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Penticton’s bike lane is back in the budget

Coun. Ryan Graham called for a re-vote to keep $1.5M funding for the last phase
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(City of Penticton Facebook)

The final $1.5 million section of Penticton’s controversial lake-to-lake bike lane is back in the city’s budget for 2023.

Coun. Ryan Graham called for a re-vote Thursday, March 16, of a motion from earlier in the week that removed funding for the bike lane’s final phase along South Main Street.

Graham was one of four councillors on Tuesday to vote in favour of removing the $1.5 million allotment set aside for the last phase of the bike lane.

He later said that was a mistake.

The first-term councillor formally changed his mind during a re-vote on Thursday, lifting the bike lane’s final phase back in the city’s budget by a 4-3 margin on council.

“It was a simple mistake,” Graham said. “I’ve always stayed the course that I want to complete the bike lane and get it done with.”

Graham’s initial vote in favour of removing the bike lane’s final phase from the budget was tallied at around 4:55 p.m. on Tuesday.

He says about 90 minutes later, he realized his mistake and sent council an email about it.

Graham added that the only person he spoke to before informing his fellow councillors about his “mistaken vote” was Penticton’s Chief Administrative Officer Donny Van Dyk.

“The council procedure bylaw does say that council can reconsider a motion if they were with a majority and that motion to reconsider is made at the next meeting,” said Penticton’s Corporate Officer, Angie Collison, after Graham had initially indicated his intent to call for a revote on March 15.

Coun. James Miller brought forward the motion to stop funding for the bike lane’s final phase on Tuesday, igniting the latest edition in what’s described by coun. Isaac Gilbert as a “culture war.”

“This has really created a lot of hard feelings,” Miller said during council’s special meeting Thursday, March 16. “(The bike lane) isn’t worth people not talking to their neighbours.”

Putting the bike lane’s final phase back into the city’s budget was supported in the re-vote by Graham, Gilbert, mayor Julius Bloomfield and coun. Campbell Watt.

Miller, and councillors Amelia Boutlbee and Helena Konanz were opposed.

In December, following a motion brought forward by Boutlbee, Graham voted against pausing construction on the bike lane’s final phase.

READ MORE: Mistaken vote by Penticton councillor gives life to bike lane’s final phase


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com

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