In regards to the article “Canmore BIA outlines potential recommendations on paid parking” in the May 11 edition of the Outlook, thank you to the BIA for progressing the conversation around how to better implement the Integrated Transportation Plan in Canmore.
The idea of inexpensive employee parking passes, changing the paid parking hours, and introducing off-season free parking Monday-Thursday is all reasonable.
The situation requires an expanded view where public safety, congestion, revenue generation and the promotion of other forms of transportation are balanced.
A good example of this is free parking on 7th Avenue. As suggested in the Downtown Canmore Parking Study and Implementation Strategy, the creation of parking zones close to the downtown could have unintended consequences and it has. While the downtown lots sit empty for most of the year, cars line 7th Avenue.
This creates safety issues for pedestrians and cyclists; congestion issues on a road that – in places – is too narrow to safely handle parked cars, two-way traffic, and cyclists; encourages the use of cars to travel to the downtown district; creates a situation where lost annual gross revenue can be estimated at $50,000 - $100,000 and encourages overnight in-car sleeping.
In addition to implementing the suggestions of the BIA, let’s address some of the other issues paid parking has created. For example, on 7th Avenue, improved sight lines at the Spur Line crossing, creating paid parking zones in the appropriate areas along 7th Avenue and Fairholme Drive, implementing a no-parking zone where 7th Avenue narrows after Mallard Alley and post no overnight parking except by resident permit. Longer term, consider the creation of bicycle lanes.
These suggestions are made with an understanding of the complexity that implementing paid parking in Canmore has created and with a bias toward public safety.
Cameron Hall,
Canmore
