Fate of Banff pedestrian zone to be decided by a public vote later this summer

The fate of the Town of Banff's much debated pedestrian zone along its main downtown street will be decided by the public later this summer.

The town's council unanimously passed a motion on Monday to hold a vote of the electorate on August 12.

That day, residents will choose whether or not to support council's decision to close off a section of Banff Avenue to traffic every year from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving long weekend. 

Council had initially voted to make the pedestrian corridor an annual feature in December 2023. 

Finalizing that decision was then stalled in January 2024, when council received a letter from Parks Canada, questioning the use of patios and other commercial developments along the publicly owned street where the zone would be enacted. 

About a month ago, a petition signed by about 11.5 per cent of the population was filed, calling for council to repeal its decision to proceed with the annual summer pedestrian zone.

It has approximately 1,019 signatures, and was deemed valid by administration on April 15.

The petition triggered council to make a choice at their meeting today to either rescind the decision to move forward with the pedestrian zone, or to hold a vote of the electorate on the issue. 

Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said the outcome of the vote will have a polarizing impact on the community. 

"At the end of this exercise, people are likely either going to be extremely happy or very upset," she said during the council meeting. 

"We know the community is passionate about the future of the pedestrian zone and that those perspectives vary. I've also heard stories about how this topic causes tension at family dinners, how it causes tension in lifelong friendships, and how it causes arguments between neighbours because people do not share the same views."

While that division worries her, DiManno said she decided to put forward the motion to hold a vote of the electorate because it seemed — to her — the most fair course of action.

She added that because only around 76 per cent of Banff residents are Canadian citizens, a significant proportion of the population will not be able to vote on the issue. 

"This is why it's imperative every resident who is eligible to vote participates in this exercise so that we can move forward as a community," said DiManno.