Getting around in Whistler is easy with "thewhistlerway.ca"

June 29, 2010... The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is launching “thewhistlerway.ca” today, as a way of providing convenient access to transportation, active mobility, and parking information for residents and visitors.

Bob MacPherson, General Manager of Community Life, says “We saw the opportunity with the introduction of user pay parking in Whistler’s Day Lots 1, 2, and 3 to tell the rest of Whistler’s transportation story. User pay parking supports the community’s long-term transportation strategy and provides the community with revenue to support important community transportation initiatives.”

“The Whistler Way website is one location for resort guests and residents to find information about where to park, where to bike, how to get around on the Valley Trail, and how to carpool. Our individual transportation choices have one of the biggest impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, and ultimately the livelihood of our community. Walking or biking on the Valley Trail or taking the bus even one day a week makes a difference.”

The website is conveniently linked from the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s website (whistler.ca) and includes information about cycling, carpooling, transit, accessibility, parking, and getting to Whistler, in addition to links to various transportation services and partners.

The website is in its early stages and will be expanded with other content and features over time. There may be options, for example, to purchase parking passes online in coming months, and the website will be used to share information about events, such as the Whistler Way Commuter Challenge, which is being planned for the fall.

Thewhistlerway.ca is being launched while transportation options are being considered by many community members. User pay parking began in Day Lots 1, 2, and 3, and free transit was provided by the RMOW on all routes in Whistler on June 28. Whistler’s summer transit service began on June 26 with the beginning of the free Lost Lake Shuttle service, which runs until September 6, and new service to Cheakamus Crossing. The RMOW will be providing free transit service to ensure safe travel on Canada Day from 6 p.m. on July 1 until 3:30 a.m. on July 2.

About the Whistler Way
The Whistler Way was developed by Whistler’s inter-partner Transportation Advisory Group as part of a marketing campaign in 2000, to raise awareness about preferred transportation options (carpooling, cycling, walking, taking transit) and to counter a perception that one needed a car to live, work, and play in Whistler. The campaign focussed on community pride and Whistler culture.
Since then the Whistler Way has been used successfully by the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) as part of a social marketing campaign to change transportation behaviours and raise awareness about accessibility and transportation options.

About the Resort Municipality of Whistler
The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is Whistler’s local government led by an elected council and administered by an executive team and staff on behalf of 10,000 residents and two million annual visitors. The RMOW manages municipal planning and development, park and Village operations, sports facilities and recreation, public utilities and environmental services, bylaws and enforcement, fire rescue, fiscal planning and financial services, legislative services, human resources, communications and the administration of the Whistler2020 Comprehensive Sustainability Plan and Whistler’s Official Community Plan.

Whistler’s vision is to be the premier mountain resort community as it moves toward sustainability. Whistler was the proud Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

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