Cyclists in Cape Town are being targeted by a suspect who places wire traps on trails at neck height to deliberately injure them. This is not the first time such an incident has occurred and it could decapitate cyclists. Wire trapping involves a strand of wire being placed at neck height across a biking trail to deliberately injure riders.
Table Mountain Bikers said in a Facebook post:
“At about 1pm, a rider going down the legal trail the Glen,fell victim to a wire pulled across the trail at neck height. Fortunately he walked away from this deliberate act of sabotage,it could have been a lot worse. Whatever anyone thinks of cyclists sharing trails with other users,this isn’t the way to show your unhappiness.Express yourself verbally and don’t be a coward and boobytrap a trail,knowing full well that someone will get hurt today.Does it make you feel all warm &fuzzy inside,as you sit at home,knowing someone may end up in hospital?!
The rider is opening a case at the South African Police Service in Camps Bay and Table Mountain National Park have also been notified.A similar,deliberate act in Canada and Germany ended up with the culprits being sentenced in court.We’d like to see the same happen in this case. KFM 94.5 and 567 Cape Talk Spread the word and keep your eyes peeled!”
The cyclist was jerked off his mountain bike on Saturday July 7, and suffered abrasions to his neck, after riding into a wire near The Glen trail during the afternoon. Robert Vogel, who is the founder of Table Mountain Bikers, told TimesLIVE that this particular trail has been open to cyclists since 2016, and that cyclists experience particular resistance from other trail users. The trail extends from Constantia to Camps Bay. The cycling group has vowed to expose the “culprit” and took to Twitter to announce this.
That’s what some people call trail sharing!A wire at neck height across a legal trail in the Glen.A calculated act to inflict maximum harm!Rider will lay criminal charges & we’ll find the culprit. @TableMountainNP @CapeTalk @AMA_TokaiMTB @TableMntnWatch pic.twitter.com/42O0uWkiF6
— TableMountainBikers (@TableMTB) July 7, 2018
Vogel also noted that this was the third time that barriers against cyclists has been placed on that trail. “There are people who clearly don’t like the cyclists on the trail‚ but this time this one went to the extreme. We assume it is a local resident‚” he told TimesLIVE. “We have faced this before. I personally found someone doing it. A year ago‚ someone dragged logs and other obstacles onto the trail.” Table Mountain Bikers has confirmed that they suspect that the culprit lives in Camps Bay, and that Table Mountain National Park rangers are now conducting patrols in the area.
Picture: Facebook