Rally in support of Banff's pedestrian zone takes place as advanced voting continues

As the public decides the fate of the contentious pedestrian zone along the Town of Banff's main downtown strip, a group of residents dressed in yellow took to Banff Avenue during the 'Go Bananas for Banff Ave' event to rally in favour of keeping the thoroughfare closed to cars every summer season.

It's because turning the annual pedestrian corridor into a permanent fixture has been a divisive issue for many who live in the town. 

After Banff's town council unanimously passed a motion to hold a vote of the electorate on Aug. 12., 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. 

Wednesday also marked the second instalment of the town's advanced polls on the issue.

"I'm basically a believer in aligning ourselves with a vision for the future to promote sustainable tourism," said Stephane Prevost, a resident rallying in support of the pedestrian zone.

Prevost says he's been living in Banff since the early 1980s and owns restaurants on Caribou Street, which intersects Banff Avenue.

He believes both visitors and residents have become accustomed to the pedestrian zone and "what it has to offer," adding that he doesn't want to see it become crowded with vehicles again.

Stavros Karlos is also on the pro-pedestrian zone side of the debate, and he attended Wednesday's rally with a button on his shirt that read "I vote for a better Banff Ave."

"When we have four lanes of traffic, what sort of message are we sending to our visitors about National Park values?" said Karlos.

"Our values have to start by showing people what a National Park community should look like."

While those in favour of the road closure say it benefits tourism and limits vehicle traffic, those against it believe that it only moves traffic, disrupting residential streets, and that it also creates more of a footprint for commercial activity in the national park.

The car-free stretch along Banff's main drag has been a popular attraction for various businesses and visitors, but some locals complain they didn't have a say in the closure.

Back in mid-April, a petition calling for council to repeal its decision to proceed with the annual summer pedestrian zone was deemed valid by the town's administration under the rules outlined in the Municipal Government Act. It received approximately 1,019 signatures, and forced council to take the decision to a vote of the electors.

Leslie Taylor, one of the organizers of the petition and a group opposed to the annual pedestrian zone, says residents have been concerned "council hadn't actually read the will of the Banff voters quite right."