Source: Radio New Zealand
Wellington City Council park rangers looked to install motion-activated cameras in the Town Belt on Matairangi/Mt Victoria after a spate of vandalism that appeared to target mountain bikers. Wellington City Council
Wellington police say a man has been “formally warned” over damage to mountain bike tracks on Mount Victoria near the city’s CBD.
At the beginning of December local mountain bikers said they were “disgusted” to discover logs, stumps and other obstacles had been placed on several mountain bike trails in places which – if hit by a mountain bike rider – could cause serious injury.
At the time, mountain bike instructor and regular Mount Victoria rider Rod Bardsley said the trails had been cleaned up since initial damage was reported but later in the week the trails were 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.
Bardsley said the damage to the tracks could be extremely dangerous for bikers who rode at speed.
This week police confirmed a man had presented himself at Wellington Central Police Station and made “full admissions” relating to the damage.
A police spokesperson said the man had been “formally warned for endangering life or safety by criminal nuisance”.
They said any repeat offending would result in charges being laid.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
