Banff, Alta., residents head to the polls on Monday to vote on the future of the mountain town’s pedestrian zone.
The two-block pedestrian-only zone along Banff Avenue was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to promote social distancing and has been in place every summer since.
Council then decided to make the pedestrian zone a permanent fixture from the May long weekend to the Thanksgiving long weekend.
While the traffic-free area has been popular with some, a petition was launched by residents earlier this year who are against the pedestrian zone. Some of their concerns include traffic being pushed from Banff Avenue into nearby neighbourhoods, the potential blockage of evacuation routes and business inequity.
“We know that the folks that love it, really love it, and we know that people that have concerns about it continue to want those to be addressed,” Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said.
“It really has had quite an impact, I would say, on our community. For example, I’ve heard about families that can’t talk about it at dinner time. I’ve heard life-long friendships that now have some tension to them because folks are on opposite sides of the issue.”
The petition garnered more than 1,000 signatures and was deemed valid under the Municipal Government Act. Banff town council passed a motion earlier this year to hold a vote of eligible voters on Aug. 12 on whether or not the pedestrian zone will continue after this year.
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“I can see what’s happening to my neighbours and that destruction of the residential neighbourhood experience in Banff bothers me a great deal,” said Leslie Taylor, a resident who helped launch the petition against the pedestrian zone. “I also feel very strongly about our place as a national park community and that when we say we agree to a commercial cap, we shouldn’t try to get around it.”
Voters are being asked the following yes or no question: Do you support Banff Town Council’s decision to have a downtown pedestrian zone on Banff Avenue every summer, from the May Long Weekend to the Thanksgiving Long Weekend?
Polls open at Banff Town Hall at 10 a.m. Monday and close at 8 p.m.
Advance voting was held over several days in July.
The Town of Banff said the results of the vote will be published online following the close of voting.
If the result of the vote is no, council will have to pass a bylaw to reverse its decision to keep the pedestrian zone. That would happen on Aug. 26.