Lake to Lake Route Construction

Sections 4, 3 and 2 are now complete. 

The following provides a timeline of this ongoing initiative.

In 2012, Urban Systems developed a report for the City highlighting a need for a safe and convenient cycling route connecting Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. Following consultation with stakeholders, Council adopted an updated Bike and Cycling Network map into the 2019 Official Community Plan.

June 18, 2019: City Council endorsed the project to identify the location of the Lake to Lake Route. The project involved an extensive engagement process and a technical analysis to determine the preferred route.

Sept. 6, 2019: The City hosted “Pedal Penticton,” a community-wide cycling event to gather input into the work to identify the Lake to Lake Route. Approximately 500 people attended the event and the City received input from more than 1,000 individuals.

June-July 2020: The City conducted a targeted engagement program to ensure feedback was received from businesses and residents in the downtown area.

Nov. 17, 2020: Council amended the Official Community Plan to approve the alignment of the route after holding a Public Hearing on the proposed amendments on Nov. 16, 2020.

Dec. 8, 2020: Council endorsed staff working with affected landowners, residents and businesses along the proposed route, identifying issues and developing design solutions.

Feb. 2, 2021: City staff presented an updated design for sections 3 and 4 of the route based on feedback received. This included relocating the cycle track from the west side of Martin Street to the east side, allowing for existing patios to be retained and no significant impacts to the 200-block revitalization works.

Feb. 25, 2021: The City was awarded a $1 million grant from the provincial government to construct sections 3 and 4 of the route.

March 31, 2021: Council approved the detailed design endorsement for sections 3 and 4 of the route, directing staff to proceed to construction design work.

May to July 2021: Construction was underway on sections 3 and 4 of the route starting from Lakeshore Drive through the downtown area to Duncan Avenue.

Aug. 1, 2021: Official opening of the first sections of the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route.

Nov. 18, 2022: Construction of section 2 was completed, which included a new signalized intersection at Duncan Avenue and Atkinson Street, a new cyclist-activated signal and pedestrian crossing at Baker Street and Duncan Avenue, the widening of Atkinson Street Bridge at Ellis Creek, and infrastructure improvements including upgrades to storm water management, enhanced lighting and increased sidewalk connectivity.

Dec. 2, 2022: The Government of Canada announces funding of $750,000 for the development of the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route. 

March 2022: Consultation gets underway for section 2 of the route.

January 2023: Detailed design for the final section of the Lake to Lake Route gets underway. This section will see the route continue from the Point Intersection (at Galt Ave. and South Main St.) along South Main St. to its terminus at Skaha Lake Park. 

April 2024: Construction on the Point Intersection group of projects will begin, which involves a section of bike lane along Kinney Avenue.

Through the creation of the recent Official Community Plan (OCP), the community identified moving towards a “complete transportation approach” as a priority. A complete transportation approach aims to create a safe transportation system that supports all ages, abilities and modes of transportation and prioritizes investment in active transportation.

(Watch this video to learn more about how the OCP will influence transportation in the city.) One of the main recommendations in this section of the plan is to create a pathway within City limits connecting Skaha Lake and Lake Okanagan that is separated from motorized traffic, has minimal grade changes, and has connections to key destinations.

The complete cycling route is estimated to cost up to $8 million. This estimate includes all costs associated with the separated bike lanes, intersection and sidewalk improvements, as well as storm system alterations along the route. Of this, the provincial and federal governments have provided a total of $5.4 million to date (as of April 2024). 

The City has received $1 million from the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP), $1 million from two B.C. Active Transportation Infrastructure grants, $840,000 from Infrastructure Canada's Active Transportation Fund, and $750,000 from the Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF). The City also used $1.8 million from the Canada Community-Building Fund to offset the costs of the project. The project is also eligible to benefit from the Roads & Highways Development Cost Charges Reserve, which will contribute approximately $500,000 to the route.

There are a wide spectrum of riders, with the majority of those being interested in riding but concerned about safety. Each person has different motivations, barriers, preferences and needs. 

By adding barriers to protect the bike lanes, it is not in response to a specific accident or history of incidents, but rather to entice more people to use cycling as a form of transportation. 

These categories include the following (from page 47 in the B.C. Active Transportation Design Guide):

Strong and Fearless (approximately 2-6% of the population): People who are generally comfortable riding on major roads, regardless of motor vehicle volumes or speeds, weather conditions, or the presence of existing bicycle facilities. These people often prefer to use the most direct routes to their destination, regardless of whether bicycle facilities are provided.

Enthused and Confident (approximately 9-28% of the population): People who are generally comfortable on most roads with bicycle facilities. These people may select a route with lower motor vehicle volumes or speeds, or separated facilities where provided, over a more direct route.

