NZTA condemns cycleway vandalism after Wellington commuter crashes into rocks

A Wellington man has sustained minor injuries after his bike crashed into one of several boulders placed on a popular cycleway, in what appears to be an act of vandalism.

Firefighter Clarke Townsley was riding his bike to work along the recently opened Te Ara Tupua shared path when he crashed into a large rock in the middle of the lane.

“The next thing you know, I’m lying on the ground going, ‘Oh what’s this about?’

“I turned around and I saw the rock lying there.”

The fall left him with a grazed elbow, a grazed hip, sore hands and a punctured front tyre.

He soon realised there were several boulders and a large log that had been placed on the path, which is used by cyclists and pedestrians.

Townsley estimated that the rocks ranged between 25-40cm in size and weighed up to 8kg, which led him to believe they had been intentionally moved on to the path by people overnight.

“If you don’t like cyclists, that’s okay, but you don’t go out to hurt people - that’s just malicious.

“They may have been drunk or whatever, but either way, it was a pretty stupid action.”

In a statement to the Herald, the New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi (NZTA) confirmed it was aware of the incident, which appeared to be vandalism.

“We are extremely disappointed by this, given the danger it poses to shared path users.

“The Ngauranga to Petone shared path has been enjoyed by thousands of people since it opened last month and it is deeply frustrating that anyone would choose to behave in such a way.”

NZTA said the path had traffic cameras installed and it was prepared to refer incidents like these to the police, who had already been notified about the vandalism.

“We also want to thank other path users for clearing the debris and helping to keep the route safe for the public,” the agency said.

Townsley wife, Kirsten, posted on a local Facebook cycling page to warn others about the debris.

“I get that there is a lot of anti-cyclist rhetoric out there but pulling this kind of stunt has serious consequences,” her post read.

She believed people who attended the Hurricanes game at Hnry Stadium may have been the ones to move the rocks while walking the path on their way home.

Members of the public commented on Kristen’s post, calling the vandalism “horrendous” and saying it was “such a shame there are losers out there that ruin nice things”.

Kirsten said the boulders were placed in dark patches not illuminated by the lights on the pathway, leading some commenters to question if the path needed better lighting.

Townsley did not take issue with the pathway lighting, which he described as “passive”, but admitted his own cycle lights had no chance of catching the boulders before it was “too late”.

Townsley said of all the people who passed him on the path this morning, only one runner helped him move the stones.

“If you don’t [clear the path], if you’re expecting someone else to do it, that is just a recipe for disaster,” he said.

Townsley had been a firefighter for 25 years and was on his way to Newtown fire station when he fell over.

That station was responsible for the area that covered Wellington Regional Hospital and Wellington Airport, which caught fire on Friday night.

Townsley said the station was already short-staffed and if he had not shown up for his shift, it would have two fewer fire trucks than normal.

Janhavi Gosavi is a Wellington-based journalist for the New Zealand Herald who covers news in the capital.