I am really not a fan of the 24 hour news cycle so when I caught a “good news” story about a walkable community in the southern USA I was pleasantly surprised. Between shots of Anderson Cooper in strange and unusual places and situations; CNN had a 3 minute look at a southern US community designed strictly around walking and bicycling. I searched the net for this piece without success so if you know where it is please send a link to info@ridebooker.com. These walkable communities that they highlighted are quickly getting more and more attention which is great. The fact is, this is an idea that Whistler has been working on in the resort community context for a long time and with great success.
Whistler’s vision for a walkable center of town was first and foremost an economic one. The original vision being that a holiday in a place that you can walk to shop is much cozier then getting in a car and driving…. lessons learned from European ski resorts. The proof (as is said) is in the pudding. Whistler’s walkable resort village is now a template that all ski resorts, from Sun Peaks to Sochi follow.
Whistler’s walkability makes positive transportation purchasing decisions easier. When asked what our most environmentally friendly transportation option to access Whistler the answer is easy… scheduled bus service. When emissions are shared they are reduced across the board. Although limiting carbon emissions are nowhere near the top of the list when it comes to the factors driving our client purchasing decisions the fact that Whistler is walkable is one more reason to forgo a rental car for a shared transportation option.
In our recent guest surveys many people go with a rental car because “they always have”. Our goal is to make sure you know that the friendlier option for the environment is also the most safe, convenient and affordable. Have a look at preferred transportation options to Whistler; it just makes sense.
