PENTICTON 鈥 As a veteran cyclist with decades of experience, Ron Braun says 95 per cent of motorists obey the rules of the road at all times and have no problem sharing roadways with cyclists.
However, there are a small percentage of vehicular drivers who show regular disdain for having to share the road with cyclists and show no patience often leading to 鈥渘ear misses鈥 and potentially dangerous results.
Braun, a longtime resident of Naramata, was one of 3,000 cyclists who participated in the Okanagan Granfondo Penticton on Sunday, which was marred with tragedy as a vehicle struck three cyclists participating in the popular cycling event on White Lake Road near St. Andrew鈥檚 Drive, resulting in one death and two others being sent to hospital with serious injuries.
This was the fifth time Braun was competing in the Penticton Granfondo.
鈥淔rom what I read and heard, the incident happened around 11:20 in the morning and we came through around 12:20, or an hour later,鈥 said Braun. 鈥淭he police had the area roped off, but they allowed the cyclists to walk through along the shoulder, across from the accident scene.鈥
Braun didn鈥檛 have any information about if the victim was male or female or where he or she was from.
Braun called the Penticton Granfondo 鈥渁 fantastic event鈥 and during a phone interview Monday, was still very upset over the tragedy.
While he didn鈥檛 want to enter into a debate over who is responsible for incidents like this, Braun said the reality is vehicle drivers and cyclists are, by law, allowed to share the highways and roadways across Canada and there are, unfortunately, a few who don鈥檛 feel the laws in place apply to them.
鈥淚鈥檓 concerned because I have motorists who get too close to me every single time I ride from my home in Naramata to Penticton, which I do once or twice a week,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 here at Canadian Tire right now and I鈥檓 going to buy and put a horizontal bicycle flag on the back of my bike to try and improve things, because a lot of people either don鈥檛 know, or they don鈥檛 want to respect the law.
鈥淚n British Columbia, you have to give 1.5 metres separation between a motor vehicle and pedestrians or cyclists or people in a scooter or one of those mobility carts, independent of where they are on a roadway.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a perception out there as well by too many that cyclists must be on the shoulder of a roadway, which is where the gravel, the potholes and glass is. We鈥檙e not obliged to be there. The reality, from what I see every single time, is 95 per cent of the motorists are great. They are terrific, they are considerate, they slow down, they move over and things are really, really good. However, there is this small certain percentage that act like you鈥檙e not even there.鈥
Braun said he鈥檚 had so many close calls with motorists during his bike tours that he regularly posts about the incidents and the rules and regulations pertaining to motorists and cyclists on the My Naramata page.
He recently made a post about the stiff fine a motorist is subject to if they breach the regulations about the 1.5-metre separation zone and he got several nasty replies back about the responsibility of cyclists.
What many motorists are missing is cyclists have every right to share the road as motorists do and there are rules and regulations in place to ensure they can share the roadways safety and responsibly, he said.
He鈥檚 hoping this Granfondo tragedy will make people look inward and learn to share the road.
Braun also hopes this tragedy will not result in the cancellation of a wonderful community event like Penticton Granfondo.
As of Tuesday鈥檚 press deadline, police had not issued any further information about the name of the deceased or whether any charges had been filed.
Officials from Okanagan Granfondo released a statement expressing heartbreak over the fatal incident and conveyed condolences to those impacted.
They confirmed the organization鈥檚 full co-operation with authorities. They also suggested any cyclists or spectators who may need support due to this incident to call 811 or access HealthlinkBC for support resources.
In 2024, a cyclist died in what was described by organizers as a non-event-related incident at the Okanagan Granfondo Penticton.