JASPER – Municipal council has voted to consult an engineering firm about how to deal with the traffic congestion at Jasper’s last two gas stations.
CAO Bill Given told council on Tuesday (June 17) that there was no concern over fuel availability, but he suggested consulting an engineering firm that specialized in traffic management.
“This could be a small project, likely under $10,000, to get some outside advice on different approaches that could be taken to manage the traffic flow on public property,” Given said.
“Administration would also make the observation this is likely an issue through the peak summer season,” he added. “We wouldn’t imagine making any long-term physical improvements, so we wouldn’t see that there’d be a large capital expense.”
Jasper currently only has two gas stations to service both residents and tourists after the other two were destroyed in the wildfire last summer.
The Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Jasper recently sent a letter to council warning there was already notable congestion at these stations despite Jasper not yet reaching peak visitation.
In particular, it described how some community members have noted “growing delays and driver frustration” at the Balsam Avenue intersection where the Petro-Canada was located.
“Collectively, we would like to encourage the Municipality to consider exploring traffic management strategies or intersection improvements as a proactive step, recognizing that the situation is likely to become more challenging as we move into the busy summer season,” the letter stated.
Coun. Kathleen Waxer agreed that she had seen “real congestion” at the Balsam Avenue intersection, and she didn’t think it was guaranteed that the replacement gas stations would be operational in 2026.
“From my perspective, it does seem to make sense to invest in investigating reasonable options for controlling the traffic in that area,” Waxer said.
Given noted it is unclear if the consulting fee would be covered by the provincial Disaster Recovery Program.
“It is as a result of the wildfire, certainly, but the congestion on public streets is sort of a regular feature of Jasper, so I’m not sure that we might be able to make that case, but I wouldn’t say that it’s a slam dunk,” he said.
Mayor Richard Ireland asked if administration could work with Parks Canada to educate the public, such as having residents come at less busy times or visitors leaving their trailers behind before going to refuel.
Given said there were three broad approaches to traffic management: education, enforcement and engineering. However, administration would require direction from council before being able to act.
Coun. Helen Kelleher-Empey asked if administration had heard back from Parks Canada about whether commercial vehicles could use the fuel pump at the Parks Canada compound.
Michal Fark, director of recovery, replied that this had been explored, but the pumping facility was not capable of handling any additional volume, and there were no measures in place to manage that type of traffic.
Kelleher-Empey also asked if bylaw officers could spend more time managing traffic at the Balsam Avenue intersection, but Given said the bylaw team was small and didn’t have the authority to enforce moving violations just yet.
Administration is expected to return to council with recommendations once an engineering firm has been consulted.
'Safety is our top priority'
Petro-Canada had two locations in Jasper, but following the wildfire, only one is currently up and running this summer. The Esso was also destroyed, and the Shell remains operational.
Subtain Ashraf, owner and director of the Petro-Canada locations in Jasper and Hinton, said in an interview that traffic was heaviest at their remaining station on the weekends, particularly when the weather was nice.
“We are trying to make sure everybody’s been through and safely, so safety is our top priority,” Ashraf said.
Staff will spend more time outside to ensure quick transactions and that no one is grabbing groceries while parked or taking up two pump spots, which was more of a problem with visitors than locals.
“We are trying to educate them more while we are going to work out there a little bit to make sure we have the people parking [in the 15-minute stalls], make sure if they want to use the washroom, just please park the car there, leave the spot for the next person,” Ashraf said.
He added they were in the process of rebuilding the station that was destroyed and were just waiting on soil testing.
The goal was to have this new station open by next year. In the meantime, Ashraf was not worried about running out of gas at the remaining station, noting they received daily deliveries early in the morning.
Because the station is open 24 hours a day, locals are encouraged to refuel early in the morning or late in the evening.
