Improve bike safety

As a Kelowna resident who commutes and recreates by bike daily, I was encouraged to see the City of Kelowna promote active transportation and commit to a “vision zero" safe mobility action plan aimed at eliminating transportation-related injuries.

However, recent changes to cycling infrastructure—particularly along Sutherland Avenue between Gordon Drive and Capri Street—stand in direct contradiction to those goals.

The new bi-directional bike lane in this area is a serious safety concern. My husband and I have already witnessed multiple near misses and it's not even peak season for cyclists and e-scooters. The design forces drivers turning left into the busy Independent grocery store lot (at the Capri Centre) to simultaneously watch for:

• Oncoming vehicle traffic

• Cyclists traveling in both directions

• Pedestrians crossing at different speeds

All of that while navigating tight, unforgiving space with no margin for error. If something goes wrong, there's nowhere for cyclists to safely veer because curbs trap them in place.

I recently biked from my home to City Park to play volleyball—choosing that mode of transportation for both health and efficiency. But in just two days, I had four separate close calls with vehicles while biking on Springfield Road, each time clearly having the right of way.

I was wearing a bright pink helmet and following all the rules. Each near miss was due to a driver either not paying attention or outright breaking (driving) laws.

Those incidents occurred on routes that are well-designed and intuitive—easy for the average driver to understand and navigate. That’s key. In contrast, many of the new ideas for active transportation infrastructure, like the bi-directional bike lane on Sutherland, are complicated, confusing, and hard to understand while in motion. There are even signs attempting to explain how to use some intersections, but realistically, when you’re driving or cycling, there’s no time to read and absorb complex instructions. If people can’t process how to safely navigate a space in real-time, the infrastructure isn’t serving its purpose—it’s creating new risks.

Frankly, I’m deeply frustrated to see our tax dollars spent on bike lanes that feel more like death traps than safety improvements. The city's messaging around safe and active transportation doesn’t align with the reality on the streets.

If Kelowna is serious about encouraging cycling and meeting its “vision zero” goals, several things must change:

• Stop designing infrastructure that creates more confusion and conflict

• Prioritize safety at high-traffic intersections—especially those already known for risk

• Increase enforcement of traffic laws. Drivers who endanger cyclists need to face consequences. Tickets change behaviour.

I’ve considered wearing a GoPro on my helmet just to document the frequency of these incidents. I shouldn't have to do that just to prove how unsafe things have become.

Kelowna has made strides in promoting active transportation but without safe, intuitive infrastructure and stronger driver accountability, those efforts will fall flat—and people will continue to be seriously injured or even killed. We deserve better.

Cascade Christensen