Cowork Penticton supports Downtown Bike Lanes

The City of Penticton is currently reviewing feedback to make a decision on whether or not to install dedicated bike lanes along a proposed lake to lake route, part of which falls within the downtown core.

As owners and operators of Cowork Penticton we believe that the value of safe cycling routes will improve the livability of our city and improve the future prospects for all businesses.

We wrote to council explaining this and have published our letter below. 
If you agree, please write your own letter and email it [email protected].

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To whom it may concern,

Cowork Penticton is in full support of the Downtown Bike Lanes in the proposed Lake to Lake route.

Our membership/customer base is made up of a very high proportion of avid cyclists of all kinds: commuters, leisure, trail and downhill, road and competitive. They regularly fill our internal bike rack. Some cyclists trailer their children to school or daycare, others head out for lunchtime rides.

Cycling to and from work, is incredibly important to the entrepreneurial, freelance and remote working business people who use our building every day. Our members ride their bikes to Cowork and use it as a home base for the day. From there they walk to do a lot of business in the downtown core. Cyclists are strong and loyal customers. Throughout the Downtown core, the City should be encouraging bike commuting for employees and visitors alike.   

Safe access through the centre of the downtown is critical to following through on Penticton's messaging as a city that celebrates cycling culture. Bikes need to be removed from sidewalks and given a safe and protected laneway. If a bike lane is not conveniently located, the problem is not solved.

This presentation by Toronto Cycling breaks down the positive impact of bike lanes very simply, and further highlights the fact that retail owners greatly overestimate the number of driving customers and underestimate the number of cycling customers.
https://www.torontocycling.org/uploads/1/3/1/3/13138411/cycling_economies_eglinton_final.pdf

In another study, bike lanes are shown to improve business conditions on the routes, as seen in this study of 14 corridors in 6 cities, released April 2020: " Essentially, adding improvements like bike lanes largely boosted business and employment in the retail and food service sectors."
Failure to install safe cycling routes in the Downtown core will ultimately harm all businesses in our City

I would like to reiterate that Cowork Penticton is in full support of the Downtown Bike Lanes in the proposed Lake to Lake route.

Kind regards,
Nicholas & Jennifer Vincent
Founders and Owners
Cowork Penticton - Better.Together.