Kananaskis aims to cope with visitor traffic
Study will examine several options for creating a transit plan for the region
A transit plan for Kananaskis will be explored in the new year, aiming to ease the congestion and environmental effects of a recent spike in visitors to the natural area west of Calgary.
Last month, the Kananaskis Improvement District (KID) council approved a feasibility study, which will look at options including routes from Calgary and within the region, how many buses will be needed and how the project will be funded.
Coun. Darren Enns said one goal of bringing transit to K-country is to ease congestion from record-breaking visitation numbers for at least the past two years.
Visitors parking in the shoulders of roadways has been of particular concern for members of council and Alberta Parks since 2020, when Albertans flocked to the mountains in the millions, putting a strain on resources and causing damage to the environment.
At the Nov. 22 KID council meeting, Alberta Environment and Parks representatives highlighted the high visitation volumes and problems that have accompanied them. In 2020, nearly 5.5 million people visited Kananaskis. That number decreased slightly to just over five million in 2021. From January to September 2022, 3.4 million people visited the region.
Enns said it is important to balance promoting visitation with preserving the environment.
“We need to recognize that Kananaskis remains one of the most loved outdoors places in our province, and a place that Albertans are really embracing and will continue to do so in the future in significant numbers,” he said.
The province said providing opportunities for “high-quality, lowcost recreation experiences” is a priority, and the number of people visiting the park in the past four years has put significant pressure on existing facilities.
“With the increase in visitation to Kananaskis Country, it is important to ensure we are exploring options to provide visitors with services and outdoor recreation opportunities while continuing to support tourism across the region,” an Alberta Parks representative said in an email to Postmedia.
Similar initiatives, such as the Grassi Lakes transit route set to start in 2023 and the MD of Bighorn conducting its own transit feasibility study, illustrate that a project of this type and scope is realistic in K-country, Enns said.
“We're an hour away from one of Canada's fastest growing cities in the county's fastest growing province, and I think every Albertan … they want to get out and embrace nature,” he said.
Administration is set to bring back a financial overview for the study for council to review at upcoming budget talks this month.