Advance polls open for Banff Avenue pedestrian zone vote – Calgary [Video]

A group of Banff residents is bananas for Banff Avenue, encouraging neighbours to vote “yes” to an annual pedestrian-only zone on the town’s main street.

“Our message is that Banff Avenue is a better when it is a pedestrian zone than when it is open to vehicle traffic,” says Jessica Campbell, a Banff resident and member of the group.

“When it is closed there is accessibility for way more individuals and the opportunity to enjoy Banff.”

The two-block, vehicle-free section of Banff Avenue was first launched in 2020 to promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic and a section of the road has been closed to traffic from the May long weekend to Thanksgiving every year since.

In January, Banff town council approved the pedestrian-only zone for 2024 but a resident petition in March had council send the decision to a vote.

“We have a town that is planned and built around one …