Banff pedestrian zone initiative coming to an end after Labour Day long weekend

It’ll be one last hurrah for a pedestrian zone along the main downtown drag of Banff, Alta., this long weekend.

The Rocky Mountain tourist town is telling businesses to take down outdoor patios or retail displays on the Banff Avenue roadway after Labour Day.

It says that would allow the road to reopen to vehicles once traffic signals are reset.

The town made part of its main thoroughfare car-free in 2020 to reduce the risk for visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, and every year since the zone has been going from the May long weekend until Thanksgiving.

But earlier this month, residents voted in a plebiscite to end the project, with some saying it had funnelled vehicle traffic into residential communities and caused traffic problems.

Town council made the change official with a bylaw vote on Monday.

The town says some businesses may be able to keep seating on the sidewalk after the pedestrian zone is gone.