Editor:
I have been visiting Banff for about 50 years, usually about a dozen times a year, and obviously have witnessed firsthand the massive increase in visitation.
My first observation in this regard is that if one is willing to venture about 200 paces from the streets or parking areas into the wilderness, the crowds almost entirely disappear.
The second is that the pedestrian zones in both Banff and Canmore are in my estimation the best ideas those towns have ever come up with by a long shot.
The resident quoted in the Dec. 21 edition of the Outlook complained that traffic on four nearby streets in Banff can increase due to the zone on Banff Avenue, which in turn can make it "unpleasant to sit out on one's balcony or porch".
I suspect this dilemma might actually affect about a dozen people at most at any given time, versus the huge added benefit to visitors and residents enjoying the wide, traffic-free and European-style pedestrian street created by the closure. With respect, the "complaint" is a non-issue and demonstrates a severe lack of perspective and farsightedness.
Viva la ped zone!
John Blair,
Calgary
