Anna Campbell knows the woman who was with Patricia Keenan when she died after hitting a car door while cycling on Bernard Avenue in 2015.
Campbell rode her bike this past Friday night to promote awareness for bike safety as part of the third Critical Mass Memorial Ride.
The cyclist said she feels better about certain areas in the city, but it’s scary when cars are so close in other areas.
She honoured Keenan’s memory at The Sails, June 14 and the memory of others killed in cycling accidents.
“The ride is to remember some of the cyclists we’ve lost over the years,” said organizer Landon Bradshaw. The ride also promotes cycling safety.
“It’s a way to remind drivers that cyclists are traffic too,” said Bradshaw. “We ride when others can’t.”
Bradshaw said the city has been getting better at making the push for safer cycling infrastructure.
As vice-president of the Kelowna Area Cycling Coalition, “we’re trying to work on a pair-cycling program,” said Bradshaw. The program would pair experienced cyclists with new ones to teach road safety.
Roughly 50 people attended the event, which is less than a few years ago when they had around 150.
Keenan died in 2015 when the bike she was riding struck a car door that opened suddenly.