Stop the ban of motorized traffic on the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR)

PETITION SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND: The Kettle Valley Railroad which started operation in 1915 was finally abandoned in its entirety in 1980 with the rails removed. The right of way lay dormant until 2004 at which time the Premier of the day announced the formation of the Spirit of 2010 trail with the intent of establishing a work class cycling trail. During the last 30 years the use of the rail bed has been shared with all other recreational users but recently a move has been underway to exclude motorized traffic and retain the trail exclusively for the use of cyclists and hikers. The conflict between users escalated with the perception precipitated by government officials that motorized use was illegal and allowed barricades to be put up by non motorized users. The summer motorized sports enthusiast has used the KVR since the rails have been removed as a corridor to access riding experiences that are only accessable using this route. In addition this route can open up tourist opportunities that can exceed that which is avlaible from the cycling community without the large expenditure of government funds. Joint opportunities are avlaible that do not require the exclusive designation of one sport over another. The use of the trail by motorized sports is not currently illegal, except in designated areas, nor should it ever be. ACTION PETITIONED FOR: We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens are concerned summer motorized recreationists who use the Kettle Valley Rail Line, urge our leaders to retain the current and historical mixed use classification (both motorized and non motorized recreation) of the rail line and work towards having the various recreational users collectively get along as happens in other provinces. As concerned motorized recreations we do not want to lose riding experiences that are currently accessible only by the KVR in order to cater to the exclusive use of cyclists who feel they cannot share the trail.