BANFF – Town of Banff administration recommends the commercial horse carriage business and Roam transit be banned from the downtown pedestrian zone again next summer.
In 2020, creation of a pedestrian zone meant Roam transit buses were rerouted to Beaver Street via Wolf Street and that Banff Trail Riders’ horse carriage business moved to Caribou Street across from Banff’s fire hall.
Some councillors, however, seem keen to look at incorporating Roam transit into the pedestrian zone next year if it can be done safely, but don’t appear interested in considering Banff Trail Riders’ request to go back onto Banff Avenue.
“There seems to be a lot of concern for trying to make transit more accessible and get ridership back up again,” said Mayor Karen Sorensen during a special meeting of council on Dec. 7.
Administration recommended that the 2020 configuration for both transit and the horse and carriage operation be repeated in next year’s pedestrian zone, noting they don’t believe either operation is a good fit for a busy pedestrian zone.
That said, planning and development officials say administration could look at an alternate approach for Roam if directed by council to do so. Council has directed it be discussed again during its review of municipal services in January, 2021.
“It’s not like we’re talking about putting somebody on the moon here, so it’s not out the question,” said Darren Enns, director of planning and development. “It’s just how do we do it safely, and how do we not be detracting from the experience of the pedestrian zone?”
Roam transit did experience a marked decrease in ridership in 2020 for a number of reasons, such as its location, COVID-19 and visitation changes; however, buses generally managed to stick to schedule despite these challenges.
Enns said it is anticipated that 2021 will see a modest increase in transit ridership, however acknowledged Roam’s relocation to Beaver Street will likely have a negative effect again.
“Long-term it almost seems like an oxymoron to say that we’re trying to get people to park and walk and then not provide them with the transit service that helps back that up,” he said.
“I certainly see that dichotomy and it really tears at me because fundamentally we’ve invested so much in transit, that exiling it to Beaver street seems counter-productive,” Enns added.
“If the direction is to try to work on incorporating transit into the pedestrian zone, we will then work with the the operator and engineering team to try to see how we can do that as safely as possible.”
Martin Bean, chief administrative officer of Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission, said his biggest concern is the lack of visibility for Roam on Beaver Street.
He said key to a successful transit system for locals and visitors is accessibility and ease of use – and last summer people had trouble finding the bus when the pedestrian zone was open.
“Our optimal choice would be to keep Roam on Banff Avenue all the way right to the bridge and work out the multiple-use safety concerns around that,” Bean said.
Bean pointed to a mix-use pedestrian and transit trial in 2019 on Banff Avenue as part of opening celebrations for the Banff Film Festival.
“The buses went very slowly down Banff Avenue mixed in with pedestrians, and we had a couple of stops set up in the lanes along Banff Avenue where people could get on and off the bus,” he said. “It worked quite well.”
The owners of Banff Trail Riders also want back on Banff Avenue as part of next summer’s pedestrian zone, where they can stage outside their retail store on the 100 block.
Julie Canning, owner and operator, said many options exist for a viable solution, including limited access to and from the existing hitching area from Caribou Street.
“The horse and carriage operation have historically provided vibrancy on Banff Avenue,” she said.
“Carriages are non-motorized and operate as slowly, if not more so than many bicycles.”
Canning said the horse and carriage operation is inextricably linked to the retail store, where there is sidewalk water access for horses, staff support facilities for drivers and access to online reservations.
With the location across from the fire hall this past summer, she said staff had to haul buckets, staffing costs were doubled, and a walkie-talking system had to be introduced for safety and communications.
“To be gracious ... it was challenging,” Canning said.
“The carriage operation is an integral part of the retail location and not a separate stand alone experience.”
Councillor Peter Poole said he did not believe both Roam and Banff Trail Riders should be in the pedestrian zone together.
“In my mind, transit being a public offering ought to have priority over carriage. I would temper us from trying to include both transit and carriage,” he said.
“If we were to experiment for a year incrementally by allowing transit, I think we would get a clearer experiment than if we combined having to use the dual-use of transit and carriage.”
Cycling will be allowed in the pedestrian zone in summer 2021, but cyclists must yield to pedestrians and maintain a dead-slow speed.
This past summer, cyclists were required to get off their bikes when entering the area.
Enns said reaction to this was mixed, with some people embracing the pedestrian-only format while other lamenting having to walk their bikes the 450-metre length of the pedestrian zone.
“During slower periods, such as in the morning, pedestrians and cyclists could have co-existed without conflicts,” he said. “However, during other periods this depended on pedestrian volumes.”
With an additional lane of pedestrian space planned for next year by reconfiguring outdoor commercial activity, Enns said he believes there will be more opportunity for bikes.
“Allowing slow-moving cyclists will increase the likelihood for Bow Valley Parkway and Legacy Trail cyclists to enter the downtown,” he said.
