon.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car owner and driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, feel free to contact me at @jonathan_maus on Twitter, via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a supporter.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

62 Comments
oldest
newest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
ben milstein
ben milstein
12 years ago

bummer about the tacks. one minor correction to your article – @seniortrio is actually @seniorfrio (cold, not three). 🙂

Natalie
Natalie
12 years ago

The cynical person in me has already decided that this is an assclown situation. That said, I’m interested to see how this develops.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

All the flats I have ever had must be because of something similar. It Is an ATTACK on us!! The special people!!! WE HAVE A SMALLER CARBON FOOTPRINT!!!! HOW CAN WE BE DENIED!!!!!

We need to form a committee and discuss this at length so that we can bring an action plan to the Mayor within 3 months. I think we should install cameras and have people patrol all the bike lanes. We should also have crossing guards.

dan
dan
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

Those measures, while certainly satisfying our sense of self-importance, are really not necessary. All we need to do is sweep any junk in the bike lanes into the street — problem solved.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
12 years ago
Reply to  dan

Methinks you are missing the hyperbole.

Adams Carroll (News Intern)
Reply to  Scott

Hey Scott,

Thanks for the comment, but there’s absolutely nothing in the story or the comments above yours that should lead you to think that’s how people will react.

There are tacks in the road. People got flats. I did a story (and waited to do so after getting several reports). No one is saying to call the national guard or the bike safety patrol. Please calm down.

NW Biker
NW Biker
12 years ago

Why? Groundless hysteria is so much fun!

All joking aside, I wondered whether it was deliberate as well. Kinda sad, really.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago

It was sarcastic, but I think that it is great someone thought it was serious. It speaks to what the normal tone of oppressed minority is on the comments here. I also like that “trollish” is now a word. Tacks seem like a juvenile joke and since we don’t have to bunny hop 2 ft deep potholes, epic amounts of broken glass, long forgotten construction signage, and derelicts passed out in traffic in this city I think we can handle some high school prankery.

bArbaroo
bArbaroo
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

I get the sacrasm, I think. Here’s some back at ya…I’m glad you’re commute is absent epic amounts of broken glass, derelicts passed out in the street, and potholes. Any P-town to Couv commuter doesn’t enjoy that luxury. Derelicts are there along with overdose victims, drug dealers, and unsavory gangs of young guys hanging out peeing and pooping in the bike path (even as you pass by). As for glass, here’s a story of epic glass : http://mudlips.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/if-glass-breaks-on-the-bike-path-and-no-one-hears-it-will-it-still-puncture-your-tire/ Yes, oppressed minions we are.

Dude
Dude
12 years ago

Why are you leaving this comment up? This is obvious trolling. Jonathan, here’s just another example of how you let anti-bike people post inflammatory statements on your blog and sensor pro-bike comments of the same ilk. This is the problem with your blog and its lack of fair commenting policy.

Kevin
Kevin
12 years ago
Reply to  Dude

Oh jeeze, grow up.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
12 years ago
Reply to  Dude

Dude,

you are only proving the example of cyclists thinking they are the “special people”

are
12 years ago

wondering how “scott” feels about traffic reporters on the radio warning motorists of road hazards or even just backups.

Natalie
Natalie
12 years ago
Reply to  Scott

I took Scott’s comment as being sarcastic and kind of troll-ish.

Natalie
Natalie
12 years ago
Reply to  Natalie

Wait… just realized how obvious that was to everyone else. Ignore comment.

Andrew Seger
Andrew Seger
12 years ago

Eh they’ve been doing a ton of construction on Vancouver in that area related to the Hospital expansion (I assume, at least). I’m more inclined to think it’s just debris from not cleaning up properly. Fwiw the construction people have been quite helpful keeping a bike lane open.

Mike Quigley
Mike Quigley
12 years ago

I notice that a crop of goatheads (aka puncture vine) is getting a foothold out along the Springwater. Their needle-sharp seedlets will penetrate shoe leather, tire liners, pet paws, etc. On the other hand, tea made out of their leaves is purported to enhance sex drive!. They’re making their way into the Willamette Valley from points East. Google puncture vine for more info.

matheas michaels
matheas michaels
12 years ago
Reply to  Mike Quigley

Not goatheads! Anything but those! My memories of goatheads are anything but fond.

A.K.
A.K.
12 years ago
Reply to  Mike Quigley

Where at, exactly? An invasive species like that is perfect for a small community group to go after during clean-up efforts.

middle of the road guy
middle of the road guy
12 years ago
Reply to  A.K.

Aren’t hipsters an invasive species also?

