In conversation with . . . Don Gemmell
Don Gemmell of Summerland has been one of the Valley’s leading advocates for the development of more walking and biking trails. Along with others, he was instrumental in campaigning for the lakeside path built alongside Highway 97 in Summerland.
Gemmell recently spoke with the Courier about Okanagan trails.
COURIER: What has been the biggest improvement in Okanagan trails in the past 10 years?
GEMMELL: I can compress that down to the past four years and without a doubt it is the stunning cycling infrastructure advances made by Kelowna, the Okanagan Rail Trail Group and the Central Okanagan Regional District. You can’t mention one without the others. Not far behind I must mention the partnership between the Splatsin Band in Enderby and two regional districts to work toward development of the same Okanagan Rail spur from Armstrong north to Sicamous. That takes real vision. COURIER: If you had $1 million to spend specifically for trail development in the Okanagan, how would you allocate it?
GEMMELL: I would have to suppress my instincts about ploughing it into more lakeside paths because with the current political conditions it just would not happen.
In the South Okanagan, there are so many agencies standing in the way of real progress in main line trail development.
Successful trail projects and the ensuing economic benefits in other areas (EuroVelo Routes) came through establishment of a multi-jurisdictional group or foundation that worked through all the challenges.
So I would place that million bucks into a Pan-Okanagan Foundation that could not only raise matching funds and grants, but have the clout to innovate and make real progress.
COURIER: How can potential conflicts between different trail user groups — hikers, cyclists, horseback riders, ATV riders — be better managed?
GEMMELL: Of these groups, the real challenge is how to deal with a relatively small motorized ATV sector that is diametrically opposed in philosophy and behaviour to those wishing to develop an industry and recreational sector around cycle tourism. Of all the tens of thousands of kilometres of accessible off-road trails available to ATVs, they have taken an anarchistic and destructive approach to laying claim to the few trails that have been groomed for bicycles. The only way around this is enforcement. Our governments have no set goals or vision to achieve the benefits of a cycle tourism industry, and have abdicated any role in solving this standoff.
COURIER: When it comes to bike lanes, do you favour cycle tracks — the complete separation of cyclists from vehicles and pedestrians — or would a larger and more inexpensive system of on-road bike lanes be preferable?
GEMMELL: When you establish an urban or inter-urban bike route, there is no one solution.
The type of path chosen should be based upon risk.
When a bike route passes through quiet neighbourhoods, or along back roads, signage and typical rules of the road should be sufficient.
When traffic if much higher, then you need to consider increasing measures in pathway design to mitigate the risk.
More and more cars are being added to B.C. roads every year and more people are taking to bicycles, too.
So government will be put into a position soon to deal with these serious risks.
COURIER: Given the reality of our climate, can you think of any way to encourage more use of trails during the late fall and winter seasons?
GEMMELL: As the Okanagan mainline bike routes mature, we will see more and more usage in the so-called tourism shoulder seasons.
This means our hospitality and outdoor sectors will remain viable longer during the year. Beyond that, our climate still determines the extent of our cycling activity.
COURIER: What trail, of easy ability and moderate length, offers in your estimation the most spectacular views in the Okanagan?
GEMMELL: Without a doubt the most spectacular views I can recommend are found on the descent from Chute Lake to Penticton on the KVR/Trans Canada/Great Trail network.
We can follow up that option with a Central Okanagan Regional District rebuilding of the Fur Brigade Trail above Antler’s Beach near Peachland.
COURIER: Fifty years from now, what will be the most significant differences from the Okanagan trail network compared to what exists now?
GEMMELL: Do we have to wait 50 years to build a world class continuous cycle route from Osoyoos to Sicamous?
We need to change the conversation from one about cost, to the realization that we cannot afford not to invest in cycling infrastructure.
So much of this vision is coming about now, and as our successes become evident in new economic flows, the rest will fall into place.