A holiday Monday at Hamilton's premier tourist attraction put to the test new arrangements meant to control crowds and congestion and prevent problems for nearby residents.

Thousands came to Spencer Gorge to view Webster and Tews Falls on Victoria Day and many were confused and unaware that the only access to the falls is now via shuttle bus from a nearby store.

Many visitors drove and circled around the neighbourhood before eventually making their way to the Mizener's Antiques and Flea Market, five kilometres away, for the shuttle.

'I thought it would be a just park anywhere kind of deal. It was a little confusing.' - Joshua Yang

Joshua Yang, 26 was one of them.

He decided to make the trip from Toronto when we saw a picture of Dundas Peak on Instagram, last fall.

Getting to the conservation area wasn't as easy as Yang originally thought it would be.

After driving around the falls area, failing to find a place to park, he then discovered the shuttle service that would take him.

"I thought it would be a just park anywhere kind of deal," said Yang, atanding at Webster Falls with his phone out.

"It was a little confusing, a little more people than what I expected."

Shuttle service created to ease local traffic

Due to the growing popularity of Spencer Gorge and Webster Falls, the Hamilton Conservation Authority (HCA) is running a mandatory weekend shuttle service to the area.

Neighbours have been complaining of parked cars overflowing onto their streets and people showing little concern for their properties as they traipse around the areas.

Visitors now have to park at the flea market, at a cost of $10 per car to park and $5 per person to visit.

Joshua Yang from Toronto came to visit Spencer Gorge after seeing a photo on Instagram last fall, to take some pictures for himself. (Laura Clementson )

Kevin Beagle, one of the owners of Think Greensville, the company operating the shuttle service, figured about 2,000 people would have visited the falls on Monday.

This is the second weekend of the shuttle service operation—Beagle thinks it ran smoother than expected, but says there are still too many people driving directly down to waterfalls, having to be redirected up the designated parking area.

I think it's great for individuals to be able to take in the scenery. - Michelle Carey, London resident

"As soon as we can 100 percent prevent cars from dipping down into the Greensville precincts and happy to be redirected up here, I think things will be running as smoothly as anybody could expect," said Beagle.

For Michelle Carey of London, who came to visit for the day, this has been her first time using the shuttle since starting to visit the area for hikes, a couple of years ago.

A mandatory shuttle bus now takes people to Spencer Gorge. Visitors have to park at Mizener’s Antiques and Flea Market, five kilometres away, at a cost of $10 per car to park and $5 per person to visit. (Laura Clementson )

She says this year feels different with the larger amount of people.

"I think it's great for individuals to be able to take in the scenery and what not, but again, it takes away from the actual hiking itself," said Carey.

She thinks that social media may have played a role in the larger numbers.

I think it's only going to get worse so they need to come up with a long-term solution. - Colin De France, local resident

Local concerns

Colin De France has been living on one of the streets people walk down to get to Webster Falls for a year now.

For him and his wife, car traffic on his narrow street was one of their biggest concerns last year due to safety. He's pleased this has been eliminated with the shuttle, but still feels that there could be better ways for people to access the falls.

De France loves seeing all of the smiling faces of the people walking past his property, but admits that it does take away from the tranquility he sought out when moving there.

"It's wonderful to have people visit the falls, at the same time, you still do want some privacy," said De France.

He hasn't had any major issues with visitors, only a few walking onto his property to take a picture, but says some of his neighbours have.

Michelle Carey from London takes her son Declan to Spencer Gorge and Webster Falls for the first time. She saw more people there today than during her previous visits. (Laura Clementson )

"I think it's only going to get worse so they need to come up with a long-term solution that provides people access, but at the same time ensures some safety for the neighbourhood, for the people visiting, and for the protection of the park itself," said De France.

According to Gordon Costie, HCA Director of Conservation Area Services, this past weekend has been a good start to the season.

"For the May long weekend, it's been a marked difference for no cars in the streets, for safety, and for the congestion, and that's what we were trying to do," said Costie.

He says the local residents he's heard from so far have been pleased with the way things have run this weekend.

"This is only the second weekend so there's more we can do and we're going to learn from this experience."