The Whistler Cycling Committee is getting out to events and local trailheads to seek input that will help the group plot an overall development plan for mountain biking in Whistler for the future.
Last week they also put the survey online, and it will be up and running until the end of the month.
"The more input we get, the better," explains Keith Bennett, manager of parks operations for the Resort Municipality of Whistler.
"We’re giving people an opportunity to help shape the future of mountain biking in Whistler, what it might look like five years from now. People are keen to get involved and we’ve already gotten a lot of public response."
At the end of August, the survey results will be used to help create a draft mountain biking vision document that will once again be open for public input. Once that process has been completed, the plan will be brought to council, where it should be adopted alongside the completed Cycling Network Plan.
According to Bennett, the plans will give the municipality and its departments a document to refer to in the future for building, maintaining and marking trails. It will indicate which trails are the most popular and why, the skill levels of the mountain bikers, what trails are the highest priority to secure official status for, and the types of trailhead facilities bikers need.
The survey also asks what they would do to improve mountain biking in Whistler, and where they saw the sport going in the next five years. Rider statistics are also collected to find out who is using Whistler’s network of mountain bike trails.
To access the survey or learn more about the Whistler Cycling Committee, visit www.whistlercycling.org . The menu bar will direct you to the survey.
