Banff is closing its main street to vehicles starting May 15th.
Credit: Town of Banff
Banff Avenue, the main street of the Town of Banff, will be closed to vehicles starting May 15th, in preparation for the reopening of the Downtown Pedestrian Zone from May 19th to October 13th.
Public transit, Roam buses, will continue to use Banff Avenue with increased frequency to support visitors accessing the main attractions in the town and the national park.
During summer, up to 30,000 pedestrians walk down Banff Avenue every day. The pedestrian zone provides accessible space for people to walk, visit shops, use public seating and nearby public washrooms, or access many restaurants with a vast patio zone.
The pedestrian zone also connects with the Bear Street, which was redeveloped in 2021 as a completely accessible pedestrian-friendly hub.
New developments in 2023 include a bike valet that will include e-charging stations for e-bike users, especially those coming from Canmore on the Legacy Trail and those going on to the Bow Valley Parkway cycling route. The bike valet will provide free, staffed, and fenced bicycle lockup, including e-charging stations for e-bikes.
Additionally, the Roam Transit service is increasing its frequency, including buses passing slowly through the pedestrian zone to the top attractions like the gondola and Bow Falls.
Drivers are encouraged to leave their vehicles in their campground or hotel, park in the free, long-term Train Station Parking Lot, and walk the 8 minutes to the pedestrian zone or 5 minutes to the scenic route along the Bow River trail.
Motorists driving south on Banff Avenue must detour to Lynx Street or Beaver Street to continue over the Bow River Bridge to southside attractions.
Traffic flaggers will assist traffic in navigating the area, and drivers are strongly encouraged to park in free, long-term Train Station Parking Lot and walk to the pedestrian zone to avoid the hassle of searching for one of the limited parking stalls.
People heading to the Banff Gondola or Banff Upper Hot Springs are urged to take the free shuttle or use Roam transit to avoid congestion on the south side of the community caused by too many vehicles travelling to the gondola and hot pools.
Per the news release, crews will install alert signs at key locations on the north side when Parks Canada notifies the Town that the parking lots at the gondola on Sulphur Mountain are full.