A newly released BC Parks document from 2018: Mt. Seymour Provincial Park Access and Development Options Study
I’m writing this blog post today (December 9th, 2022,) because I’ve received a BC Parks study that I do not believe has been publicly shared before. That document can be downloaded from my Dropbox account at the link below: (Note that the file is a little glitchy. You may need to view it inside Google Chrome instead of Acrobat.) https://www.dropbox.com/s/o76ynh9vz0nrdcb/PDF_Mt_Seymour_Access_DevOptionsStudy_Oct%202018.pdf?dl=0
As the population of the Lower Mainland grows, the parking lots at Mount Seymour Provincial Park have become increasingly busy during the winter season. BC Parks has implemented to a day pass system that results in many people being locked out of the park. The public would like to know why options such as publicly operated shuttles, increased parking lot size, and extended opening hours for the road have not been explored. I believe that most people understand that day passes may be a required part of the solution but they would like to see a multi-pronged approach to ensure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy the park.
Given all of that, it was surprising to learn that there is a BC Parks study that makes it clear that the public was opposed to a day pass system and recommended expanded parking areas, improved shuttle service, and an earlier gate opening time. Why was the study put on the shelf instead of being put into action?
Background:
The study was completed in 2018 but it included a survey that was performed in 2016. The collection phase of the survey was covered by the North Shore News in 2017.
“BC Parks hired a contractor to survey park visitors on where they are coming from, how they get to the top of the mountain, how much time they spend, what activities they come to Seymour to do, and to gather their feedback on possible solutions.”
“The survey period is now closed. Eyers said the results will be analyzed and presented to park users at an open house later in the spring for more feedback, allowing the province to start studying what’s feasible and can be tackled in the next year or two.”
In 2021, BC Parks introduced a day pass but they did not refer to any of the results of the study/survey in their announcement. This was also covered by the North Shore News.
They brought the day pass back this year with no signs of progress on other improvements. I enquired about what happened to the study and they indicated that although it is not posted, they would be willing to share it at this time through e-mail.
Some of the highlights from the study:
1) There are a number of feasible options for adding hundreds of parking spaces and the study recommended the phased upgrade/expansion of two specific parking lots to address current and future needs.
Based on the analysis of parking capacity for park (i.e. non-ski resort) visitors, and the current number of park visitors, it is recommended that a new parking lot for park visitors be developed with a minimum of 220 additional parking spaces, with 20 of those spaces dedicated to long-term parking. This increase in parking capacity will enable all visitors on peak days to park without having to wait at current visitor numbers. This will have a positive impact on Mount Seymour Ski Resort, as resort visitors will be able to access parking near the resort facilities more readily and there will be a lesser need for traffic control. However, it is important to note that if the anticipated growth in the number of visitors coming to the park on peak days continues, it may be desirable to look at phasing the development of additional parking and building two new lots to achieve a total of 425 new parking spaces. Phasing the two preferred options outlined in this section would achieve this number.
“Preferred Option Option A — Parking Lot 0 Expansion This lot is well-positioned adjacent to an existing public transit stop. Visitors getting on the shuttle to the peak here could take public transit directly to the shuttle pick up point, or drive private vehicles and park here. A well-designed parking lot has the potential to accommodate up to 240 vehicles, reducing the amount of vehicle pressure on Mount Seymour Road.”
Preferred Option Option E — Parking Lot 1 Expansion Visitors using this lot could either connect to the existing maintained snow road, or if a new trail alignment was pursued, begin their backcountry experience from this point. In addition to improved parking facilities, Lot 1 could act as a key staging point for backcountry visitors providing a strong sense of arrival to the park.
2) The study recommended improved access from parking lots to the backcountry in the form of a new trail and/or shuttle
“To complement the development of additional parking capacity, backcountry access should also be improved. While the existing snow road that connects with Lots 1 and 5 provides access to the backcountry trailhead in Lot 4, backcountry visitors still must travel through the CRA over a distance some visitors felt was too far. While the distance to Lot 1 and Lot 5 cannot be reduced, efforts can be made to reduce travel times and/or make the journey more enjoyable.”
The survey asked about improved shuttle service and it was well received.
Shuttle service was also mentioned in the written portion of the survey:
“ii. IMPROVE SHUTTLE SERVICE
The second most commonly mentioned topic was the shuttle service. 16 respondents or 19% of respondents to this section requested an improvement of shuttle service. Improvement included things such as more frequent shuttles, more stops, along with free or cheaper shuttle service. Some individuals recommend incentivizing shuttle usage by providing a “prize,” or discount for snowshoeing with a shuttle pass. Notably, one respondent made the recommendation that Translink should provide a bus service to and from the mountain to reduce the fee. Five individuals explained that they would take the shuttle service if they would be able to bring their dogs with them. This was also mentioned several times in informal conversations during fieldwork.
3) The survey confirmed strong support for an earlier gate opening
There are three strong data points to support earlier opening of the gate in the morning.
The first is that most backcountry visits are relatively short which makes sense given the amount of time required to complete any of the three primary objectives on the backcountry trail network (Dog Mountain, Brockton Lookout, Pump Peak.)
The second is that backcountry visitors show a strong preference for starting in the earlier portion of the day. The combination of relatively short visits and a preference for early mornings means that it is likely that an earlier gate opening would result in many visitors being in and out of the park before the rush of resort visitors at 9 am. It would also allow for a third “shift” of day passes to be squeezed into each day.
The third data point is that there was very strong unprompted requests for earlier access (despite BC Parks not mentioning it in the survey).
“i. EARLIER PARK OPENING
The most commonly repeated request was for the park to be opened earlier, either at 4:00 am, 5:00 am, or 6:00 am if weather conditions permit so. 22 respondents or 26% of those who provided feedback to this question requested this. As this was not mentioned anywhere in the survey, it is clear that this is a common and strong desire amongst park users irrelevant of the information that has been provided for them. Many requested this so that they could utilize the backcountry earlier in the morning to alleviate traffic congestion later in the day. Some indicated that they wished to access the park during weekdays prior to work, which could result in reduced congestion on weekends and holidays by redirecting users to other days of the week.”
The survey section of the study also pointed out that by having an earlier gate opening, many visitors would be able to shift their visits to weekdays because they could be in and out before the workday starts at 9 am. Currently, those visitors must visit on a weekend which adds to the peak load.
“Those who are committed are likely to wake up earlier to access the park, potentially diverting up to 40% of users to weekday mornings prior to work. As well, the bulk of visitors are at the park for only 1–4 hours (64%), and so turnaround time could be as short as 2 hours for those visiting in the morning. Here it is strongly recommended that the park open at 5:00 am over the winter season to divert users from peak days to weekdays before work, and from peak times during mid-morning to early morning.”
4) The survey confirmed a very strong opposition to the idea of a day pass
Public opinion was in strong opposition to a day pass with 25% of respondents indicating that “hate” the concept.
“Second, participants were asked about a reservation system. The description for this practice is as follows: “Park visitors can register online for a vehicle day pass. All vehicles must have a day pass to access the park, and the number of passes would be based on available parking capacity.” This management practice was poorly received with 25% of participants indicating that they hate the idea. The average for this was 3.88, which falls below neutral.”
What’s next?
I’d like BC Parks to respond to this study. Why did they commission an expensive study and survey and then not share the results more broadly? Why is this study not available on the BC Parks website? Why did they only proceed with the option that the public was strongly opposed to? Have they made any progress in moving forward with the more favourable options?
Happy Hiking,
Steve
stevejoneshikes@gmail.com
