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A Tale of Two Trail Networks:

What Whistler has and Pemberton needs
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This 90 Degreen Bend on the Pemberton Meadows Road near Kiaora Trailer Court is particularly dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Photo by David Steers.

Whistler and Pemberton are both promoting active lifestyles through non-motorized trail networks linking residents to essential services and recreational facilities. Accomplishing that requires different approaches from the two communities.

The Valley Trail

If you build it, they will walk. Or cycle. Or cross-country ski. That is the adage that has guided Whistler’s municipal planners since the early 1980s, when Tom Barrett, Whistler parks planner and landscape architect, aggressively sought the right-of-way after sewer lines were laid throughout Whistler’s new subdivisions. The result of his efforts is the impressive and popular Valley Trail system, considered by many Whistler residents to be the community’s best amenity.

“It took great foresight,” said Whistler Municipal Councillor Gordon McKeever of Barrett’s vision and accomplishment. “The Valley Trail is immensely valuable to the community; it’s good for public safety, and great for public health.”

At the time the Valley Trail was established, Whistler had the benefit of being a relatively new community, with few or no private property issues. “It’s much harder to retrofit this kind of thing into an existing community,” said McKeever, who is also the project manager of the Sea to Sky Trail — an ambitious off-road project that will eventually serve as an arterial route linking communities from Porteau Cove to D’Arcy by a gravel trail.

McKeever refers to the Valley Trail as essentially a “pearl necklace” which links all the residential subdivisions of the Whistler Valley together – the “pearls” being the various parks throughout the municipality. “Rainbow Park, Meadow Park, Lakeside Park, Lost Lake, Spruce Grove – they are all accessible by the Valley Trail,” he said.

The trail, like the park network, gets its heaviest use during the summer months. “It is our single most appreciated summer amenity,” McKeever confirmed.

But the importance of the Valley Trail to Whistlerites is not confined to the summer. “Residents also use the Valley Trail as a commuter route,” said Keith Bennett, General Manager of Resort Experience for the Whistler Municipality, which oversees parks operations. Through Whistler’s “linear parks system”, every residential subdivision has access to the route, effectively making the entire length of the valley safe and accessible for “active transportation” (to adopt a planner’s parlance).

Such an extensive paved trail system does not come cheaply. Living and working in the most expensive municipality in Canada has its benefits, as large property tax revenues allow for top-notch recreational facilities. The trail network in Whistler receives all the maintenance required to keep residents more than satisfied with the amenity.

“We have a trail maintenance budget of $125,000 per year,” said Bennett, adding that the figure does not include snow clearing costs.

Typical maintenance duties include sweeping, cleaning, and repairing fences and bridges.

With such high maintenance costs, it is not surprising that in order to expand the trail network the RMOW has a policy of making property developers take on the expense of incorporating new trails into their residential projects. “One example is Spring Creek, a new residential subdivision developed by Intrawest,” Bennett said. “The Valley Trail essentially acts as a sidewalk through this neighbourhood.”

The new Athletes’ Village will extend the Valley Trail network further south from Spring Creek. In fact, this new subdivision will have a “complete internal network of trails so residents will be able to run, walk and bike throughout without getting in their cars,” Bennett continued.

The Pemberton experience

Travel 35 kilometres up the highway to Pemberton, and the “active transportation” situation is very different — not least because the Village of Pemberton has one-tenth the annual operating budget of the RMOW. While Pemberton now serves largely as a bedroom community for Whistler employees, a growing number of residents who work and live in Pemberton want to be able go about their daily routine on foot or by bike. And whether Pemberton residents undertake the daily commute to Whistler or not, many are keen to leave their cars at home on weekends to run errands or fulfill their recreational needs.

While there have been increased efforts in recent years by both Pemberton Valley Trails Association volunteers and municipal staff to promote a more pedestrian-friendly community, the impact of these efforts vary depending on which part of the valley one lives in. Village residents have welcomed new trail networks and an increase in paved sidewalks. Those who live outside of town, however, have less access to safe walking and cycling routes.

But even residents who live within Village confines are frustrated with some basic safety shortcomings, claiming that getting around the village on foot — particularly with young children in tow — has its challenges.

Many residents see the issue of an “off-the-road trail network” as one where there are simply enough sidewalks to enable their children to get from point A to point B safely, which they don’t see happening to their satisfaction within Village parameters. As a result, some parents are reluctant to let their children walk to Signal Hill Elementary School on their own, citing the lack of proper sidewalks along the route as the reason. “I live on the hill behind the village”, said one parent, with children aged seven and nine. “I would love to let them walk to school on their own, but for part of the route, along Prospect Street, there are no designated sidewalks. I don’t want my seven year-old dodging cars,” she said. “For this reason, I usually drive them to school. In a growing community where people are being encouraged to get out of their cars and be active, this doesn’t help me or my children.”

Another parent of a teenager is similarly dissatisfied with the current state of pedestrian safety in Pemberton, particularly when a car along the highway struck one local teen last year after leaving One Mile Lake, a recreational area located alongside Highway 99.

“There is no safe crossing to get to One Mile Lake,” she said.

Unfortunately, the route to access the park is along the highway. “It doesn’t leave you feeling safe when you know your kids have to walk or bike to the lake alongside highway traffic,” she added. “People are driving down that highway into town at high speeds. That is always going to be a reality. The only solution is to get people and dogs off the highway in order to access these recreational places. At the very least, there needs to be a safety barrier.”