XB
XB
12 years ago

can some clever cyclists hang one of those rake-magnets (like construction works use to pick up nails) in front of their bike about an inch off the ground? magic!

Marcus Griffith
Marcus Griffith
12 years ago
Reply to  XB

That is a winning idea. Sound the Engineer Horn.

Michae F
Michae F
12 years ago

what is the policy on sweeping the streets? N Willamette has had dead animals and glass shards for weeks near UP.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  Michae F

The streets were getting swept regularly on all bike lanes. I wonder is that stopped because cyclists complained about getting wet from the sweep truck….

Randall S.
Randall S.
12 years ago
Reply to  Michae F

In my experience, the policy is “sweep debris from the car lane into the bike lane.”

q`Tzal
q`Tzal
12 years ago
Reply to  Michae F

I thought that the policy was that the roads are “self cleaning” because the profile is crown sloped.
This is thought, amongst road engineers, to obviate the need to clean road surfaces by action of automotive tires pushing debris off the travel lane.

metropoliscycles
metropoliscycles
12 years ago

We just had another bike come in with tacks in both tires. They are the same tacks we have seen before. The victim had recently passed through the Rose Quarter.

metropoliscycles
metropoliscycles
12 years ago

Okay, we just had our 2nd one today with the tiny grey tacks. Sounds like they picked it up near the rose quarter.

Stephen Fortunato
Stephen Fortunato
12 years ago

Folks, you may want to look up “irony” and “sarcasm” in the dictionary. Scott’s post is a play on the incendiary “war on cars” language that is all too common in letters to the editor, talk radio programs and op-ed pieces. I laughed out loud when Scott went into an immediate panic attack, just like people who freak out because they believe building a bike lane will interfere with motorized traffic. Of course, the tacks on Vancouver Ave. are a valid concern because vandals have sabotaged bike lanes before and even the Seattle to Portland ride.

If you are interested in an in-depth analysis that debunks all the martial language thrown at cyclists (i.e. “war on cars”, “cyclists law-breakers who blast through red-lights”), I highly recommend this recent article in Seattle’s Stranger – http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/okay-fine-its-war/Content?oid=9937449

Stephen Fortunato
Stephen Fortunato
12 years ago

This post was meant as a reply to Scott September 16, 2011 at 2:16

Otto
Otto
12 years ago

Interesting column… But it’s not just car on peds/bike casualities, but car on car too. It doesn’t matter what a persons political views are because the road is a high risk place for everyone when cars are involved. This makes the “war on bikes” rhetoric all the more absurd. That said, nobody is going to tell me that my life is absolutely better without an automobile. Some balance is needed.

People need to understand that the “bicycle community” is much bigger than some people think. It’s anyone who has ever rode a bike, owned a bike, or knows/is related to someone who owns a bike regardless of how often or where they ride.

The “bike community” includes everyone from the everyday bike commuter to the guy who only rides his comfort bike a few times each summer. It’s the kids just riding around their neighborhood block and a woman touring the countryside. Many of these folks also own cars, walk, and use transit on occasion and we all have an interest in safe transportation. The critical mass already exists for us. We just need organizing, peaceful exchange, and productive discussion. We do not need militant attitudes on either side.

beelnite
beelnite
12 years ago

If someone put metal spikes in the roadway to give passing automobiles flat tires what would happen then? To me this is like dropping a rock off an overpass over a busy freeway. Reckless endagerment, manslaughter, even murder if someone get’s killed…. I don’t think this is “mischief” or “vandalism”… but that’s just my POV. Maybe I ride too fast making a blowout a pretty big deal.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  beelnite

Homemade tire poppers are used regularly on logging roads and routes used in off and on road races.

was carless
was carless
12 years ago
Reply to  beelnite

I hear this happens all the time in NYC.

Ted Buehler
12 years ago

When you find tacks or other debris in the bike lane, email safe@portlandoregon.gov and they’ll come sweep it pretty quick.

Hopefully this is a one-time deal.

Ted Buehler

Rol
Rol
12 years ago

Gonna go ahead and assume right off the bat that these were placed deliberately as some sort of impotent gesture. I only wish the person would wait nearby to savor the outcome like a good prankster. They’d discover quickly that the whole thing was very boring and unsatisfying. But maybe I’m wrong, maybe somebody gets a huge charge out of watching me calmly dismount and go through my “fixing a flat” routine before getting underway again.

Hugh Johnson
Hugh Johnson
12 years ago
Reply to  Rol

Considering all the anger over the gentrification of N.Portland, I’m not surprised this is happening.

Jason
Jason
12 years ago

Stupid is as stupid does.

It’s like the Historic Columbia Highway – tacks on the shoulder / bike lane lead to bikes in the roadway.

