Residents of Banff are voting Monday on whether or not to have a pedestrian zone every summer on the town’s Banff Avenue.
Voters will be asked a simple yes-or-no question on the ballot: ‘Do you support Banff Town Council’s decision to have a downtown pedestrian zone on Banff Avenue every summer, from the May Long Weekend to the Thanksgiving Long Weekend?’
To have a say, you must live in Banff at the time of the vote, be a Canadian citizen, and be at least 18 years old.
Three advance votes were held last month.
Results of the vote will be published by the town after voting closes at 8 p.m.
On Jan. 17, during the finalization of Banff’s budget, council directed administration to move forward with the implementation of a downtown pedestrian zone annually, from May Long Weekend to the Thanksgiving Long Weekend.
A petition against that decision was validated in April, and a month later, council decided to bring the decision to the people.
The town says if the majority of voters are in favour of rescinding the decision to have a pedestrian zone, council must, within 30 days of the vote, pass second and third reading of the bylaw to rescind the original decision, and action must be taken to reopen the the road to vehicles in a reasonable time.
If the the majority of those casting a ballot are opposed to rescinding the decision to have a pedestrian zone, the bylaw doesn’t go forward and the current direction stands.
Banff has had a pedestrian zone in place since 2020, first, as a pandemic safety measure, then as an economic recovery attraction and visitor experience.
Town officials say up to 40,000 people per day walk the two-block area where the pedestrian zone is located.