“Pedestrian and cycling safety is, unfortunately, a complicated issue here in Pemberton,” said another resident, who is also an avid walker, cyclist and member of the Pemberton Valley Trails Association. “Pemberton is a much older community than Whistler. It was first established as a farming community and so the challenge with building trails, or simply improving pedestrian safety along the highway is that there is little room to maneuver due to private property rights.” There is no shoulder on Pemberton Meadows Road, for example, so residents in that area must walk along the highway.

“I think safety should be a priority in any situation, but in cases like this, pedestrian and cyclist safety is not put first,” she continued. “It is a take it or leave it situation – I have been told by long-time Pembertonians, in so many words, ‘you chose to live here so deal with it; this isn’t the city’. I don’t think that with the huge population growth taking place in Pemberton, and with all this talk of sustainability and environmentalism, that this attitude is a long-term solution.”

Pemberton Meadows Road is the sole access route for those travelling to Bralorne and Goldbridge. With a speed limit of 80 km/h, and with a steady flow of 40 tonne logging trucks travelling along it, walking or cycling along this route can be a white-knuckle affair. Add the fact that children living along the road must run across the highway to wait for the school bus and it is obvious that this is a rural community with its own distinct safety challenges.

“The Pemberton Meadows Road should have a shoulder at the very least,” said Anna Helmer, a local Pemberton organic farmer and co-founder of the popular Slow Food Cycle Sunday — an annual August event which promotes non-motorized transportation and local food producers. “I personally think it should have a proper paved bike lane all the way up. Top to bottom.

“The Meadows Road is lovely to ride as you know, but there are some crazy drivers who don't give bikers too much room. I think some major part of all this has to be a change in driving habits. Until more people get out of cars, they are not going to see things from the biking perspective. Hopefully Slow Food Cycle Sunday is providing an opportunity for folks to do that.”

Peter Colapinto, co-owner of the Pemberton Bike Co., would also like to see paved shoulders on Meadows Road.

“In some places there is no shoulder,” he said. “On a mountain bike this isn’t a problem but if you have to ride off the pavement on a road bike, you’ll get a flat tire right away. And the vast majority of cyclists on Meadows Road are on road bikes.”

One portion of Pemberton Meadows Road is particularly dangerous: a ninety-degree bend by the Kiaora Court Trailer Park, one kilometre northwest of the current community centre and former high school. Officially there is a 50 km/h speed limit, but the road twists so sharply that motorists have a hard time staying in their lane.

“This is an extremely dangerous section of road,” said Hugh Naylor, treasurer of the Pemberton Valley Trails Association. “No question about it.”

Walking or cycling along this stretch of highway, even in daylight, can be a harrowing experience, particularly if one is pushing a baby stroller as well. The personal risk one undertakes, whether real or perceived, effectively turns any talk of pedestrian safety into meaningless rhetoric. The pedestrian’s options? Keep your eyes wide open and hope for the best, or drive to town.

Colapinto believes there is strong community support for separate bike and pedestrian paths, but he wonders where the funding will come from. “Who is going to pay for it?” he asked. If the cost of new portions to Whistler’s Valley Trail is any indication, a paved bike/pedestrian path would require very deep pockets.

“It costs $80,000 per kilometre to build a ten-foot wide (three metre) paved trail”, said Keith Bennett. “There has to be a lot of value to the developer to make it worthwhile for them to incorporate trails into their budgets. Obviously in Whistler you are dealing with a unique clientele – the recreational property buyer. They want these amenities, and they are willing to pay for them. The developer recognizes that.”

A three metre paved trail is not exactly feasible in most parts of Pemberton – but finding a happy medium remains a goal for many valley residents. In reference to an alternate route off Meadows Road, options are very limited. “The dyke trail wouldn't work all that well because of all the private property issues,” said Helmer. “It is also very hard to control access. For example, I would have an absolute heart attack if a dirt biker were to come off the dyke and rip it up in one of our fields. Also, much of the dyke is quite wild and the home to many bears and other animals. As far as the bears are concerned, it is not the best place to go for a wander.”

One Pemberton resident says that while Whistler has an enviable trail network, Pemberton has a strong sense of community and respect for pedestrian and cyclist safety that she doesn’t see in Whistler to the same extent. “I bike along the main roads all the time. Generally, people here are really courteous.”

Pemberton municipal councillor Jennie Helmer has a unique perspective on the trails issue as a village resident and as a member of a Pemberton farming family.

“We need to have more trails but they must reflect the spirit and culture of Pemberton. We have our own unique challenges and opportunities here,” she said.

“My personal vision is to have enough public support to create a bike trail from Mount Currie to the other end of the Valley. A simple, although still expensive solution is to create a trail parallel to the highway. A good example of this is the Highway 99 trail, which will run from the Village to the Lillooet River Bridge, alongside the highway.

“Another great trail is the Arn Canal Trail, linking The Peaks (a housing development) to the High School. Where possible, trails such as these are the future of our Village in terms of being able to walk from your house to do your shopping. The Village and SLRD are completing a trails master plan to make this a reality.”

According to Naylor, the trails master plan will be available for public comment and input “sometime between mid-March and June” of this year.

That trails have become an integral part of the Whistler lifestyle is indisputable – and the Valley Trail is the envy of communities both across Canada and abroad. Visitors come to Whistler from all parts of the globe. Some use the Valley Trail and go back home with the goal of achieving something similar.

“Trails have formed the backbone of recreation in Whistler,” said Keith Bennett. “We are not rural, we are not urban. We are something unique. “Pemberton has history, but it also has new growth. There is new urbanization happening in that rural community. And that poses some unique challenges.”



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