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Contents

• B.C. Home
• Transportation
  and Infrastructure

• Okanagan Valley Corridor
  • Current Projects
  • Hwy 97A – Enderby Intersection
  • Hwy 6 – Grey Road to Ricardo Road
  • Hwy 97 – Winfield to Oyama – Four Laning
    • Community Consultation
    • Photo Gallery
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Westside Road Interchange Project
  • Westside Road — W. Kelowna to Hwy 97 North of Vernon
  • Completed Projects
  • Hwy 97A – Pleasant Valley Cross-Road to Lansdowne Road – Four Laning
  • Hwy 97A – Larkin to Crozier Road – Four Laning
  • Hwy 97/Hwy 6 – Intersection Improvements
  • UBCO Cycling Route
  • Hwy 33 – Muir Road to Gallagher Road – Four Laning
  • Hwy 33 – Walker Hill – Climbing Lane
  • Hwy 97 – HOV Lanes – Kelowna
  • Hwy 97 – Bentley Road to Okanagan Lake Park – Four Laning
  • Hwy 3A at Yellow Lake
  • Hwy 97 – Osoyoos Lake Passing Lanes
  • Symposium 2011
  • A Closer Look
  • Reports & Presentations
  • Symposium Contacts
  • Contact Us

UBCO Cycling Route

Benefits of Project

Cyclists commuting to University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus will have safer access to the campus via a new multi-use pathway and bridge, jointly funded by the Province of B.C., the City of Kelowna and UBC.

Cost and Funding

The partners have agreed to cost-share a preliminary design study for the construction of a new bridge that will allow cyclists to bypass the Ellison overhead on Highway 97. The Province will contribute up to $1.55 million toward the design and construction of the pathway and bridge with the balance of funding coming from the City of Kelowna. UBC will maintain the completed work.

Stantec Engineering is currently working to fine-tune the proposed alignment of the path and preliminary design. Final design and construction will take place next year.  

Project Details

Until construction is complete, cyclists will continue to use Highway 97 across the Ellison overhead to reach the campus. To make that commute safer, the ministry has adjusted the cycling route along this segment of Highway 97, updated cycling awareness signs and installed a speed reader board on the highway near the overhead to remind drivers to obey the posted speed limit.

This September, a new cyclist-activated warning sign will be installed on the northbound shoulder at the bridge. The sign will alert drivers to the presence of cyclists on the bridge’s narrow shoulder. The idea for this type of sign was brought forward by UBC Okanagan students as a possible solution to their concerns over cycling safety along the highway. The sign was acquired from Europe and adapted for use in Canada, and is 100 per cent solar-powered.

UBC’s School of Engineering has been engaged to study the effect of this new sign on highway drivers and cyclists.  Students will compare observations and collect data before and after the installation of the sign and prepare a report which will help the ministry determine how to apply this technology in other situations.