Future of Banff's annual pedestrian zone to be decided on Monday

Monday marks an important voting day for the town of Banff, Alta., as the future of its annual pedestrian zone will be determined following a public vote.

With the opportunity to hit the polls until 8 p.m., residents of the town will choose whether or not to support their council's decision to close a section of Banff Avenue to vehicles every year from the May long weekend until the Thanksgiving long weekend. 

The car-free pedestrian zone has become a divisive topic for locals.

Proponents of the road closure say it benefits tourism, mitigates parking problems and limits vehicle traffic.

Terri Hunter is one of the people in support of the pedestrian zone. She's been a Banff resident since June, and called the pedestrian zone a "bonus" for visiting Banff.

"I've been living in Jasper 32 years and I wish they had one," Hunter said. 

"I think it helps people to feel the place more and to experience Banff even better."

However, opponents have said it only moves traffic elsewhere, disrupting residential streets, and creates more of a footprint for commercial activity in the national park.

Bunny Julius, the general manager of Melissa's Missteak Restaurant, says the pedestrian corridor has increased the prominence of restaurant patios, which he believes poses an issue for the town's commercial cap. It's one of the main reasons why he's not supportive of the annual road closure.

"The town council has pushed this decision through without properly thinking how it affects the rest of the town and the residents,"Julius told Radio-Canada on Monday.

"The more people we stuff into this town, the worse quality it is for the residents and for the visitors' experience, as well."

As the future of the pedestrian zone is being decided by the public, the result of Monday's vote will determine whether it stays open until the upcoming Thanksgiving long weekend.

Roughly 40,000 pedestrians per day

Jason Darrah, director of communications for the town of Banff, says increasing pedestrianization has always been part of the plan.

"[The pedestrian zone] was thought of as an improvement, because even back in 1962 there was a proposal to make this a more pedestrianized street," said Darrah, adding that a different pedestrian zone was also added to Bear Street, one of the roads running adjacent to Banff Avenue.

Darrah says the two-block pedestrian zone along Banff Avenue sees roughly 40,000 people per day throughout the summer months, which he believes played an important role in helping the town's post-COVID-19 recovery phase.

Originally for social distancing

The road closure was first piloted in 2020 as a pandemic-era measure. Then, Banff's town council voted to make the two-block pedestrian zone an annual feature.

However, that decision was stalled in January 2024, when council received a letter from Parks Canada that questioned the use of patios and other commercial developments along the publicly owned street where the zone is set up.

What's more, some of those not in favour of the car-free zone say they felt as though they didn't have a say in the road closure.

As a result, in mid-April 2024, some residents circulated a petition calling for council to repeal the annual pedestrian zone decision. That petition received over 1,000 signatures and, under the stipulations of Alberta's Municipal Government Act, forced council to take the decision to a vote of the electors.

Now, eligible voters who reside in Banff will cast their vote on whether they support town council's decision to create a pedestrian corridor or if they want the road to be open for vehicles on Monday.

Vehicle traffic 'the root of a lot of problems'

No matter which side of the debate they fall on, Darrah believes Banff locals share the feeling that the amount of vehicle traffic is an issue for the 4-square-kilometre townsite.

"I think everybody in this community shares the fact that we have too much vehicle traffic. That becomes the root of a lot of the problems in this town."

Monday's official voting day comes after three rounds of advance voting dates that took place throughout July. According to Darrah, 1,246 people voted during the advanced polls, excluding special ballots.