2010 Olympic Games organizers are hoping a series of information sessions for B.C. residents will provide a snapshot of what life will be like during the games.

The Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee is hosting a series of 10 information sessions starting this week in Metro Vancouver and Whistler, with the first session taking place in Whistler on Tuesday night.

Nearly 250 Whistler residents were in attendance as organizers outlined security and transportation restrictions with a presentation, open-house displays and a question-and-answer session.

"There hasn't been a lot of concrete plans written up as to where traffic is going to be happening and how it's going to effect everybody here in town," said one local resident who declined to give his name.

The Sea-to-Sky Highway, the main highway in and out of Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton will be open to the public during the games, organizers said, but residential road closures in the area are still undetermined.

Residents wanted to know how they would get to work and school, and where they would be able to park their cars, after VANOC said it plans to use almost all of the parking lots in Whistler.

"Well we will just walk, or bike, even if it's winter," said one woman who attended the session. "I don't know ... snowshoe.. whatever it takes."

Whistler Mayor Ken Melamed said the solution would be to bring in more than 120 buses to shuttle people in and out of the village.

"Outside of the village should not be a problem," he said.

CEO of VANOC John Furlong said the public meetings would help to shape the final plans for the games.

"I'm pretty sure until people have seen the plans as they are now ... most people probably in their mind haven't figured it out yet," said John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee.

"This will help them to understand what this will look like, the impact of it, and it will allow them to in fact help mold the final plans into place with us."

But there are still many unanswered questions, Melamed admitted, such as whether or not the entire village will be a designated security zone, or whether it will be fenced off.

The full schedule of meetings can be found on the Vancouver 2010 Public Communications page under Game Plan 2008.

Game Plan 2008 Sessions

  • Venue: Whistler, Meeting Location: Maurice Young Millennium Place. Address: 4335 Blackcomb Way, Whistler. Date: June 17, 2008. Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

  • Venue: Richmond Oval. Meeting Location: Richmond City Hall. Address: 6911 No. 3 Road, Richmond. Date: June 18, 2008. Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm.

  • Venue: Pacific Coliseum. Meeting Location: Hastings Park Community Centre Gymnasium. Address: 3096 East Hastings Street, Vancouver. Date: June 19, 2008. Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm.  

  • Venue: Hillcrest/Riley Park. Meeting Location: Riley Park Community Centre. Address: 50 East 30th Avenue, Vancouver. Date: June 24, 2008. Time: 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm.

  • Venue: Downtown Vancouver 1; BC Place Stadium, General Motors Place. Meeting Location: Roundhouse Community Centre. Address: 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver. Date: July 15, 2008. Time: 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm.

  • Venue: Downtown Vancouver 2; Main Media Centre, Olympic Family Hotel. Meeting Location: Coal Harbour Community Centre. Address: 480 Broughton Street, Vancouver. Date: July 23, 2008. Time: 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm.

More details about the meetings can be found on the Vancouver 2010 Public Communications page.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen and files from The Canadian Press