Source: Radio New Zealand
By Noam Mānuka Lazarus, Massey University journalism student
“Track closed” safety sign torn down. SUPPLIED
A mountain biking instructor says Wellington mountain bike trails have again been littered with logs, dug up and blocked with wooden barriers.
Police and the Wellington City Council have been investigating the damage to the Matairangi/Mt Victoria trails this week.
On Thursday, police told RNZ they had “exhausted all available lines of inquiry” in the attempt to find those responsible.
Timber on the trails SUPPLIED
Inspector Jason McCarthy, the Wellington area prevention manager, urged members of the public to come forward with any information that might help.
Rod Bardsley, a mountain biking instructor who rode the trails regularly, said the trails had been cleaned up since the initial damage, but he saw last night that had been vandalised again.
Bardsley said holes had been dug in the ground, and support structures which held the dirt tracks together had been pulled out. One trail had even been fenced off, with wooden beams put up between trees on either side of the track.
Holes had been dug up along the track SUPPLIED
Bardsley said the trails were well used by bikers, and damage to the tracks could be extremely dangerous for bikers who rode at high speeds.
RNZ has approached Wellington City Council for comment.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
