Banff Legion Says Gondola Shuttle Stop Is Costing It $2,000 to $3,000 a Month

The Banff Legion branch says it is losing $2,000 to $3,000 per month, among other adverse effects, after the loading zone outside its Banff Avenue location was reallocated as a trial shuttle stop in May.

The Legion has asked council to consider compensation and relocating the stop, but council isn't deciding either question yet. The trial itself is set to end Oct. 12, when Pursuit's free gondola shuttle stops running for the season.

In a Sept. 1 letter to council, Legion President T. Newt McMillan and Past President Bryan Gerrie said the change was made without consulting the branch's executive. They said Town Manager Kelly Gibson later attended a meeting at the branch to explain the rationale.

They also wrote that a Town of Banff traffic contact had told them the change would be monitored for its impact, but that no one had followed up with the branch to assess it.

The letter lays out a specific set of costs to the Legion's operations.

"Business on our front patio area has virtually dropped to zero, with the [buses] offloading, diesel exhaust, and bus patrons sitting in the area waiting for the bus," McMillan and Gerrie wrote, estimating monthly revenue losses of $2,000 to $3,000. They said staff who ask waiting bus patrons to move have been subjected to abuse.

Since May 15, the shuttle stop has been used by Pursuit, the company that owns and operates the Banff Gondola and other attractions. The Town describes the stop as part of a broader effort to reduce traffic congestion in town and on Mountain Avenue leading to the Sulphur Mountain parking lot, which serves the gondola and Upper Hot Springs.

The zone was reassigned by Town of Banff traffic administration as a trial of a single bus stop location, according to Jason Darrah, the Town's communications director.

It isn't connected to Parks Canada's three-year paid parking pilot at the Sulphur Mountain lot, which is a separate program outside town limits, though the free shuttle does give visitors an alternative to paying to park there.

Darrah said the free gondola shuttle has used several different locations on public roads for loading and unloading over the past few years, similar to the free shuttles operated by ski hills in the winter and the Rimrock shuttle. It also complements Roam Transit's Route 1 for people with pre-purchased gondola tickets.

"The free Gondola shuttle service has been a major success, and one of the main contributors to reducing traffic congestion on Mountain Avenue," Darrah said by email.

The Legion's letter also describes a specific incident in which a car was illegally parked in the bus zone and a bus driver came into the branch to confront staff in front of a board member's six-year-old grandson.

Other complaints include bus patrons using a bike rack the branch installed for its own members and guests before continuing up to the gondola, and bus loading interfering with the public's ability to observe the branch's Veterans Monument.

The Legion also says non-members have been using its washroom, increasing cleaning costs and prompting the branch to put up a sign advising that the washroom isn't public. The branch acknowledges the sign isn't technically permitted under Banff's bylaws.

The letter also states that the rear of a stopped bus blocks traffic coming off the bridge.

McMillan and Gerrie asked council to consider moving the stop elsewhere on Banff Avenue, potentially integrating it with Roam Transit stops and schedules. They noted that many Legion patrons have mobility issues, making it difficult for them to reach the branch from an alternate location.

Pursuit confirmed it is one of the companies using the stop.

"The Town of Banff designated these loading stalls for shuttle pick-up and drop-off as part of the municipality's broader efforts to reduce personal vehicle use," Stuart Back, COO of Pursuit Canada Operations, said in a June response to questions from Bow Valley Insider. "Pursuit operates one of the shuttle services using the designated stop."

Back said the company is aware of the Legion's concerns and takes them seriously.

"The Legion is an important part of the Banff community, and we respect the needs of its members," he said. "We are in touch with the Town and the Legion and will continue to work through any outstanding issues together."

Council discussed the Legion's letter near the end of its Sept. 8 meeting.

Mayor Corrie DiManno asked whether the shuttle zone's impact, including feedback from the shuttle operator and data on bridge traffic, would be included in a summer transportation overview expected from administration this fall. Town Manager Kelly Gibson said it would.

Councillor Kaylee Ram followed up, pointing to a gap in that data.

"The feedback that we're getting is from the user, for those that are transporting and then dropping off, but it's not necessarily from the said party that might have an issue with a drop-off or bus zone being in front of their establishment," she said. "Is that right?"

"Correct," Gibson said. "The traffic report is on traffic itself, not..."

Gibson said the Town would reach out to the Legion directly for additional information and noted its representatives could also provide feedback in person at a future council meeting.

Administration will present its annual report on traffic and parking to council in late October or November, Darrah said. It will include an overview of the bus stop trial, traffic data and information from Pursuit on how the stop was used.

For now, the shuttle zone will remain outside the Legion until Oct. 12, when Pursuit's free shuttle stops running for the season.

Whether the stop returns to the same location next year, whether it moves, and whether the Legion receives compensation remain open questions that council has not yet addressed.

McMillan declined to be interviewed by phone for this story.