Use different bike lane route

Re. Penticton's lake to lake bike lane.

There are questions about whether South Main Street (in Penticton) is the right choice for the last phase of the All Ages and Abilities Lake to Lake bike lane.

I think these concerns are spot on. South Main is a very busy road with various bus routes and parked cars. Cyclists (such as myself), who use South Main tend to be experienced commuters and road racers and this is why there have been few, if any, cycling accidents.

The Lake to Lake cycle path is intended to be used by cyclists of all ages and abilities and I don’t think going down South Main is a very safe option. Trying to make it safe with barriers and “floating bus stops” could in fact make things less safe for drivers and cyclists.

When the Atkinson Street bike lane ends at Kinney, why not turn right and put a two-lane path down McGraw to Walmart? McGraw is much lower impact than South Main and way safer and it connects the three major shopping centres.

The path could then go down Brandon Avenue to Paris. Paris goes to Yorkton and connects to one of the highest population density areas of Penticton.

With this layout, the road racers and cyclists connecting to the east side can turn left and go down South Main as it is today. The rest could turn right and go down McGraw/Paris which will connect to the centre of Skaha Lake Park.

The Government/South Main bike path serves certain cyclists well and isn’t broken, so let’s not fix it.

The lower impact route through the centre of town is much safer, connects to a larger population and is consistent with the goals of All Ages and Abilities cycling paths.

Brian Hughes