Despite the snow, Erin Kavaliunas rides her bike to work at Kelowna General Hospital every day.
“Obviously I didn’t really want to commute to work on my bicycle in the winter, but parking at the hospital is very limited for staff,” Kavaliunas said. “And the transit system here doesn’t correlate very well with the hours that I work, so it’s not an option.”
Shifts at the hospital often start too early or end too late for staff to catch the bus, Kavaliunas added.
Slick conditions, combined with streets narrowed by snow, mean there are close calls with other vehicles. Cycling on the sidewalk is illegal.
Kavaliunas, who works as a CT technologist at the hospital, is asking drivers to slow down and move over when they’re passing a cyclist.
“I want motorists to know that I’m not out there to menace you. This is my way to get to work,” she said.
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen to you, but if you’re in an accident one day, it might be me who’s helping you out.”
It’s important for cyclists to have good traction and high visibility to stay safe in snowy conditions, Kelowna Cycle manager Corey Tracey said.
“The studded winter tire is made of a softer rubber that doesn’t harden in colder weather, and then it has steel studs which break right into the ice,” Tracey said.
A good set of lights is also important, even if it’s still daytime, he said.
“And you also want to stay clean and dry, so a fender that’s easy to pop on and off can make a really big difference,” Tracey said.
In this wintry weather, Tracey also suggests cyclists signal further in advance.
“Recognize that cars can’t stop or maneuver the way they normally can as well,” he added.
“A close call on a bicycle usually means more than scratched paint. It sometimes means a life-changing injury for a cyclist, so when a car rides too close, it can really intimidate a rider because they know physical injury is a very real thing,” Tracey said.