Banff’s new trails master plan calls for another pedestrian bridge across the Bow River, a pedestrian overpass across the railway line between Marmot Crescent and the industrial compound, trail upgrades and development, and a series of on-road cycling greenways.
At a meeting Monday (Nov. 10), council voted to have the draft plan posted on its website at www.Banff.ca and to present the document at a public open house at the Fenlands recreation centre on Wednesday, Nov. 26 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Officials say the townsite currently has 22-km of trails that are a combination of dirt, gravel, paved and road shoulders, and while there is little space for expansion, there is room for improvement.
“We saw a very busy summer and many people were walking and biking and we’re hoping with some trail improvements we can do ever better,” said Chad Townsend, the Town of Banff’s environmental coordinator and point man on the trails master plan.
“The vision is that by 2020, we have a well-connected trail system with locals and visitors leaving their cars behind in both summer and winter.”
With Town of Banff staff, the plan was developed by Vancouver-based Lees and Associates, recreation planning consultants that have also worked on trails planning in Stanley Park, and other mountain resort communities such as Squamish and Fernie, B.C.
The trails master plan contains more than 50 short-, medium- and long-term recommendations. The last plan was developed in 1992, and this plan would be a guiding document for 2015-20.
The big ticket items include a $2 million pedestrian overpass over the Canadian Pacific Railway line between Marmot Crescent and the industrial compound and $3.5 million pedestrian bridge across the Bow River between Central Park and the rec grounds.
There is also a recommendation to build washrooms at the Bow Falls parking lot, which is one of the busiest tourist spots in town. That would come with an estimated price tag of $500,000.
The draft plan also suggests building a new paved trail connection from Railway Avenue to the Fenlands recreation centre on the east side of Mount Norquay Road, at a cost of about $150,000, and create a paved cycling loop at the rec grounds for children, pegged at $30,000.
Creating cycling greenways are also key recommendations in the plan. Greenways are streets with low vehicle speeds, where bicycles and pedestrians are given priority. They could be two-way cycling lanes, one way cycling lanes, separated by planters or poles,
The draft plan recommends creating cycling greenways on Muskrat Street and Elk Street.
The Elk Street greenway would provide east-west access to the elementary and secondary schools, while Muskrat Street would be a key north-south connection from the Legacy Trail to the pedestrian bridge.
A two-way cycling greenway on the south-east side of Banff Avenue between the Legacy Trail East and the proposed Muskrat Street greenway is another key recommendation in the plan.
While greenways would not impact traffic flow, and would provide the best safety and comfort for cycling, the draft trails master plan indicated they would lead to a reduction in on-street parking.
“I feel the cycling greenways could be controversial, for sure, in some areas, but I don’t think it necessarily has to be,” said Councillor Stavros Karlos. “I look forward to thinking hard on how we can communicate that.”
The plan also calls for widening of the Bow River trail from the pedestrian bridge to Wolf Street to be three to four metres wide. Counters show the trail had an average of more than 1,100 users on Saturdays in August last summer.
“There’s bicycles there, and now we have rickshaws, and it does get quite busy along there,” said Townsend.
The draft plan recommends adding bike and walk stations, with covered bike parking.
Suggested areas include the bottom of the Ken Madsen Trail, a centrally located Roam transit stop, the Bow Falls before the stairs, at the Tunnel Mountain trailhead, in front of Nesters and at the intersection of the proposed Muskrat Street and Elk Street greenways.
The plan also suggests improving connections and year-round accessibility to Bow Falls and Banff Springs Hotel, including upgrading the Rundle Avenue trail from Spray Avenue to Bow Falls Trail and upgrading the trail along Bow Falls Road from Rundle Avenue to Bow Falls.
