Why the Banff town sign may soon move

The Banff town sign, a popular spot for tourists to visit, is seen on Oct. 10, 2024.

The Banff town sign, a popular spot for tourists, may soon have a new home.

The $350,000 sign, installed in 2017, is intended to welcome people to the idyllic mountain community, but has turned into a tourist magnet.

"We never expected this volume of people to be attracted to the sign," said Darren Enns, Town of Banff director of planning and environment.

"It's a sign of both a success, but some challenges that come with that success."

The sign sits in the 100 block of Mount Norquay Road, across the street from the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre.

Many visitors park at the rec centre to walk over, causing a steady stream of pedestrians to cross Mount Norquay Road – a road that sees some 17,000 vehicles a day in the summer.  

"Having the Banff sign on a busy transportation corridor has raised concerns around safety, and particularly pedestrian safety," said Enns.

"It's an incredibly popular attraction, and we've had to respond with a number of traffic mitigations over the years to minimize risk."

Banff’s council is now looking at places to move the sign that are more pedestrian oriented and would have less traffic.

The preferred option, Enns says, is to move the sign to the Banff Train Station, about one kilometre away.

Liricon Capital, which is proposing the construction of a rail link connecting Calgary to Banff, would cover most of cost of the relocation.

The company also owns Mount Norquay Ski Resort.

Liricon Capital spokesperson Jasper Johnson says the move would hopefully create a spot where people can do more than just "take a picture of a sign."

A date hasn’t been finalized but Liricon Capital would like to begin relocating the sign by the spring of 2025.

According to Enns, the town would only have to cover the cost of the remediation to the existing site.

Administration is working through the estimates and will provide council with an update in December.