Keep the rubber side down n’ keep grinning

alice's adventures
12 years ago
Reply to  Jason

smiles & peace signs. my tire is flat with no visible tacks, but i have been all over vancouver bikeway this week.

Racer X
Racer X
12 years ago

Yep – its a short sighted city permitting issue to zone a stainless steel tack producing company on a major bikeway like Vancouver. (A poor attempt at humor)

Dan O
Dan O
12 years ago

Sabotage is a very distinct possibility, and it’s not cool.

pdxpaul
pdxpaul
12 years ago

That general vicinity is getting dicier due to the volume of traffic – foot, two wheeled, wheelchair, car, bus, etc. I apologize if it was the taxi driver I cussed out for almost running me over the other morning.

Randall S.
Randall S.
12 years ago

It’s probably that same tack-shipping truck that leaks tacks on the STP route every year.

Also, why are all the major tack-shipping trucks routes co-located along bike pathways? You’d think someone would do something about that.

Marcus Griffith
Marcus Griffith
12 years ago

See First Amendment with a focus on case law surrounding the rights and obligations of a website hosting public comments.

Personally, I think BiP has a pretty good track record at allowing a diverse range of opinions be expressed.

Dan O
Dan O
12 years ago

Well, the original sarcastic rant wasn’t so bad, but he came back with the underlying notion, “Tacks seem like a juvenile joke… ”

Uh-uh – no joke – not funny – seriously malicious – ~arbitrary victimization – no control of consequences – very , very bad.

Scott
Scott
12 years ago
Reply to  Dan O

Toughen up. The juvenile joke when I was in Philly was to smack cyclists/messengers off their bikes with a 2×4 and run. We have it so easy out here. Learn how to fix a flat and this problem is solved.

jim
jim
12 years ago

I found 2 nails in my car tire yesterday. I’m not going to say that some mean cyclist threw nails out in the street. It could have been many things that left tacks in the road, It could have spilled out of a garbage can on garbage day (on our street there is a trail of spilled garbage behind the garbage man), they could have spilled out the back of a truck hauling scrap……
I think it is rather paranoid to think someone is that mean to target the cyclists, thats my opinion

Fix On Your Bike
12 years ago

What a joke…

Kevin
Oh jeeze, grow up.
Recommended 0

Ted Buehler
12 years ago

I rode down N Vancouver Ave at 4pm yesterday. I rode slow and looked carefully for tacks all the way from Cook to Page. I had my iPhone camera ready to take a photo and send it to safe@portlandoregon.gov if I saw any.

But the way was clear of tacks.

Lots of other odd bits of debris, but I guess that’s normal…

Ted Buehler

Ted Buehler
12 years ago
Reply to  Ted Buehler

& of course I would have picked up any tacks I saw, too. Or at least brushed them into the gutter…

Mike Fish
Mike Fish
12 years ago

I also suspect foul play – I’m awaiting the aforementioned magnetic sweeper.

Mark P
Mark P
12 years ago

One of these tacks found its way into my tire on Friday afternoon:(

mark kenseth
mark kenseth
12 years ago

KATU had video of it on air last night, but all I could find was this:
http://www.katu.com/news/local/130031793.html
*Do not waste your time reading the comment section.

beth h
12 years ago

“The ‘bike community’ includes everyone from the everyday bike commuter to the guy who only rides his comfort bike a few times each summer.”

Does this include folks who either don’t know they
re part of said “community”, and/or who don’t want to be? There’s often way too much lumping together of identities at this blog.

SARA
SARA
12 years ago

My rear tire caught a tack on Vancouver Ave the morning of September 16. My tube was irreparable and this incident made me half an hour late to work.

Miles
Miles
12 years ago

I just fell victim to these this afternoon on Williams!

joeb
joeb
12 years ago

I flatted on the way home tonight. I must have picked up the tack right after Weidler.

Noelle
Noelle
12 years ago

Husband was “at-tacked” on the pm commute. Flatted on Williams by the restaurants. Saw 2 others with flats (dunno if tack related) while hoofing it home.

Dear tack person: property damage is an unacceptable way to express yourself. It costs real actual people time, money, and puts their safety at risk. Nor should anyone’s clients, students, patients, or coworkers be inconvenienced because you think we should be driving. I don’t slash SUV tires…

yard
yard
12 years ago

just got a flat last night on my way north probably on williams between the rose quarter and tillamook.

bummer!

Champs
Champs
12 years ago

Since this article was posted, I immediately forgot about it and have had no flats during several trips up and down Williams/Vancouver.

Lord of The Crab People

Flats? What are flats? I have not had a flat in 4 years since I started using Stans. Tubes are dead folks.