Traffic congestion is becoming a growing issue at the town’s two remaining gas stations, according to a letter sent to Jasper Municipal Council.
Mayor Richard Ireland told the rest of council on Tuesday (June 10) that both the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Jasper had sent a letter asking the municipality to look at ways to alleviate some congestion.
“The expectation is that congestion will get worse as the busy summer season continues and hopefully continues to flourish,” Ireland said.
Only two gas stations remain in Jasper after two others were destroyed in last summer’s wildfire.
Jasper’s Director of Recovery Michael Fark told council in March that these stations would likely not be replaced this summer since there were specific regulations around gas stations, and the fuel tanks will have to be excavated and replaced at the damaged sites.
He added that leaseholders at the time had not brought forward any permit applications that could meet the timeline for reopening this summer.
The Jasper Local sent a media request to Esso’s Western Canadian division. A response came from 7-Eleven Canada Inc.
“7-Eleven Canada looks forward to serving the town of Jasper again. A new 7-Eleven store, including an ESSO branded fuel station, is underway. We are currently working with the municipality to process the necessary permits before construction,” a spokesperson stated.
Besides traffic management, another issue councillors discussed was the amount of fuel that will be available within town over the summer.
Director Fark said the challenge is that a vendor would need to come forward with a proposal.
“That is very unlikely to occur due to both the cost and permitting process that would be required to allow for temporary fuelling stations,” he said.
Fark added that this also didn’t fall within the mandate or capacity of Parks Canada or the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre.
Councillor Helen Kelleher-Empey asked if local businesses could collaborate with Parks Canada so they could utilize the fuelling station at the Parks Canada compound.
Fark replied this idea was currently being explored, but it was Parks Canada’s cardlock that the RCMP and municipal vehicles were allowed to use.
This would only be used to divert large commercial traffic such as large trucks and buses, while the gas stations in town would be for residents and smaller vehicles. Parks Canada would also require a cost-recovery mechanism.
“I cannot say that I am optimistic that we will be able to find a mechanism for that, but it is something that is being explored,” Fark said.
Coun. Ralph Melnyk said residents had a responsibility to time their fuelling to parts of the day when the gas stations may be less busy.
Council will return to this matter at next week’s meeting. This will give staff an opportunity to come back with options.
Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative, Jasper Fitzhugh
-with files from Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
The Local Journalism Initiative is a federal program which supports the creation of civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of under-served communities across Canada. The Jasper Local uses the LJI to access Jasper-based reporting to better serve its readers and is grateful to The Fitzhugh’s Mr. Shokeir for his coverage.
