Participation rate tripled compared to past challenges
For two weeks, participants in the Whistler Way Commuter Challenge walked, cycled, bused and carpooled to work and back home again in a bid to win a season’s pass for Whistler-Blackcomb as well as credit for their businesses.
For people who don’t own cars or already walk, ride or carpool to work, it was nothing out of the ordinary. For others, however, it was a completely new experience.
"A lot of different people really got into the contest," said Emma DalSanto, Traffic Demand Manager for the municipality. "One group at work started a car pool from their neighbourhood, and when one of the people dropped out because they had to go to Vancouver, the driver decided to take the bus so he could make his 40 points.
"He’s been in Whistler for years, but had never ridden the bus before that day."
Competitors earned up to eight points a day for taking transit alternatives – four points for cycling, walking, taking the bus, and carpooling with three or more people; two points for two-person car pooling. You needed a minimum of 40 points over the two weeks if you wanted to qualify for the draw for the season’s pass.
Businesses were also ranked according to their participation rate and the number of total points earned compared to the number of points available. The level of commitment and co-ordination from participating businesses impressed DalSanto.
A total of 65 different local businesses participated, bringing 901 employees to the Commuter Challenge. Another 17 people registered as individuals.
"We had triple the number of participants in September, when it can be cold and rainy, than we had when the Commuter Challenge was just a one-day clean air event in June," DalSanto said.
The municipality had the highest percentage of staff participation in the large organization category (100 or more total employees), with 53 per cent taking part. Municipal administrator Jim Godfrey, the top point earner for the RMOW with 100 points, accepted the award on behalf of the municipal staff.
Tourism Whistler was a close second in participation with 48 per cent of staff taking part, but beat other large organizations in the race to earn the most points per staff member.
Among the medium companies (11 to 99 employees) RBC Royal Bank won both the participation and points award with all 19 staff members taking part.
In the small business category, 10 local businesses tied for the participation award with 100 per cent involvement: Brent Harley and Associates, The Body Shop, Cows, Cable 6, Coast Mountain Vet Services, Hostelling International Whistler Hostel, Race and Company, Whistler Eye Clinic, Whistler Housing Authority and Whistler Physio 2 at Creekside.
Cows also won the points award.
At a special draw at Monday’s council meeting the ski pass went to Myrtle Philip teacher Dagmar Roth. The season’s pass to Meadow Park Sports Centre went to Lonnie Lamb of Whistler-Blackcomb.
According to Kristin Swerhun, a Commuter Challenge co-ordinator, some companies had a few side bets.
"For example, I’m told that Cascade Environmental owes Brent Harley and Associates beer and pizza as a result of the Whistler Way Commuter Challenge," she said.
The two businesses are neighbours in Function Junction and everybody commutes.
Brent Harley and Associates won the bet by a margin of two decimal places when the two businesses counted part-timers and averaged out employee contributions.
According to Ted Battiston of Brent Harley and Associates, the side bet inspired the teams to take the Challenge seriously.
"It’s a good way to get people involved. We were definitely more obsessed that we would have been without the bet," he said.
Most of the participants cycled while a few made use of public transportation and car pools.
"To be honest, quite a number of us were cycling before the Challenge, but some people did change their habits and cycled in," Battiston said.
The two companies are already planning to renew the competition again next year.
"Absolutely, it’s a healthy way to approach it," said Battiston, "Except for the beer and pizza part of it, that is."
Whether or not the people who participated in the Challenge will continue to leave the car at home is yet to be seen.
"In the next month, we’re going to follow up with a number of the participants with a survey to see if they’ve changed their modes of transportation," said DalSanto, who plans to poll about 10 per cent of the participants.
"Anecdotally speaking, I’ve heard a lot of people say that they enjoyed the last couple of weeks and that they are making changes, but we’ll have to see."
In addition to getting people to think about their modes of transportation, DalSanto says the surveys filled out by participants as part of their Commuter Challenge registration will give the Transportation Advisory Group a better idea of the status quo, and what’s needed to cut down on the number of cars on the roads.
This was the first time the Commuter Challenge has taken place in the fall, or lasted more than a day. DalSanto says the level of participation was gratifying, and that the Commuter Challenge will be back again next year as well.
The format will be the same, but all of the documents will be on the federal government’s Commuter Challenge Web site so people can follow the race on a day-to day basis.
A partnership between Better Environmentally Sound Transportation and AWARE will enable Swerhun to continue to work with Whistler on transportation demand issues one day a week. Her first task will be to go through the data collected during the Commuter Challenge. In the future she will work with local businesses to come up with transportation options for staff members.
Commuter Day Statistics
• Event ran from World Car-Free Day on Thursday, Sept. 19 to International Walk to School Day on Oct. 2.
• 693 early bird registrants
• 400 one-week WAVE transit passes handed to early bird registrants, valid Sept. 22 to Sept. 28.
• 65 companies with 901 employees registered
• 17 people registered as individuals
