I am seeing complaints again about how cyclists behave on local roads.
I saw a cyclist commandeer a section of Old Vernon Road where construction was going on. They didn't stay to the side of the road, they took up the whole road until moving off to the side after they passed the flagger.
I saw two more cyclists going the other way who were almost riding side by side.
Taking up the entire vehicular lane is illegal except where the road is too narrow to otherwise safely make passage. That description allows for very few roads in the Okanagan where cyclists can legally take up an entire lane to themselves for any stretch.
There are entire groups of cyclists who commandeer road lanes as if, due to their sheer number, they have the right to take over the road. Last I checked, that's reserved for races where city permits are involved and police are on hand to ensure a safe situation.
But I regularly see groups taking over an entire lane on local backroads from East Kelowna to Ellison.
I've seen just as many vehicular infractions as I have cyclist infractions. But the cyclists who flout the law thinking they are in the right don't have anyone to blame but themselves when they land in hospital or one of their own dies in an accident.
I have two cyclists in the household. I don't want them killed, so I expect them to know the law. More cyclists need to heed the provincial and local laws as well.
Marilynn Dawson