In advance of a possible outburst against it, we’ll congratulate Banff town council on going ahead with the trial of a woonerf system for Bear Street.
Much like we supported council in initiating a trial on paid parking, which was subsequently cut short in the face of vocal residents’ opposition, we feel that in a town like Banff, which without question faces challenges with parking and traffic, the trial of a woonerf should be seen as a positive move.
We feel what can sometimes be lost among backlash against trials is that they are just that – trials. We realize vocal BRAPP (Banff residents against paid parking) opponents couldn’t get their minds wrapped around the fact that the trial was anything more than an early implementation of paid parking, but the reality is that Banff residents should welcome the fact their council is willing to give trials a try.
In the end, it would be better to put in place a trial rather than, as so often happens, a municipality simply writing a cheque for a big ticket item without said trial. Lost in the background of railing against paid parking, for example, seems to be that Banff council is trying to spare its taxpayers the cost of a roughly $20 million parkade. It’s hard to image Banff taxpayers would prefer to bear the brunt of millions of dollars to build a parkade rather than have visitors pay their fare of parking, but …
In the end, what would be better, have a trial, weigh the results, then either go ahead or axe a given project, or never give anything an experimental run?
For example, was it better to drop $25 million on a substandard candy cane across the Bow River in Calgary to offer easy access to the downtown core for pretty much one neighbourhood in a city of more than a million?
Looking further north, would you rather be an Edmonton taxpayer on the hook so a billionaire can build a new downtown arena for his millionaire players? The new arena will supposedly anchor a new, vibrant downtown core for Edmonton, but the only Edmontonians who will benefit are those who can afford season tickets, and large corporate entities that can shell out for a luxury box. Either way, all taxpaying Edmontonians will be on the hook to pay for it to some extent (and, of course, the Flames are now putting together plans for a similar project).
Yes, the woonerf could boost business for Bear Street – that remains to be seen – although it will cause the loss of 22 parking spots. Then again, at the same time, Roam service is slated to be increased, which may alleviate some parking/congestion problems. Again, increased Roam service is something of a trial itself, with results to be weighed later.
But the largest measure of success for a woonerf trial, of course, will be whether it can be instrumental in creating a vibrant pedestrian-friendly atmosphere on Bear Street which locals and visitors alike can embrace. There’s a lot to be said for trying something new and a woonerf is just that. Adding a farmers market and future entertainment options is likely to increase the success and popularity of such a move.
Many tourist locales have taken a crack at temporary or full street closures in an effort to create a more intimate atmosphere and in a pedestrian-friendly town like Banff, we believe a woonerf could be wonderful.
