LETTER: New bike path is a big improvement for the city

Editor;

Dear Byron the Cyclist;

I share your excitement about the new bike infrastructure from South Lakeside Drive to Mackenzie Avenue!

I ride this route to work several times a week, partly because of your encouragement and example. It is much safer and more enjoyable now. (For both cyclists and drivers, because we don’t get in each other’s way!) I knew intellectually that I was extending my lifespan by biking more, but it certainly didn’t feel that way when the huge trucks were driving by! I personally found that the drivers in Williams Lake are very good at slowing down and making room, but there was only so much room for them to work with.

Speaking of health benefits, safer active transportation will greatly benefit my patients with chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. Twenty minutes of physical activity a day is more effective than any pill I can prescribe. I’ve also seen firsthand the health impacts of climate change, from babies suffering from dehydration during heat waves to elderly people being forced to leave their homes and go to the hospital because of wildfire smoke that exacerbates their asthma and COPD. I’m happy to reduce my fossil fuel use to help these patients, and perhaps slightly reduce the demand and price of gas for those who really depend on this resource, such as our farmers who rely on fossil fuels to power their equipment and currently have little choice.

Finally, I think the new bike path fits our character as a rural and outdoor paradise. We are already a world-class mountain biking destination and expanding our bike options in the city can only build on that. Overall, it has made Williams Lake a much better place to live and visit. We still have a long way to go before we can steal the title of “Winter Cycling Capital” from Oulu, Finland, but what an exciting step in the right direction!

Cordial greetings,
Doctor Kate Knuff

(Whether or not you publish this post, please pass on my thanks to Bert Groenenburg for his much-appreciated weekly column.)