To Pedestrians & Cyclists

[Queen K]

Thanks to the woman in bright orange overalls for walking down my side of the street, in the lane. It's not like there wasn't a fully shoveled sidewalk to your left or anything. Thanks for not moving over one foot while I had to swerve into the on-coming lane, thankfully no one was driving past at the same time.

But it could be worse, it could have been dark out and I could have seen you at the last possible second.

[MCB]

I do all of my biking at dusk (99% trail unless I make a wrong turn, which has happened lol), and to bike in the dark on local roads without a front and back light just seems dumb to me. In the summer for a stretch I would commute to practice and back down and up Lakeshore/Chute lake Road and my bike was lit up like a christmas tree (stupid bright bar and helmet lights, seizure inducing red blinker on the back).

For winter riding, I STRONGLY suggest either investing in or (if you're "economical" like me) making a pair of studded tires. When you hit ice, you'll be glad to have them. If you don't have them, you'll know pretty quickly when you need them. I made a set last winter using something like 500 framing screws (admittedly overkill) that could claw uphill on skating rink smooth ice. Tutorials can be found online for the DIY route, though it's a pretty straight forward process.

[Grandan]

Good News. The City is looking at a project to try cleaning some of the bike lanes for Winter use.
I fired off an Email to Counciller Hodge, outlining some concerns about Sexsmith, which seems to be the commuter bike route to UBC for many cyclists. Hope this is a positive move forward .

Counciller Hodge, during the discussion expressed concerns over how many cyclists are riding in the winter. So if you are, or would ....if the more heavily lanes were being cleared...and you want your views or interest known, please send a note to
[email protected]

That sounds like a Hodge solution, attack the problem face on. Clearing the bikeways would simply encourage people to ride their bikes in the winter and we wouldn't want that would we?
I live on the Valley Road N - Sexsmith corridor and it is frightening driving the road at night with no bike-lane at all (due to no snow clearing) and a fear that someone will riding on the roadside or walking there. Hard to see when oncoming traffic headlights have blinded me. I have watched as the city spends copious amounts on fancy double sides sidewalks plus a separate twisty bike lane on some city streets. Sexsmith traffic has doubled over the past 10 years but nothing has been done to improve pedestrian safety. In fact there are no plans in the ocp to do any upgrades on Sexsmith except at Longhill to the Hwy. and at the Glenmore bypass. When the traffic circle was being built over the summer we had 20,000 vehicles per day through here, double as many vehicles as you would see on the Coq Connector, a road with 4 lanes.

[dirtybiker]

But Grandan...

To build anything through that corridor would mean construction vehicles, including heavy
commercial trucks.
And it has been made quite clear, there is no place for them through this corridor !

They are also required in the snow removal process !

Be careful what you wish for.

[MAPearce]

That sounds like a Hodge solution, attack the problem face on.

And there is something WRONG with that I suppose ...

Its like being told to learn to wipe your own *bleep* when you dont wan too...

[Atomoa]

[Grandan]

But Grandan...

To build anything through that corridor would mean construction vehicles, including heavy
commercial trucks.
And it has been made quite clear, there is no place for them through this corridor !

They are also required in the snow removal process !

Be careful what you wish for.

I have no illusions about the city doing anything about Sexsmith. When the city manager seems to think that Glenmore ends at High Road I have less hope. The Valley Road N Sexsmith corridor is being augmented with John Hindle Drive. That is the City of Kelowna's solution. UBCO traffic and Airport traffic is then supposed to make the switch to JHD. Too bad they forgot about the fact that it is the long way around for many commuters. Now that Longhill has been upgraded (twice) perhaps Sexsmith will eventually get a sidewalk or multiuse pathway to keep some separation between drivers and pedestrians.
As it stands there is up to 100 heavy trucks per day using Valley Road N to illegally access the Glenmore bypass from Sexsmith to Union. The city refuses to address the problem. Construction on this road would eliminate all but the construction vehicles themselves and that can't be a bad thing.
I am not against snow removal or street sweeping which we get our fair share of, that is not the issue. It just seems odd to me that the snow plow never cleans the cycling lane.

[dirtybiker]

The thing is, fighting for bike lanes and multi-use pathways is going about
things in the wrong manner. It is Civic

If the fight was put forth with a Commercial spin to it then it becomes Federal in nature.

A way bigger pie in which to cut the piece out of.

As the Commercial end of upgrade is being done through Federal initiatives the
payout on the Civic end becomes miniscule to add in the bike lane/multi-use
segment originally sought after.

It all comes down to Funding and/or Grants and, how to play the game to back ones
way into where they are headed.

[60-YEARS-in-Ktown]

I talked to a lady in Glenmore tonight on a bike.....said she rode all winter.
She had good lighting, good gear, and studded tires. ... Said she almost frostbit a few toes..
Wished I had talked to her a bit longer...wanted more of her perspective..

[spooker]

I talked to a lady in Glenmore tonight on a bike.....said she rode all winter.
She had good lighting, good gear, and studded tires. ... Said she almost frostbit a few toes..
Wished I had talked to her a bit longer...wanted more of her perspective..

Exchanged pleasantries with a cyclist who caught my attention last night by his flashing light on the front ... rear light in place too ... this was a nice change from the cyclist the other night that I only saw as they passed under a streetlamp but then disappeared further down the sidewalk ...

Februrary 10th is Winter Bike To Work Day ... last year had almost 100 cyclists participate ...

[GordonH]

Bumped
It's about time, since some people don't have basic common sense.
http://www.castanet.net/news/Vernon/190 ... o-light-up

[Graphite]

"Good advice but some of those folks (mainly riding BMX bikes and wearing dark hoodies) don't WANT to be seen. You know why." -petonia

why?

[lightspeed]

"Good advice but some of those folks (mainly riding BMX bikes and wearing dark hoodies) don't WANT to be seen. You know why." -petonia

why?

Drug dealers, burglars and muggers.

[southy]

so you could say Some of Kelownas peddlers

[CoachGuy]

It's started again. The cyclists are out and many of them are disobeying the basic traffic laws in which we have to abide by. Not stopping at red lights, stop signs etc.... There needs to be some enforcement with penalty.....