Bike Commuting
A place on the fediverse to share and discuss about commuting by bicycle
If there is street parking there too, it sounds like someone was smash and grabbing from the cars.
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh that makes sense! Thank you for that perspective. Maybe it wasn't malicious towards the bike lane...
It feels like that sometimes.
In some places there is a lot of hate towards cyclists, so it's very possible. But it could also be smashed car windows. (Although I believe that should be "security glass" and should not be extremely sharp... I might be wrong)
Unfortunately though, there are many examples I've seen and lived through myself. Glass, nails, metal wires across the bike path ... I've seen it all.
I used to live in Cork (Ireland) and the hostility from drivers towards cyclists is next to deadly. I've been purposefully cut off many times in that city. And on Friday morning, after a so called "students night" the streets are littered with broken glass. Fun times.
Honestly my tires were alright so it probably was security glass.
It's a main/busy street with lots of bars and the wealth/housing gap is becoming unbearable so someone breaking car windows makes sense.
As you said though I've seen lots of hate first hand toward cyclists so when I see something like glass in the bike lane I just feel sad.
I visited Cork years ago and it was not exactly walkable so I love that you were out there biking but I'm sorry you had bad experiences there.
It’s also common that tougher car tires are not affected. When they roll over debris it is sometimes pushed to the side of the street. I ride near the ocean and the bike lane is usually Sandy and much more treacherous.
Good luck and be safe
Did it look like car window glass? Could it be that someone parked their car on the bike lane and someone else broke the glass in order to steal?
broken glass strewn about.
If it looks like broken bottles, then it's likely intentional (i.e. targeting cyclists). But as others have pointed it, it could also be smashed window glass, which will look considerably different to broken bottles.
Either way, it's honestly a shame that criminals have to ruin it for everyone else.
Not that it's going to prevent every puncture, but I'd consider getting some beefy, puncture resistant tires for your bike.
Just go around, as a cyclist you have to learn to face many obsticles and find ways to evade them. Do a bunny hop over it, or maybe if the road is clear, go around on the road, or go around on the sidewalk not disturbing people or just quickly dismount.
Can you take pictures? Might just be from an accident or something.