The Town of Banff will be making a decision about a town-wide 30km/hr speed limit on Monday, January 10.
It’s easy to share your thoughts with the Mayor and Town Councillors by submitting an email or speaking virtually at the upcoming council meeting. The deadline to submit an email is Sunday, January 9 at 12 pm (noon).
Here are 6 quick steps to send a email in support of a 30km/h speed limit in the Town of Banff:
Address your email to: municipal.clerk@banff.ca. Subject: Proposed Road, Sidewalk and Trail Use Bylaw 16-9.
- Start your email or letter with “To/Dear Mayor DiManno and Councillors:”
- Open with your position. If you are supportive of 30km/hr as a town speed limit, state that at the beginning, it helps set the stage for your letter.
- Connect on a personal level. Why does a lower speed limit matter to you? We’ve added some ideas at the end of this post to help spark inspiration and ideas. Keep your email short and to the point, it doesn’t have to be long to make an impact.
- Close by reminding the Mayor and Councillors about your position.
- Add your name and press send! It’s that easy.
The Community Cruisers love 30 km/h where we live, work and play:
- It makes it more comfortable and enjoyable for people to go by bike, scooter, skateboard, wheelchair, or on foot.
- It’s safer and more enjoyable when car traffic moves slower. The number of collisions and the severity of injuries in collisions are both reduced.
- Data from other towns & cities shows more people will switch from driving to walking & wheeling, which reduces traffic congestion.
- You’ll still arrive on time! Reducing speed from 50 km/h to 30 km/h is proven to have minimal impact on travel times. We did the math… travelling at 30km/h instead of 50km/h from Middle Springs to IGA will extend your trip by less than 2 minutes!
- It’s good for the environment. Vehicles travelling at 30 km/h emit less pollutants, including greenhouse gases.
- 30 km/h speed limits mean people feel safer using active modes of transportation. People feeling safer using active modes of transportation means fewer cars. Fewer cars on our streets means improved local air quality. We now know that inhaling even the smallest amounts of exhaust emissions is toxic to the body, especially the brain and no one wants to come to the mountains for a lungful of vehicle emissions.
- Cars don’t shop, people do! Encouraging people to get out of their cars and experience our business sectors by bike and on foot, means they will spend more money at our businesses. Think about the time it takes to walk or bike past a commercial frontage and be tempted to stop and visit vs drive past it.
- Research has shown that a 10 km/h reduction in speed can produce a noise reduction of up to 40%.
- Our roads are for everyone – they are the largest public space we have, let’s make them comfortable for everyone to use no matter their mode of transportation.
- Share your own story! Your personal stories help the Mayor and Councillors understand who is writing the letter and in turn, helps them make a decision informed by the people who live, work and play here.
For local details, visit the Town of Banff Bylaw Review website to learn more.
Want to hear more about the global movement for 30km/h streets?
Visit the United Nations Streets for Life website.