Banff mayor wants summer visitors to consider leaving the car at home

Record-setting visitor numbers have the Mayor of Banff asking summer visitors to consider leaving their cars at home.

The May long weekend marks the kickoff to Banff’s busiest season, and if the town’s mayor had her way, summer visitors would leave their cars at home.

Mayor Corrie DiManno said that last year there were almost seven million vehicles recorded at the two entrances into the townsite.

She said it does seem easier to just drive to the townsite, but if visitors don’t arrive by 10 a.m. in the summer, finding a parking spot in town may be an impossible dream.

DiManno said Banff has made great strides in transit investment over the past several years, and it really is the best way to visit the area.

“We’ve been creating new records and then smashing them in subsequent years as it relates to visitor vehicle volumes into the townsite,” she said.

“Roam Public Transit is third behind Calgary and Edmonton in terms of ridership, so it is small but mighty, and in carrying three million passengers in 2025, that’s helping us take cars off our road network.”

There’s also construction happening in Banff’s downtown, so it’s best to use the Banff Avenue exit into town until July 2.