KELOWNA - The warm weather and longer days have given Kelowna residents a jump on outdoor activities, including bike riding.

Cycling is a great way to get around, stay fit and have fun. Citizens are encouraged to keep in mind the City of Kelowna’s Traffic Bylaws for cycling - all riders are required to wear a bicycle helmet, obey the rules of the road, and ride with lights before dawn or after dusk. Cycling is not permitted on sidewalks.

Motor vehicle drivers are asked to drive aware, obey posted speed limits, check blind spots before turning and share all roads with people on bikes, especially in neighbourhoods and school zones. In the spring, more children head to and from school on foot or by bike so extra caution when driving in school zones is required. Parking or driving in bike lanes throughout Kelowna is not permitted.

"We’re all just trying to get around town or to and from school safely, whether we’re biking, walking or driving," says Mike Kittmer, Active Transportation Coordinator for the Central Okanagan. “If we’re all looking out for one another, following the rules of the road and being patient, we’ll all get to our destinations safely and enjoyably.”

An experienced cyclist himself, Kittmer says it is much more comfortable riding on the road with traffic, or using the City’s pathways when you know the rules, respect other and have a planned route. He suggests cyclists visit bikesense.bc.ca for bicycle safety tips and regulations.

“When you follow the rules of the road, drivers respect you and are better able to interact with you safely. This applies to pathways as well, as cyclists should yield to pedestrians, indicate when you are approaching others to pass and all users should stay to the right on the pathway, as you would on a road”.

The City of Kelowna is currently sweeping bike lanes and roadways. To make riding safer and more enjoyable, bike lanes in Kelowna are swept several times during the spring and summer.

Kelowna continues to expand the bike lane and pathway network with last year’s expansion of the Rails with Trails section from Spall Road to Dilworth Drive. Design work is underway for many other cycle routes on corridors such as Ethel Street, Sutherland Avenue, Dilworth Drive and Lakeshore Road.

This year Bike to Work and School Week is May 25 to May 31 and the community is encouraged to participate in this highly anticipated, fun community event. Cycle to work or school with colleagues, family or friends and enjoy Celebration Stations along the way, all week. Bike to Work Week information will soon be posted to www.smartTRIPS.ca so recruit team members now and keep an eye out for registration opening April 11.

A map of cycling routes in Kelowna is available online at www.kelowna.ca/transportation.

News from © iNFOnews, 2015