BANFF – A new petition is lobbying Parks Canada to keep a 17-kilometre section of the Bow Valley Parkway closed to cars for cyclists permanently.
Rundle Mountain Cycling Club (RMCC) has started a petition on change.org calling on the federal agency to expand the spring and fall cycling-only offer from the east end of the parkway by Fireside picnic area to Johnston Canyon following the conclusion of a three-year pilot this coming fall.
“We want to be really clear there should be a full closure in spring, summer and fall, but at the very least an indefinite extension of the spring and fall closure,” said Bruce Eidsvik, RMCC vice-president and board member.
“This is a great asset that should be continued, if not extended.”
The Bow Valley Parkway ride is a 48-km classic, gently rising and falling as it meanders through the Bow Valley to Castle Junction and beyond to Lake Louise.
A 17-km eastern section of the parkway, also known as Highway 1A, was shut down to vehicles during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following public consultation, Parks Canada went with a spring and fall closure to vehicles, allowing for a cyclist-only experience as part of a three-year pilot program from 2022-2024 that concludes this fall.
This year the stretch of the parkway is closed to vehicles from May 1-June 25 and from Aug. 30-Sept. 30.
Car-free Bow Valley Parkway family-friendly
Eidsvik, who has a nine-year-old son, said it is a less stressful experience for families when the road is car-free.
He noted it is also more pleasant for families than the Legacy Trail with trucks, cars and buses buzzing by, as well as high-speed cyclists.
“I love to see all the families, the kids on their push bikes, and moms and dads with their trailers with their kids, people on their e-bikes, out there riding,” he said.
“It’s not a bunch of roadies riding a Peloton in a single file, it’s all walks and villages – and it is an amazing experience.”
Based on some calculations he did, Eidsvik said the Bow Valley cycling experience makes up just two per cent of the paved roads in Banff National Park.
“It’s not like we’re shutting down everything to vehicles,” he said.
As of Wednesday (June 5), the petition had garnered 1,642 signatures.
Cassandra Smyth, acting strategic communications advisor for Banff National Park, said Parks Canada will monitor results of this pilot along with public feedback to guide future planning and decisions.
"More information regarding the future of the pilot program will likely come over the winter of 2024/25," she said in an email.
As part of the plan to advocate for car-free experience, a community ride on the parkway has been planned for June 23.
Even though the 17-km stretch is currently car-free, the mandatory seasonal overnight restriction also applies to cyclists.
From March 1 to June 25, travel is not permitted between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. on the 17-kilometre section of the parkway from Johnston Canyon Campground to the Fireside picnic area to make sure to ensure the area remains a high-quality home for wildlife during the critical spring period.
The eastern portion of the parkway travels through a small but vital part of the national park – rare montane lands that provide critical habitat for large carnivores, including wolves, cougars and bears.
The petition can be found at: www.change.org/p/keep-the-17-km-section-of-the-banff-bow-valley-parkway-closed-to-cars-for-cyclists?source_location=search
