01127156

Component

Banff National Park is faced with some unique operational problems at its East Gate: this main entrance station to the Park is on the mainline westbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway, and; vehicles already possessing entry permits or traveling non-stop through the Parks are not required to stop at the entrance station. The Trans-Canada Highway provides the major road link from the Canadian prairies to the Pacific coast, and is a 70 mph freeway facility approaching the Park. Westbound traffic volumes at the East Gate entrance station have exceeded 23,000 vehicles per day on the busiest summer day. Vehicles that already hold an entry permit and vehicles that do not intend to stop in Banff National Park are not required to stop at the entrance station. These vehicles may use a bypass lane around the entrance station. An honor system is used, and Park staff perform routine audits to ensure entry permit compliance within the Park. The East Gate is the main entrance station for the mountain parks in Canada where, like many National Parks in Canada and the United States, an entrance fee is charged. This entrance station processes up to 5,300 vehicles per day on summer long weekends. During these peak times, long queues back up onto the high speed facility, which presents a safety issue and results in long wait times. This paper describes the study that evaluated the operational problems at the Banff East Gate and developed recommendations for reducing the congestion.

01120148

09-0154

English

17p

2009

Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting

DVD

Figures (4) ; References (2) ; Tables (5)

National parks; Operations; Traffic congestion; User charges

Entrances; Mainline speeds

Banff National Park; Canada

Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; I73: Traffic Control

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2009 Paper #09-0154

TRIS, TRB

Jan 30 2009 4:24PM