Bow Corridor Regional Mobility Strategy HOME

Overview	Key Messages	Mobility Partnership	Issues	Strategic Elements	Location

Smart Solutions 2004 - 2010

Smarter Solutions 2010 - 2020

Smartest Solutions 2020 - 2030

Lake Louise

Johnston Canyon

Banff

Canmore

BC Border

HWY 40

Background

As described in detail in the Situation Analysis , the Bow Corridor is characterized by a series of deep valleys west of Seebe all the way to the BC border. The valleys create ribbons of usable terrain that both wildlife and humans use when moving through the Corridor. There are limited opportunities to separate these common pathways through relocation.

Wildlife movements are constrained by barriers created as a result of human infrastructure and human use. People movements are constrained by limitations on transportation infrastructure and a lack of pedestrian alternatives. Both ecology and visitor experiences have been negatively impacted over the past decades, due to the ever increasing human use of the Bow Corridor.

Wildlife movements have been integrated during each step of the study as an essential component of all mobility challenges and potential solutions. The Corridor represents a crossroads of wildlife mobility in the Canadian Rockies. The Bow River Valley is the dominant physical feature in the area, providing a comparatively wide and level-bottomed (glaciated) valley made up of prime montane and subalpine habitat. Its physical configuration gives access along the Bow Corridor's length, and also provides critical connectivity between habitat areas north and south of the valley, a keystone of the Yellowstone to Yukon ecoregion.

Human traffic in the Bow Corridor consists of through traffic, day trips, and visits that involve a stay of at least one night. These three types of traffic make up roughly equal parts of the total. The TransCanada Highway serves as the primary route for all such categories of traffic entering the Bow Corridor.

Passenger vehicles account for the major share of traffic and the highest traffic peaks occur during the summer months. Alberta residents, particularly Calgarians, are the predominant visitors to the Bow Corridor.

Rail service through the Corridor is currently limited to freight transport on Canadian Pacific Railway's main line. It is unlikely that passenger rail will be a viable solution to transportation challenges in the Bow Corridor in the short and medium term. Light rail transit cannot share track with heavy (freight) rail for both safety and technical reasons, and passenger service through the Corridor would require fairly intensive capital investments plus the displacement or re-routing of some portion of the freight trains. Compared to other options, transporting people on the CPR mainline is not considered to be cost-effective at the present time nor does it meet the unique needs of the Bow Corridor's transportation challenges.

Overview

Introduction

Study Area

Background

Objective

Themes

Pressure Points

Principles

Recommendations

TransCanada Highway

HWY 68

Click on any point above

Points represent potential solutions

Additional Information:

Map

Issues Scan

Situation Analysis

Best Practices

	Smart Solutions 2004 - 2010 Smarter Solutions 2010 - 2020 Smartest Solutions 2020 - 2030 Lake Louise Johnston Canyon Banff Canmore BC Border HWY 40 Background As described in detail in the Situation Analysis , the Bow Corridor is characterized by a series of deep valleys west of Seebe all the way to the BC border. The valleys create ribbons of usable terrain that both wildlife and humans use when moving through the Corridor. There are limited opportunities to separate these common pathways through relocation. Wildlife movements are constrained by barriers created as a result of human infrastructure and human use. People movements are constrained by limitations on transportation infrastructure and a lack of pedestrian alternatives. Both ecology and visitor experiences have been negatively impacted over the past decades, due to the ever increasing human use of the Bow Corridor. Wildlife movements have been integrated during each step of the study as an essential component of all mobility challenges and potential solutions. The Corridor represents a crossroads of wildlife mobility in the Canadian Rockies. The Bow River Valley is the dominant physical feature in the area, providing a comparatively wide and level-bottomed (glaciated) valley made up of prime montane and subalpine habitat. Its physical configuration gives access along the Bow Corridor's length, and also provides critical connectivity between habitat areas north and south of the valley, a keystone of the Yellowstone to Yukon ecoregion. Human traffic in the Bow Corridor consists of through traffic, day trips, and visits that involve a stay of at least one night. These three types of traffic make up roughly equal parts of the total. The TransCanada Highway serves as the primary route for all such categories of traffic entering the Bow Corridor. Passenger vehicles account for the major share of traffic and the highest traffic peaks occur during the summer months. Alberta residents, particularly Calgarians, are the predominant visitors to the Bow Corridor. Rail service through the Corridor is currently limited to freight transport on Canadian Pacific Railway's main line. It is unlikely that passenger rail will be a viable solution to transportation challenges in the Bow Corridor in the short and medium term. Light rail transit cannot share track with heavy (freight) rail for both safety and technical reasons, and passenger service through the Corridor would require fairly intensive capital investments plus the displacement or re-routing of some portion of the freight trains. Compared to other options, transporting people on the CPR mainline is not considered to be cost-effective at the present time nor does it meet the unique needs of the Bow Corridor's transportation challenges.
Overview Introduction Study Area Background Objective Themes Pressure Points Principles Recommendations			TransCanada Highway HWY 68

			Click on any point above Points represent potential solutions Additional Information: Map Issues Scan Situation Analysis Best Practices