“ Banff doesn’t have a people problem…it has a car problem”
Albertans and visitors to our Province alike appreciate the opportunity to enjoy our spectacular mountain environment. Visitor numbers to both Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country have grown annually at over 3% for the past decade despite growing congestion. Both destinations also experienced a spike in visitation post pandemic reflecting increased desire for travel and natural experiences.
The choice we have is to mitigate the cumulative negative effects of visitors, which are largely caused by emissions and congestion from large numbers of personal vehicles, through a mode shift to rail and zero emission transit or to ration visitation to the detriment of both Albertans and visitors to the province. Imagine if in the future you have to buy a ticket at the beginning of the year to visit Banff National Park on a specific date. Much like popular concerts, rationing would benefit large tourism operators taking bookings far in advance at the expense of ordinary Albertans.