Banff embraces Dutch 'woonerf' concept to make Bear Street more people-friendly

Banff is moving ahead with a plan to make one of its most important commercial streets more pedestrian-friendly.

For the past three years, the town has been experimenting with a Dutch concept called woonerf, which roughly translates as a shared or living street, one thatemphasizes walking instead of driving.

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Part of the impetus for the Bear Street makeover is to take some of the pressure off Banff Avenue, the mountain town's often-clogged main street, by enticing visitors to walk one street west anddiscover the shops and restaurants there.

"We've got businesses on Bear Street, but folks aren't getting there for some reason," said Adrien Field, the town's director of engineering.

"You know the connecting pieces are vehicle-centric and we think those connecting pieces will look more attractive with either temporary, or hopefully at some time permanent, connections that draw pedestrians toward Bear Street."

Bear Streetdraws only about 25 per cent of the pedestrian traffic that Banff Avenue gets.

As part of the redesign, 19 parking stalls on Bear Street between Wolf and Caribou will be removed.

Field says the changes will be a big improvement.

"Banff Avenue looks the way it does because we took away 88 parking stalls and replaced it with landscaping and wider sidewalks and made it easier to move around there, made it more of a pedestrian environment than a vehicle environment," he said.

"And Bear Street will be that, times 10, because it will be a not-fully-pedestrianized environment, but it will feel more like Granville Island."

GranvilleIsland is a former industrial area in Vancouver that has become a trendy shopping and entertainment district.

Design work on Banff's permanent woonerf will now get underway with a goal of starting construction next spring.

From 2007 to 2008, the town spent $22 million on a major revamp of Banff Avenue that included replacing underground infrastructure, widening the sidewalks, upgrading the lighting and adding crosswalks.

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