Highway spending increased by 90% in 2021. This is one of many reasons why car traffic is growing faster than population growth.
Hey fellow Montanan! Check out Big Sky Rail Authorityโs arguments for implementing a southern passanger rail service, or think of the benefits of increased bus service connecting the larger Montana cities. We have main travel corridors across the state that could be greatly improved by a public transportation network, linking rural communities and connecting them to larger city centers. Combine that with local bus service, walkable communities, and biking infrastructure in places where it can be supported like Missoula, Bozeman, Billings, etc can improve traffic and livability of the towns. Also, think of the improvement to traffic conditions for people coming into town from surrounding rural communities if you can divert a good portion of traffic to public options. In a rural state like ours, thereโs always going to be some need for personal vehicles, but thereโs still lots of places where having more public transportation options could improve our communities and lessen our climate impacts. Sure, itโs going to look different than in other parts of the country, but still a lot of room for improvement around here.