Skip to main content

Banff residents head to the polls over pedestrian zone

Share

Banff residents will vote in a plebiscite on Monday to determine if a pedestrian zone on Banff Avenue should continue between the May long weekend and the Thanksgiving long weekend.

The polls are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The result of the vote will be binding.

Since the summer of 2020, the mountain town has closed a section on Banff Avenue to vehicles so people can safely enjoy the street full of shops and restaurants.

However, not everyone likes the concept.

A petition to stop the pedestrian zone was submitted in May, with over 1,000 valid signatures. That is close to one-quarter of Banff's eligible voters.

Those against the closure of the main artery say it causes an increase in residential street traffic.

In the end, the town decided to put the decision to a vote.

A Town of Banff spokesperson tells CTV News if residents choose to keep the street closure, nothing will change.

If it is rejected, council will meet at the end of August to pass a new bylaw rescinding the street closure and re-opening the street to vehicle traffic by mid-September.

- With files from Kevin Green

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A one-of-a-kind Royal Canadian Mint coin sells for more than $1.5M

A rare one-of-a-kind pure gold coin from the Royal Canadian Mint has sold for more than $1.5 million. The 99.99 per cent pure gold coin, named 'The Dance Screen (The Scream Too),' weighs a whopping 10 kilograms and surpassed the previous record for a coin offered at an auction in Canada.

Stay Connected