This tack caused a flat for Christian Maldonado while riding Catalina Highway on Friday. Photo courtesy of Christian Maldonado
This tack caused a flat for Christian Maldonado while riding Catalina Highway on Friday. Photo courtesy of Christian Maldonado

In case you were convinced the tacks that appeared in the shoulder on Mt Lemmon Highway two weeks ago, were deliberately placed there, more piles were discovered on Thursday and Friday.

This was the message on Sabino Cycle’s page on Friday:

There’s been more tacks put out on Catalina highway. Friends found three separate piles on Thursday and we found a few leftovers today. Seems to be escalating. It may be time to start calling the Sheriffs office and reporting this until they find the person. It could be very dangerous for someone descending the mountain, aside from the annoyance.

Christian Maldonado posted the photo you see above. He got a flat thanks to a tack on Friday morning. His flat came at Catalina Highway and Camino Miramonte. Maldonado’s wife also got a flat from a tack at Avenida de Motezuma more than a mile away.

Ryan Roher a Pima County Sheriff’s Deputy and representative to the Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee said via email that he had forwarded information about the tacks to the commander and that they requested the a street sweeper come to the area.

He said it is important that bicyclists report these incidents.

“Sadly, this is extremely difficult to deal with,” he wrote. If someone is doing it intentionally obviously this person has a major issue with road users. But that begs the questions, who, what, when, where, and why? We obviously know some parts of those questions.  We need help to answer the rest. So riders need to be vigilant and report anything they note as suspicious.”

If you’ve gotten a flat because of the tacks, post a comment on where you flatted and I’ll add it to the map. Perhaps it will become more clear visually where the problem area is.

 

 

View Tacks in a larger map

4 thoughts on “More tacks pop-up and pop tires on Catalina Highway”
  1. I wonder if the tack thrower is motivated by so many cyclists who insist on riding out in the road on Catalina Hwy and Mt. Lemmon.  I was passed by a large group of training camp riders last week on Mt. Lemmon, and was amazed that some of them were about a foot or two to the left of the white line, right when a number of cars were passing, including a truck pulling a large 4-horse trailer.  These visiting nitwits didn’t have the sense to look back before they pulled out in front of the horse trailer.  I see this type of behavior again and again, since I ride up the mountain a lot.  I’m upset about the tacks also but I can’t say I’m surprised.  Too much boorish behavior on the part of cyclists brings out hate from some motorists, and the result is that all of us suffer.

  2. @silver pedals  
    Are you saying that if some riders ride to the left of the white line, that this justifies someone’s behavior in which a cyclist could be killed?

  3. @silver pedals  I apologize in advance if i am wrong — Have you had any safety training? Your comments sound as though you are unaware of where bicyclists may (legally) ride, and/or where they should be (for safety).  Please review, for example: http://azbikelaw.org/blog/where-to-ride-on-the-road/

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.