Bike lane barriers added safety feature

DEAR EDITOR:

I have lived in Penticton for 40-plus years and have lived on the South Main bike route for 22 years.

I have no “special interest” in the new bike lanes but I thought I might share my experience with that existing bike lane route.

When I first moved into my home on South Main Street my young family could not afford a vehicle, as is true with many people.

I rode my bike to work in the downtown area five days a week, nine-10 months a year for several years and ran errands with kids in tow in a chariot.

It wasn’t until my kids were in preschool that we needed to purchase a cheap, used jalopy of a vehicle.

Even then I continued to ride my bike to work downtown for years.

The only negative thing I encountered was people in vehicles driving in the bike lane, and they still do, daily, so I can see why when planning the new route they opted for barriers.

Now we can argue about the route not being perfect or about the barriers being a bit much, but a bike lane is something that even as a fairweather cyclist I can appreciate and see the positive impact it will have. And, as an adult, I can appreciate learning from mistakes and knowing time is not a single picture.

I have seen more and more people use the bike lane on South Main for many years and I am sure ridership will continue to increase especially with the trend in electric bikes, mobility scooters and skateboarding as just a few examples. It’s interesting that Coun. Amelia Boultbee is OK with putting money into “ridership” and “lessons learned’ reviews but not OK with putting money into looking into what a Car-40 program would cost. We know that both our RCMP and fire responders are exhausted and unable to keep up, which is when dangerous mistakes can be made and has an impact on their mental health.

So Amelia Boultbee does not speak for me. As someone involved in what’s going on in the community I didn’t feel like I was blindsided by the bike lanes, I don’t feel held hostage. I’d personally rather the bike lanes be completed and money be used to investigate a Car-40 program over looking into bike lane ridership, a project that will see increased use.

I look forward to spring when my aging self can hop on my bike and cruise the town. It will be good for my health, good for my bank account and good for the environment which is important to myself and my kids.

Kristine Lee Penticton