The Town of Banff has declared an overnight parking ban in the downtown core to help crews do a better job of snow clearing this winter.
At a meeting on Monday (Nov. 9), council voted 4-2 to establish a parking ban from Nov. 15 to May 1 from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. It’s a trial for one year only, with a focus on education rather than issuing violation tickets.
Town of Banff officials say the aim is not to reduce parking, but rather to do a better job of snow clearing, which will lead to wider winter roads, improved on-street parking during business hours and less rutting and ice buildup.
“It will make the downtown safer in the winter months,” said Marc Breau, supervisor of the Town of Banff’s streets department.
“We’ll get in and get out before traffic gets started for the day, before the schools buses are on the roads, before people are coming in to work and skiers are heading to the hills.”
The overnight parking ban will include the downtown core, bounded by Buffalo Street, Banff Avenue, Lynx Street and Wolf Street. The restricted parking areas will be clearly marked with signs.
A three-week count from Sept. 29 to Oct. 19 between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. showed the number of parked vehicles ranged between four and 12 vehicles per day for the area, with the average being five.
Councillors Grant Canning and Ted Christensen opposed the trial and Chip Olver was absent from the meeting.
Canning said he believed the overnight parking ban would encourage people to drink and drive.
He said many people drive downtown in winter to go for dinner and a have a few drinks, and do the right thing by deciding to walk home or grab a taxi.
“The issue I have with this is when you walk out of that bar or restaurant at 10 o’clock at night, we’re now telling them you shouldn’t leave your vehicle there,” he said.
“I would never want us to be in the position where we’re encouraging people to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after having a few drinks.”
But Coun. Stavros Karlos said there is still plenty of parking in the surface lots and streets just outside the area where this restriction is in place.
“I don’t think we’re encouraging or discouraging,” he said. “There is plenty of parking in the downtown core, including all of the lots which will not be affected unless there’s a posted closure for them.”
In response, Canning said people often don’t think ahead.
“They don’t necessarily think ahead of time that I’m going to be too slammed to drive home. They’re not thinking of parking in the parking lots and other areas,” he said.
“This is a really bad idea to be encouraging anyone after they’ve had a few drinks to drive because they can’t leave their vehicle there overnight.”
Karlos said there are many cities that implement overnight parking restrictions – even snow routes where signs are posted along the route and parking restrictions go into effect during a big snowstorm.
“Does this affect residents? Yes, absolutely, but I think 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. is fair enough and there’s not that many cars being parked on those streets at that time,” he said.
“The City of Chicago, when I visited last year, had snow routes all over the place. There were big-ass signs letting people know what was going on. This is a scaled back version of a snow route.”
Coun. Ted Christensen voiced opposition to the restriction, noting the existing snow removal system works well now.
He said it would affect businesses operating in early hours whose customers traditionally park on the street to go to coffee shops or restaurants.
“I’m a no because I think snow removal is an area we can keep spending money on and it’s a system that’s already working well,” he said.
Coun. Brian Standish voted for the trial overnight parking ban. “For me, it’s a safety issue,” he said.
