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The original item was published from 10/16/2018 11:52:38 AM to 1/1/2019 12:15:01 AM.

News Releases

Council Updates

Posted on: October 16, 2018

[ARCHIVED] Council briefs for October 9 and 11, 2018

30 km/h town-wide speed limit concept
Council directed administration to prepare draft amendments to the Traffic Bylaw that would lower the town-wide vehicle speed limit on all roadways to 30 kilometers per hour. The Town will compile public feedback on the proposal through a survey before council decides whether or not to proceed with the reduced speed limit. The lower speed limit is being discussed as a way to increase pedestrian safety and increase the sense of comfort for cyclists.

Green Fleet Policy
Council approved changes to the Town’s Green Fleet Policy, to increase fuel reduction targets and add goals for minimizing environmental impact. The changes come after the Town successfully exceeded most of its targets for the 2012 to 2017 period. Vehicles listed as Class 1 (passenger and light duty trucks) had a 20% Fuel Reduction Target and the Town achieved a 23.3% reduction in litres/km. Heavy duty transport vehicles listed as Class 2 had a 15% Fuel Reduction Target and the Town achieved a 65.1% reduction in litres/km. The goal of the Green Fleet Policy is to reduce non-renewable fuel consumption of the town’s fleet per kilometer or per hour. New targets fuel reduction target of 2.5% per class in 2019. New Green House Gas Emissions Reduction Targets include: 30% across the Town of Banff Fleet by 2023, 50% across the Town of Banff Fleet by 2030, and 80% across the Town of Banff Fleet by 2050.

Storefront Cannabis Retail Application Process
The Town of Banff has been a leader in setting rules and regulations for cannabis use and retail ahead of the Oct. 17 date when limited cannabis consumption, possession and sale becomes legal. This week, Banff Town Council added another piece of the puzzle to regulate cannabis storefront retail. Banff had previously amended the Land Use Bylaw to allow cannabis retail as a discretionary use in the downtown district. Banff also set specific requirements governing where they could be located. This week, council approved the multi-step process for fair and transparent review of development permits, which are required for a retail outlet. The process involves a four-week intake period for receiving applications, then a review and, if there are conflicts between applications, the Town will hold a draw to determine the order of processing. Then the completed applications go to the Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) for review, following the same process for all development permits in as a discretionary use. Full information is available at http://Banff.ca/CannabisRetail. Application forms will be added after Parks Canada approves changes to the Land Use Bylaw.

Proposed Increase in Maximum Width for Lane Driveways
Council moved forward a Land Use Bylaw amendment that proposes to increase the maximum width of a driveway off a lane from 40% of the lot width to 60%, and to remove the requirement that 50% of required parking in the RNC: North Central District must be in a garage or underground. An increase in driveway width off a lane has been proposed in order to facilitate more efficient parking stall design and layout which in turn will enable future housing opportunities. Removing the requirement for 50% of parking to be enclosed in the RNC District has been proposed in order to address the barrier that this regulation presents to providing additional residential dwellings on a site. This amendment is also proposed so that the RNC district parking requirements are consistent with other Land Use Districts that allow Fourplex Housing. Council gave first reading of Bylaw 404 and scheduled a public hearing on Tuesday, November 13, at 2 p.m. To register in advance to speak at the hearing, call 403.762.1209. Notices of verbal presentations received prior to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 5, 2018, will be included in the agenda. Written submissions can be sent to municipal.clerk@banff.ca. Written submissions received by 4:30 p.m. on Monday, November 5, 2018, will be included in the agenda package for the meeting. Written submissions received after this date but before the close of the public hearing will be provided to council at the public hearing.

Summer 2018 Traffic Update
Banff experienced less traffic congestion in the peak summer period this year, Council heard. A report detailing traffic data showed improvements due to a combination of traffic management strategies and the impact on tourism from poor weather on long weekends and forest fire smoke during popular summer months. Some of the data reported include:
  • Total number of vehicles entering Banff was down 2.5% for July and August
  • Banff Ave Bridge vehicle traffic down 3.5% for July and August (which suggests people park in town and use other means to cross to south side destinations)
  • Private vehicle travelers over Bow River down 1.8% in July, vs Roam south side ridership up 43.4% (23,809 riders) 
  • Private vehicle travelers over Bow River down 5.3% in August, vs Roam south side ridership up by 26.3% (14,926 riders) 
  • Reduction in days where traffic was delayed greater than 15 minutes to 4 days
  • Number of times “green overrides” were implemented was down 44% (manual signal control to allow backed up traffic to flow through on an extended green light)
  • Bike rack use increased 42%
  • Local Roam Transit ridership up 44% for July and August
  • Roam Transit ridership up 25.6% on Route 1, 67% on Route 2, and 113% on Route 4 
  • Over 422,000 regional Roam, On-It and Gondola shuttle riders in July and August, up 27% 
The report suggests transit incentives and communication strategies are working to achieve mode shift to sustainable transportation. Expanded communications strategies include the Traffic Dashboard, smart parking infrastructure, social media campaigns, and other strategies to inform the public about parking/traffic conditions. Expanded data collection of vehicle travel time, traffic volumes, and parking availability are all collected to improve responsiveness in implementing measures to real-time alleviate congestion.

Residential Parking Permits
Residential Parking Permits will be explored as a way to help preserve residential parking on streets adjacent to downtown. Given vehicle volume and ongoing transportation challenges on Banff’s finite road space, council is looking to take further steps to proactively manage parking on residential streets. Council asked for a report by the end of March 2019 on a comprehensive parking management plan, including options for managing parking downtown and on residential streets. The report would include possible approaches, technology to be employed, costs, implications for residents of streets with parking pass, implications for visitors and implications for overall parking availability downtown and in the train station intercept lot.


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