Â鶹´«Ã½AV

Skip to content

Bye-bye to Banff pedestrian zone after Labour Day long weekend

BANFF, Alta. — It'll be one last hurrah for a pedestrian zone along the main downtown drag of Banff, Alta., this long weekend.
48c10fea9f4f6ff267d707e50f07c13e8a422b6e9fcf60a54faa593ae6b4a145
Smoke haze from forest fires burning in Alberta and British Columbia hangs over Banff, Alta., in Banff National Park, Friday, July 21, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

BANFF, Alta. — It'll be one last hurrah for a pedestrian zone along the main downtown drag of Banff, Alta., this long weekend.

The Rocky Mountain tourist town is telling businesses to take down outdoor patios or retail displays on the Banff Avenue roadway after Labour Day.

It says that would allow the road to reopen to vehicles once traffic signals are reset.

The town made part of its main thoroughfare car-free in 2020 to reduce the risk for visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and every year since the zone has been going from the May long weekend until Thanksgiving.

But earlier this month, residents voted in a plebiscite to end the project, with some saying it had funnelled vehicle traffic into residential communities and caused traffic problems.

Town council made the change official with a bylaw vote on Monday.

The town says some businesses may be able to keep seating on the sidewalk after the pedestrian zone is gone.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2024.

The Canadian Press

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks