The Town of Banff is reviewing options for paid parking in the resort town after getting suggestions from experts in the field from across Canada.
A request for proposals (RFP) calling for possible options for both trial and permanent paid parking options was issued on Jan. 6. Seven proposals were received by closing deadline on Monday (Feb. 3).
Diana Waltmann, the Town of Banff’s communications manager, said all compliant proposals would be evaluated against the criteria, which is listed in the RFP.
“This evaluation will take several weeks. There may be some back and forth discussions with submitters for clarification,” she said.
Paid parking – which was soundly defeated by residents in a plebiscite in 2000 – is not uncommon in resort towns throughout North America, including the B.C. holiday spots of Whistler and Tofino, and Aspen and Vail in Colorado.
Banff is a town of about 8,800 residents for most of the year, but the population jumps to up to 25,000 on any given day during busy summer months, forcing RVs, buses and cars to circle around town in search of parking spaces.
Paid parking is a key recommendation in the transportation master plan, which shows Banff’s existing parking shortfall is expected to grow from the present shortfall of 125 stalls to 360 over the next decade and as high as 600 in 20 years.
The RFP document called for options for both trial and permanent paid parking options in Banff, as well as the type of technology to be used, parking rates, revenues and capital and operating costs.
According to the RFP, the proposal should include a paid parking solution that would be implemented for a one-year trial period during the peak season only from June 1 to Sept. 30, as well as a permanent option on a year-round basis.
Proponents were encouraged to provide revenue reduction estimates that would allow for ways of making paid parking more palatable for residents, such as parking validation schemes or limited free parking.
A final decision on whether or not to implement paid parking will be made at the political level, but Town of Banff will compile options for council’s consideration based on submissions through the RFP process.
Waltmann said it is expected a report on paid parking will go before council at the March 24 meeting.
“Council will receive the report on paid parking at the March 24 meeting, and presumably have a discussion on next steps – whether to proceed or not, and if so, how,” she said.
Waltmann said the Town also intends to present the paid parking options to the public at the Connect 2014 open house at the Fenlands on March 13, along with other transportation master plan initiatives, some environmental initiatives, the recreation master plan and much more.
