Editor:
When you have a traffic problem, the last thing you want to do is close down streets.
On various media, I hear excuses for the Banff Avenue pedestrian zone like ‘I want to drive my bike down the street with my daughter without traffic.’ We have miles of trails a person can use.
‘It's a good gathering place for the community.’ We have all kinds of parks, etc. for that.
I am downtown five or six days a week at various times of the day and night. I usually only see two to four people walking down the street and I see two bicycles. There are more people just crossing the street, which they can do without the whole street being closed. Last week, a cyclist almost ran down one of these people. The woman had to grab for the cyclist's handlebars to save herself.
I also see many people standing on the island to take pictures of themselves with Cascade Mountain in the background, which they do when the street is open.
Meanwhile, it creates all kinds of traffic problems in a town where there is already a traffic problem. It is a problem for tourists and residents trying to get around. It diverts traffic onto what are supposed to be quiet residential streets. Heaven help anyone in an emergency, trying to get to the hospital or having to vacate the town.
Let's not fool ourselves. Basically, the Banff Avenue pedestrian zone is not this great place that people use. In fact, it is greatly underused. In fact, the only ones who seem to be benefiting from the closure are the restaurants.
Gord Duncan,
Banff
