Motorist strikes lengths of fishing line at head height in 100km/h zone
Tightly bound strands of fishing wire strung at head-height across a Hastings bridge left one motorist stunned by his close call and others who came upon the scene angry and upset by what appeared to be a deliberate trap.
Motorists
who arrived at the Riverslea Rd bridge near the Longlands Rd intersection were left shaking their heads at "what if" a motorcyclist had struck the heavy gauge nylon strands as the bridge is on a 100km/h stretch.
The wire could have maimed or fatally injured a cyclist or motorcyclist.
The man who drove into the nylon trap, a 34 year-old from Akina who did not wish to be named, called Hawkes Bay Today after his car struck it in the dark at 2.30am yesterday.
He had been travelling home from a relative's house, and said the fishing line was tied end over end across the length of the bridge, and he did not see it until his windscreen struck it.
"Every single rail was done, it's bloody crazy," he said.
"It was right at head height. I just hit the brakes and put my hands up and all that.
"If it was someone else they could have just ploughed straight into the side of the bridge. It's insane."
Despite much of the heavy gauge line attaching to and being dragged away by his car, when Hawke's Bay Today visited, tangled bunches of it were still spread around the bridge area.
The wire was strewn with weed, and a knife blade and pile of bait were nearby.
Passing residents were shocked.
A veteran cyclist, who frequents the road, said he was horrified by the presence of the fishing line.
"If I was to ride through that it would have flipped me off completely," he said.
A female driver who lived nearby said it was "terribly dangerous".
"Don't people have anything better to do?"
Senior Sergeant Luke Shadbolt said the incident was concerning and appealed for anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity at the bridge area on Monday night to contact police.
