Mountain Avenue Express Bus Lane

The expanded roadway for an express bus lane and the enhanced trail was built in the summer and fall of 2024, following consultation and Council deliberation. The new express bus lane and signalling opened on June 26, 2025.

Banff Town Council has a priority to reduce traffic congestion in Banff by reducing the reliance on personal vehicles. By providing faster, priority service for buses, more visitors will take transit and leave their vehicles parked at hotels, campgrounds and downtown or at the Train Station Parking Lot. Banff Town Council supported this project as another initiative to reduce vehicles on our streets and to respond to public support for measures to reduce traffic on Mountain Avenue.

The express bus lane improves travel times for public transit and decrease traffic congestion for those who must drive.

Traffic congestion occurs on Mountain Avenue because the parking lots at the Banff Gondola and Upper Hot Springs become full by mid-morning during summer months. This results in all tourist vehicles being turned back downhill, to return towards downtown. The Town of Banff does not manage the parking at the gondola or pools because these are outside the town boundary.

Express Bus Lane Users: Vehicles with 11+ seats. Tour buses, gondola shuttle bus, and Roam Public Transit have a dedicated bus lane heading northbound (downhill), from the town boundary (which is just south of Middle Springs Drive) to Spray Avenue. Buses have an advance at the Spray Avenue intersection to proceed before personal vehicles.

Multi-Use Trail: A new enhanced, separated multi-use trail provides cyclists and pedestrians with a safer route the full length of the road, between Spray Avenue and the neighbourhoods along Mountain Avenue. Cyclists are welcome to use the new separate multi-use trail to go uphill or downhill on Mountain Avenue. Experienced cyclists are still allowed to ride on the road if they prefer, following all rules of the Alberta Traffic Act for vehicles on roadways.

Results since opening express bus lane:

Local transportation providers (including Roam Transit and Rimrock Shuttles ) report an overall improvement of travel since the bus lane opened.

According to data collected with traffic cameras on Mountain Avenue in 2025, at peak periods when traffic backs up northbound on Mountain Avenue, buses save an average of 5 minutes and 30 seconds of travel, compared to personal vehicles, as measured in the section of Mountain Avenue downhill (south) between Park Avenue and Spray Avenue.

Monitoring the express lane with video cameras shows there are very few personal vehicles illegally using the bus lane. Based on 18 hours of video monitoring at peak time this summer, average compliance is 96%; only 4% of northbound vehicles tracked during peak congestion (137 of 3,443 vehicles) incorrectly used the bus lane while turning left onto Spray Avenue.

Additional signage and markings being added this month are expected to further reduce non-compliance.

Additional work in summer 2025:

Installation of new crosswalk lights at Valleyview intersection
Large ‘BUS, BIKE, ONLY’ lane markings at beginning of the bus lane at Middle Springs Dr.
Assessment of temporary signage and lane markings at the top of Mountain Avenue where the bus lane starts, with plans for modifications
Yellow centreline on the multi-use trail, with bike and pedestrian icons at each intersection
Bike and pedestrian icons painted on Rainbow Avenue and path markings
Dashing of white line separating lanes at the Valleyview entrance, Kootenay Avenue and Spray Avenue to support right turns from centre lane
Turning arrows lane markings where applicable
Lane markings to guide drivers through the intersection from Mountain Avenue turning left onto Spray Avenue
Complete crosswalk painting at four locations on Mountain Avenue
Installation of wayfinding signs that were removed during construction
Retaining wall adjacent properties at 117 and 119 Mountain Avenue
Landscaping sod on areas from Middle Springs Dr. to Spray Avenue after retaining walls are completed
centre line rumble strips

Funding: This project is funded in part by the Government of Canada.

$750,000 commitment from the federal Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP), through agreement with the Bow Valley Regional Transit Services Commission
Remaining project cost is 100% funded from the Visitor Pay Parking reserve
Total construction estimate: $1.875 million

Public Engagement and Details

The Town hosted consultation about this project in 2023 to learn about concerns and help shape the project. This involved recommendations for routes, locations for new crosswalks and feedback about turn lanes and bus advances at the intersection.

Visit the Banff Viewpoints public engagement project page to learn about the consultation, to read the "What We Heard Report" that was provided to Town Council, and the "What We're Doing Report" on how feedback was used for the project.

Media Releases

Federal funding to help Banff build express bus lane

February 20, 2024

The government of Canada announced more than $13 million in funding for the community of Banff, including support for five new electric buses, the new express transit lane being added to reduce traffic heading down Mountain Avenue, and a new pedestrian/bike trail along the route from Spray Avenue to Middle Springs.

“This investment will add a critical transit lane, as well as bicycle and pedestrian path, in our community,” said Mayor Corrie DiManno. “It will help our leading-edge transit system to move more people faster and more effectively. We know reliable and frequent transit takes personal vehicles off of our finite road network, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and maintains our crystal clean air quality, all while improving the overall experience for the four million visitors to Banff each year and the 9,000 residents who work hard to welcome Canadians to their premier national park.”

The funding also supports the Town’s project to upgrade lighting and ventilation systems in the Catharine Robb Whyte Building, to improve efficiency, reduce energy use and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“The federal support for our energy efficiency upgrades in key facilities strengthens our goal to be a model environmental community and it creates financial sustainability in our vital cultural spaces,” said DiManno.

Read the official News Release from the Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/office-infrastructure/news/2024/02/transit-and-building-improvements-coming-soon-to-banff-and-surrounding-area.html