Banff mayor says reducing vehicles necessary after town votes no to pedestrian zone

BANFF, Alta. — A day after a tight vote to remove a contentious pedestrian zone in downtown Banff, Alta., those on both sides of the issue say they share one common goal: reducing the number of cars.

Mayor Corrie DiManno said Tuesday the vote to reopen Banff Avenue year-round doesn’t change the need for more public transportation into the popular tourist destination west of Calgary. It’s either that or parking space outside the town’s boundary, she said.

“I believe we have a car problem, not a people problem,” DiManno told reporters.

“We just simply have too many vehicles on our finite road network. We really need Parks Canada and the province to come to the table to help us address the growing amount of folks coming here, especially during peak times.”

The town reported this week there were 1,328 votes cast against council’s decision to have the pedestrian zone every year from the May long weekend to the Thanksgiving long weekend.

It says 1,194 residents voted in favour of the zone.

Those against the pedestrian area said it caused vehicles to go into some side streets, frustrating residents.

Leslie Taylor, an organizer with the “no” camp, said one residential road would on average have more than 200 vehicles an hour.

“Closing (Banff Avenue) didn’t make all those buses, trucks and cars go away. It had just pushed it out in what had been quiet residential neighbourhoods,” she said.

Taylor, a former mayor and councillor, said the community has to figure out how to encourage people to visit Banff without a vehicle.

“It’s not working the way it is,” she said.

“My hope is that everybody now will start concentrating on that fundamental problem.”

Allan Buckingham, an organizer with the pro-pedestrian-zone side, said it encouraged walking in the downtown.

The zone also created an awesome atmosphere, Buckingham added. It’s a wide space with patios, seating and planters.

“I just loved going down and I would run into more people I could talk to. As a local, we would spend a lot of time walking in alleys to avoid the congestion Banff Avenue had before.”

Buckingham said reopening Banff Avenue won’t alleviate the congestion problems.

“We really need to keep those conversations going on how we address vehicle volumes and how we want to have an active, livable and sustainable community.”

The pedestrian zone was created in the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic for people to safely enjoy the street full of shops and restaurants.

Council passed a motion earlier this year to keep it permanently during the warmer months.

DiManno said council is to meet on Aug. 26 to accept the results of the vote. A day after that, crews plan to begin dismantling the zone.

“There’s been a lot of passion on both sides of this vote and residents are emotionally exhausted from this topic,” she said.

“We love our visitors and we look for forward to continue welcoming them with or without a pedestrian zone.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2024.

— By Jeremy Simes in Regina.

The Canadian Press