Interested but Concerned (approximately 37-60% of the population): These people often own a bicycle but do not ride frequently due to concerns about the safety of cycling. They are interested in cycling more, but usually restrict their riding to roads with physically protected facilities or lower motor vehicle volumes and speeds. The ‘interested but concerned’ segment of the population is typically found to be the largest segment of the population in communities of all sizes and contexts. There is a significant opportunity to focus on the needs of this large market segment to achieve a substantial increase in regular bicycle ridership. To do so, many communities throughout B.C. are now focusing on developing bicycle networks with an emphasis on all ages and abilities facilities.
No Way, No How (approximately 25-38% of the population): This group may be uninterested or unable to ride a bicycle, or they may perceive severe safety issues with cycling in motor vehicle traffic. A significant portion of this group will likely never choose to ride a bicycle under any circumstances, although some may eventually choose to ride given enough time and education.

How do cities pick which bike facility to use? 

This chart shows how we pick which type of facility is appropriate. Generally, protected facilities are recommended where you have higher volumes of traffic and higher speeds.  

The City conducted a 19-month process to involve the community in the identification of the route. The process was conducted in multiple phases allowing for ongoing participation as the location was narrowed down and finalized. All feedback gathered through the process was made available publicly and can be found on shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.

The City frequently receives comments that there are already bike routes in the City that are underutilized. The City adopted a Cycling Network Plan in 2012 that identified the routes needed to make cycling a viable mode of transportation. The City has made some progress in adding the bike lanes identified in the plan such as those on Government St. and with this project, the spine of the network will be completed.

It is important to note that the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route is the first protected bike route in the city that is safe for cyclists of All Ages and Abilities (AAA) and through community survey the City learned that safety is the number one reason why there are not more cyclists on the roads today. 

Changes were made to the curbs at the intersections on Martin to reduce the distance that cyclists and pedestrians are exposed to vehicle traffic when crossing and reduce the gap that vehicles need to pay attention to as they pass through the intersection. This is a best practice design for Age-Friendly communities as well. It has the added benefit of slowing vehicles down which has been a frequent concern on Martin St.

Research has found that protected bicycle lanes are the safest type of bicycle facility. The Cycling in Cities Program at the University of British Columbia found that protected bicycle lanes were the safest type of bicycle facility, with a 90% decrease in safety risk compared to a major street with no cycling infrastructure. (*see reference 1) 

Another recent study examined 13 years of data from 12 large U.S. cities, including 17,000 fatalities and 77,000 severe injuries. The study found that cities with protected bicycle lanes had 44% fewer deaths and 50% fewer serious injuries than the average city. Furthermore, the study found that painted bicycle lanes provided no road safety improvements, and that shared use lanes were actually less safe than having no pavement markings at all. (*see reference 2) 

*1 Kay Teschke et al., ‘Route Infrastructure and the Risk of Injuries to Bicyclists: A Case-Crossover Study’ (2018). 
*2 Marshall and Ferenchak, ‘Why Cities with High Bicycling Rates are Safe for All Road Users’ (2019).

The City is using the curbs to create vertical separation between the cyclist and vehicles. The buffer zone is the area that provides the physical separation between people cycling and moving, or parked motor vehicles, and can generally be horizontal or vertical. 

By using the curbs, the City has been able to mostly stay within the existing road width, making the projects very cost effective relative to other design solutions (reconstructing the curb, and/or sidewalk increases the costs by at least 3-4 times).

The following provides a timeline of this ongoing initiative.

In 2012, Urban Systems developed a report for the City highlighting a need for a safe and convenient cycling route connecting Okanagan and Skaha Lakes. Following consultation with stakeholders, Council adopted an updated Bike and Cycling Network map into the 2019 Official Community Plan.

June 18, 2019: City Council endorsed the project to identify the location of the Lake-to-Lake route. The project involved an extensive engagement process and a technical analysis to determine the preferred route.

Sept. 6, 2019: The City hosted “Pedal Penticton,” a community-wide cycling event to gather input into the work to identify the Lake to Lake Route. Approximately 500 people attended the event and the City received input from more than 1,000 individuals.

June-July 2020: The City conducted a targeted engagement program to ensure feedback was received from businesses and residents in the downtown area.

Nov. 17, 2020: Council amended the Official Community Plan to approve the alignment of the route after holding a Public Hearing on the proposed amendments on Nov. 16, 2020.

Dec. 8, 2020: Council endorsed staff working with affected landowners, residents and businesses along the proposed route, identifying issues and developing design solutions.

Feb. 2, 2021: City staff presented an updated design for sections 3 and 4 of the route based on feedback received. This included relocating the cycle track from the west side of Martin Street to the east side, allowing for existing patios to be retained and no significant impacts to the 200-block revitalization works.

Feb. 25, 2021: The City was awarded a $1 million grant from the provincial government to construct sections 3 and 4 of the route.

March 31, 2021: Council approved the detailed design endorsement for sections 3 and 4 of the route, directing staff to proceed to construction design work.

May to July 2021: Construction was underway on sections 3 and 4 of the route starting from Lakeshore Drive through the downtown area to Duncan Avenue.

