Image Credit: UBCM 2014
September 24, 2014 - 7:30 PM
PENTICTON - Penticton mayor Garry Litke and members of council discussed making the city a recognized cycling destination for the province during a meeting with ministers at the Union of B.C. Municipalities in Whistler Wednesday.
City officials had face-to-face meetings with Transportation Minister Todd Stone to talk about designating the South Okanagan as a cycling precinct for the province of B.C. Litke told Stone the designation would give the ministry a mandate to support and encourage cycling on roads in the Okanagan as a whole, according to a press release from the city.
City representatives also suggested the province consider funding a generic traffic management plan to help event organizers move planning forward on cycling events in the area. They said two training routes might be selected for cyclists in the South Okanagan with corresponding way-finding signs similar to those used along wine routes. Routes could then be surveyed for required maintenance and road work prioritized.
Penticton representatives on the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen also met with Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training on Monday to discuss the potential to extend the tourist season through promotion of cycling. They told Bond that branding the South Okanagan as a cycling precinct for riders of all ages, types and abilities would invite international growth and interest in cycling, sports tourism and destination travel.
To contact a reporter for this story, email marcher@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065. To contact the managing editor, email Marshall Jones at mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014