As our community grows and people are more active on the trails and bikeways, many feel it is time for Billings to promote positive dialogue about safety and etiquette on the roads and trails.

 

In September 2014, Public Works Director Dave Mumford noted this need, and Billings TrailNet agreed that progress in promoting safe non-motorized transportation depends not only on infrastructure, but also on attitudes and perceptions. That discussion prompted a partnership between Public Works and Billings TrailNet to produce an “etiquette campaign” designed to create a better understanding between people traveling on two wheels and people traveling on four.

 

The campaign was named, “Take the Hi Road,” and was designed to encourage all road and trail users to act courteously, lawfully, and most importantly, to ride or drive predictably.

 

The messages were developed after a four month period of surveying the public about their behaviors and attitudes as they use the road– whether by bicycle or by motor vehicle. In all, 367 Billings residents were surveyed and interviewed about their views. Through these interviews, some surprising statistics emerged. For instance, more than 90% of drivers in Billings know that bicyclists are not allowed to ride on sidewalks downtown. Similarly, 90% of respondents said it is important for people riding bikes to make their intentions clear by using hand signals to indicate stops and turns. More than 80% of the respondents said they believe that someone riding a bicycle deserves the same amount of consideration as someone walking, and 90% said they slow down and wait for a person riding a bike to pass when they want to turn across a bike lane. Additionally, almost 80% of drivers said that they make a note to be extra careful until they pass a person riding a bike.

 

Issues that some respondents did not know about were that people riding bicycles are required to ride with the flow of traffic, and that shared lane markings, called “sharrows” are pavement markings on some narrow streets where people riding bikes may need to use the full lane for a few blocks. Other issues respondents expressed as important were that people riding bicycles must be careful to be visible at night and diligent about obeying traffic laws. It was important to those riding bicycles for people driving cars to be courteous by not passing them too closely and to understand how vulnerable they feel when they are out on the road among cars and trucks.

 

Dave Mumford, Public Works Director for the City of Billings, supports the campaign: “As more people are using our roads and trails, we’re glad to be a part of this effort in promoting a safe way for all people to enjoy them.”

 

The campaign kicked off in February 2015 with presentations at service clubs and senior centers given by Billings TrailNet’s Active Transportation Educator, Elyse Monat. “People have been very receptive and a lot of times they are excited to learn about this because they want to be careful of those riding bikes but they just need more information,” says Elyse.

 

The Take the Hi Road campaign will air on local television stations and the Charter cable network. Billings TrailNet will continue hosting presentations at businesses and other organizations. Soon, people driving and bicycling on the roads will see the yellow “Take the Hi Road” sign on select routes throughout Billings.

 

For more information and etiquette tips, check Take the Hi Road tab on our website or contact Elyse to schedule a presentation by emailing her at elyse@billingstrailnet.org or calling 406-281-1244.