User-pay parking is back on the discussion table in Banff.
A recommendation to take the controversial paid parking debate to a vote during the 2017 municipal election was before council Wednesday (Nov. 19), but the results of the discussion were not known at the Outlook’s press time.
“The discussion on paid parking is not off the table. What’s important to me is that if we consider user paid parking in the future, I support going to a vote of the electorate,” said Mayor Karen Sorensen in an interview Tuesday (Nov. 18).
“I think transportation, including parking and traffic flow in town, continue to be an area of focus for this current council, and we will continue to look at the best solutions moving forward.”
The Town of Banff conducted a user pay parking trial between Aug. 1 and Sept. 29 in five lots in the downtown core, all located on Bear Street and Beaver Street in the downtown core.
According to a study done by Vinci Park, the user pay parking lots were well used at peak times and when adjacent free stalls were not available; user pay parking in these lots had the effect of providing downtown parking capacity at peak times.
On Wednesday’s agenda were other projects coming before council for consideration of inclusion in operating and capital budgets. They included:
• Construction of a downtown parkade, estimated to cost about $18.4 million;
• Enhanced and more pro-active parking enforcement;
• Permanent adoption of scramble crosswalks along Banff Avenue;
• Enhanced time limit parking enforcement technology;
• Adding a fourth level to the Bear street parkade to add 65 more stalls at a cost of $5.4 million;
• Bow Avenue parking improvements, including options to widen the roadway to accommodate a two-way street with parallel parking on both sides, or angle parking one side; reverting to original layout; or keeping one-way street and angle parking, but changing direction of travel. Estimated price is $1.2 million, depending on the option.
• An extension of parking along Bow Avenue between the canoe docks and Gopher Street. Angle parking could create approximately 58 stalls, whereas parallel could create approximately 31 parking stalls. Cost is pegged at up to $1.6 milion.
• A $70,000 feasibility study to look at the concept of a gondola to connect downtown with The Banff Centre, Banff Springs Hotel, Banff Upper Hot Springs and sightseeing gondola at Sulphur Mountain;
• The extension of the Wolf Street parking lot by removing trees and paving the area to the west of the existing parking lot. This parking lot development would result in approximately 68 net new parking stall. Estimated cost is $1.6 million.
