After 32 years of offering its popular Learn to Ride motorcycle training program in Kelowna, the Kelowna and District Safety Council is also offering courses in Penticton this year. Penticton’s first course starts the weekend of April 27 and another course is scheduled for late July and early August.
“We have a fantastic program, and students travel from all over the Okanagan, northern B.C., the Kootenays, and even from the Lower Mainland to take our courses,” said executive director Tania Meyer. “We’re really excited to be able to make the training more accessible to South Okanagan residents, and the response from students has been really positive.”
The Kelowna and District Safety Council is a non-profit, community organization that has been promoting safety awareness and providing professional safety training programs since 1980. As the largest motorcycle training facility in B.C. outside of the Lower Mainland, riders from many areas of the province choose to train with KDSC based on its strong reputation for fun, high quality programs.
“Our Learn to Ride program consists of eight hours of classroom theory, 10 hours of parking lot training, the ICBC Motorcycle Skills Assessment, and 12 hours of in-traffic training,” said Meyer. “We provide the motorcycles, as well as full-face helmet, motorcycle jacket and gloves so that it makes it easier for students to get into the sport. Riding is becoming more and more popular and it’s our mission to help riders be as safe as possible on the road.”
This ICBC-certified Learn to Ride course offers 30 hours of training over two weekends. The first weekend takes place on a Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday; the second weekend is all day Saturday and Sunday. The theory portion of the course educates students on how to stay safe on two wheels in urban traffic environments. The parking lot training starts ‘from scratch’ and teaches handling skills progressively so that students will be able to gain confidence while they increase their ability to control the bike. The in-traffic portion of the course is where all the lessons come together and riders can practice their new knowledge and skills in real traffic situations.
For more information about the program or course schedules call KDSC Toll Free at 1-888-580-7233, or visit www.kdsc.bc.ca. Online registration is also available through the KDSC website.