The Town of Banff has gone to public tender to investigate paid parking options.
A request for proposals (RFP) was issued Monday (Jan. 6) and the deadline is Jan. 23. The document calls 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.
Town of Banff officials say the fact that an RFP has been issued does not mean Banff is moving ahead with paid parking this year, saying it’s a political debate that still needs to happen with the new council.
“We issued the RFP to find out what kind of options could be available and to get that information from industry professionals,” said Diana Waltmann, the Town of Banff’s communications manager.
“The information we get from the RFP will give council some information around which to frame their debate, whether or not they want to proceed and, if so, how they want to proceed. That debate has not happened.”
The Town is considering paid parking as a management tool to increase parking space turnover so that stalls are easier to find for visitors and congestion caused by vehicles circling to find available stalls is reduced.
During peak periods last summer, research shows traffic volumes in and out of the tourist town were over 20,000 vehicles per day, with parking spaces typically 95 to 100 per cent occupied.
Paid parking was 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 to as high as 600 in 20 years.
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 – June 1 to Sept. 30 – and a permanent option on a year-round basis.
Proponents are encouraged to provide revenue reduction estimates that would allow for ways of making paid parking more palatable, such as parking validation schemes or limited free parking for residents.