Aug. 1, 2021: Official opening of the first sections of the Lake to Lake Route.

Nov. 18, 2022: Construction of section 2 was completed, which included a new signalized intersection at Duncan Avenue and Atkinson Street, a new cyclist-activated signal and pedestrian crossing at Baker Street and Duncan Avenue, the widening of Atkinson Street Bridge at Ellis Creek, and infrastructure improvements including upgrades to storm water management, enhanced lighting and increased sidewalk connectivity.

Dec. 2, 2022: The Government of Canada announces funding of $750,000 for the development of the Lake to Lake Route. 

March 2022: Consultation gets underway for section 2 of the route.

January 2023: Detailed design for the final section of the Lake-to-Lake gets underway. This section will see the route continue from the Point Intersection (at Galt Ave. and South Main St.) along South Main St. to its terminus at Skaha Lake Park. 

April 2024: Construction on the Point Intersection group of projects will begin, which involves a section of bike lane along Kinney Avenue.

• April 2, 2024: Province provides Active Transportation Grant
• March 15, 2024: Government of Canada contributes $840,000 to Penticton’s Lake to Lake Bike Route through Infrastructure Canada’s Active Transportation Fund
• June 20, 2023: Dates set to review design of final section of Lake-to-Lake Route
• June 14, 2023: City reaches agreement with South Main Market
• April 24, 2023: Construction set to begin on Point Intersection projects
• Feb. 17, 2023: City awarded $500,000 towards Lake-to-Lake cycling route
• Jan. 19, 2023: City begins detailed design on final section of Lake-to-Lake Route
• Dec. 7, 2022: Government of Canada announces $750 funding for Lake-to-Lake Bike Route
• Nov. 18, 2022: Construction wraps up on latest section of Lake-to-Lake Bike Route
• Sept. 12, 2022: Lake-to-Lake Bike Route gears up for final leg of section 2 construction
• Aug. 25, 2022: Lake-to-Lake Bike Route construction on Duncan Avenue set to begin

The bike route uses concrete barriers along the road to protect and separate cyclists from the flow of traffic. Be aware that the barriers will have openings in front of private driveways to ensure they don’t block entry to the homes.

To help raise awareness of the planned construction before work gets underway, residences and businesses impacted by the route were mailed information and invited to an online information session.

The purpose of the green box is to alert drivers of the presence of cyclists in that space. If you see a green bike lane or box at an intersection, watch for cyclists. These boxes allow cyclists to pull over at intersections as they wait to turn. Cars are required to stop behind the green boxes and never to stop on the green paint.

A combination of safety barriers and curbs are being used to provide physical separation between cyclists and vehicles. Within the 100-300 blocks of Martin Street, within downtown Penticton, you’ll notice steel bike rails bolted into the ground.

For other areas, including construction of section 2 of the route, precast concrete barriers will be fixed to the road’s surface to create a barrier between the cycle track and vehicle lane.

The City is working closely with BC Transit involving the need to reposition some stops along the bike route for the safety of cyclists and passengers. Visit BC Transit's Alerts page for the latest route updates. 

Within downtown Penticton, some sections of the bike route are bi-directional, meaning that cyclists will be riding both directions on the same track. The track is  painted yellow down the middle to mark the centre line and cyclists are encouraged to stay to the right within their track.

Within section 2 of the bike route, the lanes are single-lane tracks flowing with the direction of traffic.

All signalized intersections will have a new additional traffic signal specifically for directing cyclists. These guide cyclists safely into an intersection, with a delay for traffic. They are intended to improve safety for cyclists and reduce the potential for conflicts with motorists. 

The City will be installing bike racks at strategic locations along the bike route and will work with property owners and businesses to identify additional locations to locate these racks.

The first set of activities that need to occur are the underground works. This involves digging up the road at key intersections to upgrade the electrical and storm sewer systems to support the new signals and drainage on the route.

Once the electrical and storm sewer upgrades are completed, new signal bases will be installed at the intersections. These signals indicate when a cyclist or pedestrian is waiting to cross and trigger a dedicated signal.

After the signal bases are installed, the sidewalks and curbs are restored to the City’s new age-friendly standard which allows for greater accessibility for people with impaired mobility. 

New signal arms and heads are the next thing to be installed once the curbs and sidewalks are restored. The new signal heads include a dedicated signal for cyclists that allow them to cross safely.

Lines on the road will be replaced with new markings over the course of construction. In some areas, this involves grinding down the existing paint before the new paint has applied. Grinding can be noisy and the City has committed to complete these activities during the working hours of 7 am to 10 pm. Line painting will occur at night as normal to allow the paint to dry.

One of the final activities to occur is the installation of the barriers to separate the cyclists from the vehicular traffic. Different barriers are proposed for different sections.

Before the route is open for use, all line marking needs to be complete and pedestrian signals and signage installed.