WTI Researchers Improving Roadway Safety in Big Sky

Proposed traffic calming installation at Ousel Falls & Aspen in Big Sky, MT. Source: Google

Work is moving forward on a collaborative project between WTI and Big Sky Community Organization (BSCO) on an Ousel Falls Road traffic calming and place-making project. Organizers believe that the temporary infrastructure, funded through the Building Active Communities Initiative (BACI) and the Big Sky resort tax, will increase safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists in the heavily trafficked city center.

Beginning in December 2021, WTI Researchers Rebecca Gleason and Matt Madsen used traffic data collection and community input to design the installation. The proposed curb extensions, crosswalk, and street art will slow motor traffic but will not limit parking. Currently in the permitting phase, Gleason and Madsen hope that installation will occur in mid-May, weather depending.

As a test piece, the Ousel Falls traffic calming project will receive continuous monitoring. WTI will collect data on vehicle, pedestrian, and cyclist behavior in relation to the installation, which will inform suggested next steps. All information, along with a case study of traffic calming in other small towns, will be reported back to the community. As a temporary project, Madsen stressed, the installation is always open to improvements.

IN THE NEWS: WTI Researcher Plans Traffic Calming Project in Big Sky, TPF-5 Sparking Public Interest

outdoor portrait of Matt MadsenMatt Madsen Interviewed in Explore Big Sky

WTI Researcher Matt Madsen, along with the Big Sky Community Organization (BSCO), is spearheading a traffic calming project in the heart of Big Sky, Montana. Madsen describes the upcoming project in the Explore Big Sky article “Traffic calming project set for Ousel Falls Road,” as well as participation opportunities for interested community members. “Community engagement with these projects is very important, especially because traffic calming will be in high-traffic areas,” said Madsen.  “We want people to be aware of what is going on, and the reasons behind it.”

Read the full Explore Big Sky article here.

 

Wildlife Connectivity and Animal-Vehicle Collision Reduction Project Sparking Public Interest

Online news organization Explore Big Sky highlighted WTI’s $1.2 million dollar wildlife connectivity and animal-vehicle collision mitigation project, TPF-5, in multiple March publications. The articles include comments from WTI Executive Director David Kack, Researcher Matthew Bell, and Road Ecology Program Manager Rob Ament on the scope and impact of the research and reports.

Read Wildlife crossings don’t have to be so pricy here.

Read Montana State University releases reports on wildlife crossing structures here.

Learn more about TPF-5 here.

BREAKING NEWS: Animals Gather Amid World-Wide Roadway Protests

Collective Calls for Humans to “Share the Road”

By Mike Price Field Correspondent

In a shocking turn of events, animals worldwide have taken to roadways, creating massive blockades and bringing traffic to a standstill.  It appears that the tragic death toll caused by animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) has pushed many species to their limit of tolerance.  The range of species involved and the international coordination of the blockades shows just how seriously they are taking the problem.

“Enough is enough,” says apparent spokes-animal Auro X (a nom de guerre). “This is not an animal problem – it’s a human problem. How many animals are run down by animal-drawn carts or pets behind the wheel, I ask you? We didn’t ask for this. Mostly we just wander around, minding our own business, and ‘bam,’ it’s lights out. Humans are just going to have to accept that they’re not the only ones using the roads.”

Declaring April 1 to be Animal Transportation Safety Day (ANTS), Stretch, a reticulated giraffe, admitted that while not many giraffes are run down by vehicles “united we stand. Hey,” she added, “an animal is an animal, no matter where or how you live.” However, not all seem to agree on next steps. Among Bovidae, sheep were promoting non-violence, while “Buff,” a bison, argued for a more direct approach. “Let’s take it to ‘em.”

 

Meanwhile, humans, seemingly caught unaware, are not just shocked but puzzled as to how this all came about. Dr. Hugh Lofting, professor of Animal Linguistics at Mount St Mary’s College, expressed not just amazement, but concern for the scale of events. “In all my years, never have I seen an animal, of any species, give an (intelligible) interview. But more disconcerting is that species world-wide seem to have been speaking to each other, and yet none has chosen to speak to me.”

Other responses have been more alarmed. An anonymous spokesperson for the World Highway Association for Transportation (WHAT), said that transportation agencies everywhere, while sympathetic to the animals impacted by AVCs, cannot allow the blockades to continue.  “If we let animals have their way… if we have to share the road, where will it end?” In response, Auro X said that if humans were truly concerned, these tactics would not be necessary. “I’m tired of all the head-butting over this. In the future, don’t be surprised by further disruptions.” Perhaps most poignantly, “Freckles,” a sweet little fawn, said, “Please, just give me a chance to be a buck…or a doe…whatever.  Don’t be an April fool.  Have a heart and slow down.”