A popular selfie spot for visitors to Banff National Park has become a victim of its own success.

The six-foot-tall, $350,000 “Banff” sign was installed in 2017 on Mount Norquay Road, one of two entrances to the idyllic Alberta mountain park town.

But the narrow two-lane road, which runs from Mount Norquay ski resort, seven kilometers away, is jam-packed, even between the peak winter and summer tourist seasons.

The municipal authorities decided that it must be moved.

“We’ve been debating this for over three years,” said Darren Enns, Banff’s director of planning and environment. “I finally got to the point where I made the decision to take the next step forward.”

Banff gets about four million visitors a year, and Mount Norquay Road sees 55 to 60 percent of the traffic, Enns said.

In the summer, there are approximately 17,000 vehicles per day on the boulevard, with many pedestrians crossing the road from a parking lot to the sign.

“We’re very fortunate to not have any public safety incidents. But certainly that’s always at the forefront, and our board has directed us to look at a more pedestrian-oriented environment for the sign,” Enns said, adding that the a move might happen. from next summer.

On a recent sunny October day, a steady stream of visitors made their way from across the street to the sign, bringing traffic to a standstill.

A group of about 30 people waited for a chance to take photos, many offering to take photos for others.

Mike Jones and his wife were among those in line.

“It’s something we always do when we go to a tourist place. We always like to have a memory of wherever we visit, whether it’s Banff or elsewhere. It’s kind of what we do and I know a lot of others feel the same way,” said Jones, who is from Fort McMurray.

He was surprised to hear the sign would be moving, but said it was probably the right call.

“I’m sure they’ll pick a good place and a safe place,” he said. “If it’s causing a problem, they need to move it.”

“Sad to see he’s moved”

Alissa Kittelson, along with her husband and two daughters, were visiting from Minneapolis.

“Banff was on my bucket list. It’s beautiful. I saw pictures and wanted to come check it out. I hope it’s the Christmas card,” Kittelson said.

She was happy to get the family photo before the landmark was moved.

“I feel like it’s the perfect spot. We’re right on the edge of town. You can see the beautiful mountains behind it. You can see the beautiful trees. I’d be sad to see it move.”

Enns said there are several places the sign could find a new home, including a downtown park. But the most likely location is a kilometer away at Banff train station, where there are about 450 parking spaces.

“It’s always great to see a project that’s so successful that it has unintended consequences around it,” Enns said.

“I am very grateful for all the interactions we were able to provide our visitors and all the memories we were able to create.”