Ask anyone who’s been to Europe or even Whistler, B.C. about what it’s like to have an area designed for people and not vehicles. They will tell you how much they love their public spaces not being dominated by the almighty automobile! 

Creating communities in North America that favour pedestrian-friendly environments is still a relatively new concept but you can find evidence of it here in Canada. Several examples that stand out as true pedestrian zones are: Mont Tremblant, Québec, the  Distillery District in  Toronto, Sparks Street in Ottawa, Steven Avenue in Calgary and of course “The Village” in Whistler.

Converting a regular street to a car-free street (pedestrianization) requires a major shift in the way people think and a major change in the way we mobilize ourselves. The concept of creating more sustainable, livable, walkable communities is gaining momentum in Canada.  Communities around the world have been experiencing the benefits of car-free areas for a long time, from small car-free islands like Digby Island off the coast of Prince Rupert, to large urban centres such as Venice, Italy that cater only to pedestrian, cyclist and gondola traffic. The world is full of these dedicated spaces; where congestion doesn’t exist and idling and unnecessary green house gas emissions are not an issue. 

This concept often includes planning for areas that are car-free or that limit vehicular traffic in some manner. Presently there is a shift taking place which indicates historical concepts applied in urban planning in Europe are much more effective than the typical way Canadian cities are planned. You only have to drive a few hours east to notice the effects of urban sprawl. To offset this phenomenon, broad planning frameworks such as Smart Growth adhere to principles that discourage car-dependent development. Instead, Smart Growth ideologies incorporate mixed use development into existing urban areas, creating communities that are not centered around automobiles, but instead may incorporate public transit and multi-use trails for mobility. These principles are currently being incorporated in cites like Calgary, Kelowna, and Vancouver.

You may have heard that the Environment Week Committee is proposing to hold the annual Enviro-Fair on Patricia Street this year. Over the past few years I have read many letters to the editor that have made suggestions to turn Patricia Street into a car-free, pedestrian only zone. For one day in June, the committee hopes that Jasperites will get to test out the concept of pedestrianization, and see what it is like. 

We live in a small community where driving is really not necessary but we do it anyway because of sheer convenience. Closing even a small section of Patricia Street has perceived implications for some businesses, but what if our downtown area was just like in Whistler, Venice, or Zermatt, Switzerland? 

Those places are places that thrive on tourism and have the reputation of being quaint and wonderful places to visit – just like ours. As the days get longer no doubt you have noticed that Jasper is getting busier, with more cars circling the main drags looking for places to park. Before we know it we will be in the full swing of summer, where traffic in Jasper is congested, smoggy and frustrating. Now we have an opportunity to try a traffic-free street for a day. Perhaps once people see the benefits of going car-free the movement will gain momentum and we can see if there is an appetite in Jasper to become pedestrianization promoters on a grander scale. 

Nicole Ward is the Environmental Stewardship Coordinator for the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada. Join the environmental conversation by submitting questions or comments to envirocafe@fitzhugh.ca