Banff’s polarizing seasonal downtown pedestrian zone will continue into the future.
Following a nine-hour meeting Monday (Dec. 18), Banff’s elected officials voted 5-2 to annually close the 100 and 200 block of Banff Avenue to cars beginning on the May Long weekend to the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. The decision isn't final until budget is passed in January.
“The pedestrian zone has become the heartbeat of the community in the summertime,” said Mayor Corrie DiManno.
“We have taken what has predominantly been a space for cars and made it into a beautiful, central plaza for people.”
The pedestrian zone was created in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to give space for pedestrians to social distance, and also allow for businesses to use public space in order to offset financial impacts from public health measures.
Council continued the project as a pilot supporting economic recovery and returning visitation in 2022 and 2023. It is estimated there are about 30,000 pedestrians on most days downtown.
The marathon meeting saw countless people debating both for and against the continuation of the pedestrian zone, including from some businesses who believe the sidewalk seating creates an unfair playing field for some.
Other concerns centred on impacts to the most important evacuation route in town, costs to maintain the ped zone, and increased commercial activity via sidewalk patios contrary to the spirit of the commercial growth cap.
However, the top reasons for opposition to the pedestrian zone were more focused on traffic impacts, including congestion on side streets where traffic is diverted, and impacts on residential neighbourhoods.
“The ped zone doesn’t make bus, delivery or most private vehicle traffic disappear. It just moves it from where it annoys the visitors to where it annoys the residents,” said resident Leslie Taylor.
“When the ped zone is in place, inappropriate types of vehicles – buses, semis – and inappropriate volumes of traffic flood Beaver, Muskrat, Otter and Buffalo. It becomes unpleasant to sit out on an apartment balcony or the front porch of a house.”
Coun. Chip Olver, who came into the meeting leaning more against continuation of the pedestrian zone, was successful in a bid she hopes will help deal with traffic volumes in town.
The Town will ask Parks Canada to consider disincentives to driving by implementing traffic and parking management solutions at Sulphur Mountain Gondola and Upper Hot Springs – already identified in the expert panel report.
“Last year, we explicitly said paid parking, but I think since then we’ve talked about other things like parking reservations, or even closing the parking lot except to transit and handicap-placard vehicles, similar to what we see at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake,” said Olver.
“So much of our challenge with congestion has to do with two attractions on the south side – the gondola an upper hot pools… but really Parks has the big hammers and the easy control of that situation.”
Coun. Barb Pelham, who supported the pedestrian zone moving forward, agreed that congestion on side streets is the biggest challenge associated with a car-free 100 and 200 block Banff Avenue.
But she said data indicated that once Banff Avenue opened to cars after Thanksgiving, the number of cars driving across the bridge increased by 19 per cent, and results in increases in delays driving back to the north side of Banff.
“The single most effective way to improve that problem is to reduce the amount of traffic driving across the bridge and up Mountain Avenue,” she said.
“Opening Banff Ave doesn’t reduce traffic congestion. Public transit has helped, e-bikes have helped, intercept parking has helped and I want residents to know that we will continue efforts to reduce visitor vehicles from using our side streets.”
Lori Dowling, who spoke as an executive member of the Banff Seniors Society, said the seniors have concerns about traffic issues, public safety, air quality and congestion.
“The closure diverts tourist traffic into what should be quiet residential streets …the exhaust and volume of exhaust in my neighbourhood is just absolutely noxious and unacceptable,” she said.
“It’s time for council to decide what is more important; the welfare of residents or a tourist selfie on Banff Avenue.”
JP Middleton, who is wheelchair-bound following a skiing accident at Banff’s Mount Norquay in 2018, spoke in strong favour of the pedestrian zone, noting it makes a more accessible downtown.
“The amount of energy it takes to bump over a six-inch step or up a curb is the amount of energy it took me before to jump over a six-foot wall in my fire gear – it’s a hell of a lot of work,” he said.
“When the ped zone was introduced, what I saw was a greater level of accessibility, and I see the ped zone as our opportunity to re-envision Banff Avenue and make it a more inclusive and accessible space.”
A survey of the business community shows a split, with two-thirds of the business community in favour of the pedestrian zone and one-third opposed.
David Matys, vice-president of destination development for Banff Lake Louise Tourism, said a survey of visitors on their experience in the national park shows they “really enjoy the pedestrian zone.”
He said the pedestrian zone aligns with the long-term vision for a future that provides sustainable tourism in Banff, noting the future looks different than it has in the past.
“Part of that vision, and in every strategic plan that exists currently, is the idea that we need to move visitors out of their vehicles to explore the destination by foot, by bike, though transit, on shuttle,” said Matys.
“This idea that you can drive around the park in your car and go to everything you want to when you want to isn’t the way we’re going to have a sustainable future in the park… the pedestrian zone is helping with that dialogue and that narrative.”
Some of the opposition was centred on costs of maintaining a pedestrian zone, and included calls to recover all costs by charging full rent for the public spaces that are being converted to private, for-profit spaces for sidewalk seating.
However, administration indicated the costs are minimal, noting expenditures are an estimated $172,000, while revenues are an estimated $155,000 based on 2023 participation. Costs will be adjusted moving forward based on inflation.
“We feel comfortable that we’re at a number we know we can operate it at for this number of expenditures,” said Darren Enns, director of planning and environment.
Administration has been asked to return with a report at the 2025 service review on interim capital measures to test out long-term capital improvements associated with an annual seasonal pedestrian zone.
“We can continue with an annual seasonal Banff Avenue ped zone with what we have until we are in a better financial position,” said Pelham.
“I would propose that before we invest in re-building/renovating/altering Banff Avenue aesthetics, first we rebuild the $7.5 million hole in our reserves that we created in 2020.”
