Been following this for a while on bike Portland. It seems some people have been intentionally placing nails and tacks in the bike lanes there. and as the this post things just got a bit meaner.
http://bikeportland.org/2011/10/19/strip-of-tacks-found-glued-across-bike-lane-on-marine-drive-60851
I am posting this since I know people here have been harassed and yelled at and what not. (I havent but them im a non-to-stable looking huge hairy guy - not your typical cyclist) but at least I havent heard of anyone trying to do anything like this.
I once hit a cinderblock that was hidden under a pile of yard waste (leaves) in a bike lane in Davis, CA. People just dump their green waste near the street, and some giant vacuum truck comes and sucks it up. Kind of a neat system, except for all the piles of crap in the bike lanes, and the asshole kids that hide bricks under said piles.
Didn't someone here see a guy putting hazards into the Forbes Ave bike lane up the hill from Margaret Morrison?
Some scary creeps out there.
What exactly do they think they'll accomplish? Fixing a flat is relatively cheap and easy. If this keeps up, you're going to have militant bicyclists start tossing out homemade spike strips. Getting a car's flat tire fixed is expensive and a pain.
Also, @dwillen, those cinderblocks are likely a deterrent for the people who like to drive cars through the piles and make a mess.
Is it wrong to think it would be taken seriously if the debris was moved to the motor vehicle lanes?
I'm guessing the perps aren't trying to accomplish anything, besides annoyance. Don't read too much into motives.
Also, I agree with chemicaldave: blocks in leaf piles are traditionally used as a surprise for drivers--I recall folks doing this when I was growing up.
