The Town of Banff is building a small stretch of cycling greenway and lowering the speed limit on Banff Avenue from 40 to 30km/h in an attempt to make it safer for cyclists as it works on longer-term solutions to manage traffic troubles in Banff.
The Town of Banff is building a small stretch of cycling greenway and lowering the speed limit on Banff Avenue from 40 to 30km/h in an attempt to make it safer for cyclists as it works on longer-term solutions to manage traffic troubles in Banff.
Banff council has decided to build a permanent 230-metre long, two-way dedicated greenway from the Legacy Trail to the crosswalk at Marmot Crescent by using one of the two northbound lanes to accommodate cyclists.
Officials say there will be no dedicated cycling lane between Marmot Crescent and the downtown core, meaning cyclists will have to ride on the road. The lowered speed limit will go into effect soon and shared street bike markings will also be painted on the roadway.
Chad Townsend, the Town of Banff's environmental coordinator, said research shows the probability of a fatality involving a cyclist decreases significantly with speeds at or below 30km/h.
“We recognize the longer term options have significant costs, so we're looking at things we can do right now to make Banff Avenue a better cycling experience and hopefully increase the number of people who are cycling,” he said.
“We're trying to look at cycling as a transportation option, not a recreation option.”
Banff ran a greenway trial down Banff Avenue last year, which resulted in polarized public feedback, and council last year asked administration to come up with a better option for a greenway.
The new greenway comes with a $125,000 price tag, however, the money is available through an existing Legacy Trail project.
A longer term option being discussed is a $6 million permanent greenway from the Legacy Trail to downtown Banff, which would run one-way with traffic on both sides of Banff Avenue.
All four lanes of traffic and existing parking would be retained, but the width of the centre median would be reduced in order to accommodate 1.1m greenways on both sides of the road.
The issue will be discussed during 2017 capital budget deliberations later this year.
Councillor Stavros Karlos said this option is ideal, saying some major changes need to happen in the next five years to meet the community's vision, including dealing with traffic problems.
He said the Town of Banff is far better off spending $6 million on a greenway as a way to encourage more cycling, rather than spending many more millions on building a downtown parkade.
“We cannot continue to add vehicles onto our roads. It's not going to work,” he said. “It's not a good experience downtown. It's bumper-to-bumper traffic. It's crap.”
Karlos said putting cyclists on busy Banff Avenue is a safety issue.
“We're sending visitors right out onto Banff Avenue. It's not a safe experience. It's fricking terrifying,” he said.
“It's not fun and it's not safe for anyone. When my kids are 12, I'm not going to be stoked with them riding on the roads because it's not safe.”
Karlos said a $6 million greenway, similar to what many other communities and cities offer, is best practice, noting 60 to 80 per cent of Banff's public space is made up of roads dedicated to vehicles.
“Cyclists and pedestrians are not second class. They deserve to be put on the main arteries. The public space is not owned by cars,” he said.
Coun. Chip Olver also voiced support for the $6 million greenway, noting she would be prepared to consider at budget time setting aside money in 2017 for preliminary design work on the project.
“When I saw $6 million, I stopped for a moment and thought, ‘wow, we can't afford that,' but I've really come to the conclusion that we can't afford not to do something like that,” Olver said. “Accommodating bicycles in a safe manner, I think, is one of the most important things we can do for the future of out community.”
Councillors Ted Christensen and Brian Standish voted against the short-term measure for a two-way dedicated green way between Legacy Trail and Marmot Crescent , while Standish also opposed the long-term $6 million option.
“I embrace it philosophically; however, when the rubber hits the road, I'm not prepared to budget $6 million to change the scope of Banff Avenue in such a dramatic way,” Standish said.
Christensen echoed those concerns, saying he's not against the idea of a greenway, but wants other routes away from Banff Avenue investigated, including along the Norquay Road. “Find us another route,” he said.
Many cities around the world are embracing greenways. In fact, Coun. Corrie DiManno took a recent trip to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where there is an extensive network of bike lanes, trams, buses, metros and trains.
She said she wants to see the $6 million greenway discussed further at budget and put on a list with other projects that have no year identified for moving forward.
“When I was in Amsterdam in May, I just thought to myself, ‘I wish Banff could do this. Why can't Banff do this?'” she said. “I feel like this greenway is a good step towards making us Banff-sterdam.”
