As another busy summer rolls along, the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) says it is seeing some successes with its 2021 Summer Experience Plan—but there will no doubt be adjustments prior to summer 2022.
“The plan is aimed for progress, not perfection,” said Mayor Jack Crompton.
“We will continue to improve upon what worked and what didn’t moving forward, [and] we will be evaluating and refining the program in the fall based on data gathered during the summer.”
In the success column, the mayor listed dispersion of crowds to less popular parks, improved diversion and management of waste, and fruitful partnerships with local businesses serving food to parkgoers.
“It’s not perfect yet, but I’m really pleased with how our team has remained flexible and have continued to learn and improve,” Crompton said.
While there’s no daily headcounts or “scientific” measuring of exactly how many people are using local parks this year, RMOW staff expects numbers are similar to 2020.
“We get a report out every Monday on the observations from our village crews, our park hosts, from our bylaw team, and from my operations team, and they constantly noted that sense that it just looks tidier and more organized,” said Jessie Gresley-Jones, general manager of resort experience.
“But we think there are just as many people.”
The much-maligned pay parking added to four local parks this year has resulted in higher turnover (though the lots are still near full capacity on weekends), Gresley-Jones said.
“We are noting that the turnover is about an average of two-and-a-half hours in each lot, and so I think that’s a good sign to see that people are using it effectively,” he said.
“It is perhaps encouraging turnover, which is allowing more people to get to the parks if they need to drive, rather than those parking spots sort of filling up at the start of the day and then not having an opportunity for anyone else over the course of the day.”
There is no charge or time limit for accessible parking at parks, an RMOW spokesperson added in a follow-up email.
Ridership numbers on the free weekend shuttle have exceeded RMOW expectations (peaking at a maximum of 392 rides in one day, and averaging about 230 per day), and the bike valet service has also been well received (storing 420 bikes on its busiest day), Gresley-Jones added.
One ask from locals is that the free shuttles be expanded to weekdays, when many in the resort have their days off—but the municipality isn’t committing to expanding the shuttle service just yet.
“The parking strategy will be reviewed in the fall. We’ll take all of the info that we’ve collected and it will inform the decisions made moving forward,” Crompton said.
“We needed the time and the data with which to make decisions, and that’s our goal: consistent improvement, informed by data.”
One impact of pay parking (combined with high volumes of visitors) is the spillover of parking into adjacent neighbourhoods, an issue highlighted by locals on Panorama Ridge in a recent letter to council.
“We’re definitely looking at whether those spillover impacts were worse this year, whether they caused concerns in those neighbourhoods, and we’ll be looking at that feedback as we continue to advance any changes into next year,” Gresley-Jones said.
When it was first introduced back in March, the total value of the 2021 Summer Experience Plan was just over $1.7 million.
A further $464,315 was to be covered using the Festivals, Events & Animation budget, leaving $234,678 in new spending.
The RMOW applied for grant funding of up to $250,000 through the Canada Healthy Communities Initiatives to offset the costs, but was unsuccessful.
Improvements to local park infrastructure in 2021 include: upgraded public parking lots on Alta Lake Road; new Western Toad infrastructure; installation of five new docks; six new SUP racks and five new bike racks; 11 new picnic tables; and expanded capacity for three-stream waste diversion.
A full breakdown of the 2021 summer spend—which includes funds from the Resort Municipality Initiative, MRDT and municipal reserves—will be included in a report to council this fall.
“I think we’ve had cost savings in some areas and we’ve invested more in others,” Gresley-Jones said, noting that the municipality spent more than anticipated on the free shuttle due to demand.
“So the budget has adjusted, but I think we’re still on track with what we originally targeted.”
Meanwhile, Tourism Whistler has also launched a new app—called Go Whistler Tours—aimed at better dispersing visitors throughout the valley.
The app offers info on self-guided tours, and is “designed to help visitors discover different sides of Whistler that they might not normally be aware of,” said Tourism Whistler president and CEO Barrett Fisher.
Though the app currently only highlights a small handful of tours, “we’re going to continue to add to it,” Fisher said.
“So this will become a really important app for the future as it continues to incorporate spring, summer, fall and winter opportunities and tours, and it’s really intended for the in-resort guest.”
Find more information at whistler.ca/summer.
