Thank you! to everyone who contacted the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) about planned construction projects on the TransAmerica Trail and Northern Tier bicycle routes that include rumble strip installation on narrow shoulders.
Poor rumble strip placement is dangerous for cyclists, forcing them to ride in the travel lane with high-speed traffic. Such is the case on a 20-mile section of the Northern Tier and another 7-mile section of the TransAmerica Trail in Montana.
MDT recently contacted us to let us know that “it is highly unlikely that either of these projects will see actual construction activity sooner than 2017” and we've been invited to meet with the engineering department and Bike Walk Montana to discuss these projects and how future decisions will be made. Read our update on MDT's response and where the projects currently stand.
You can help us by standing ready to contact MDT in the future. After we meet with MDT, Adventure Cycling hopes to have a resolution or at least a path forward that ensures cyclists are safely accommodated on Montana's roads. We support Vision Zero for ALL road users.
We are asking MDT for the following:
Here is a sample message you can post:
Adventure Cycling's Northern Tier and TransAmerica Trail routes face rumble strip installation on already narrow 1–2 foot shoulders in Montana. They are asking the Dept. of Transportation to ensure cyclists’ safety and meet Vision Zero objectives for ALL road users. http://www.adventurecycling.org/actnow/
Here are a few sample messages you can tweet:
Rumble strips on narrow shoulders are bad for #bikes. Keep cyclists safe on #acaTransAm and #acaNoTier! http://www.adventurecycling.org/actnow/
Update on Rumble Strips on #acaTransAm & #acaNoTier in #Montana. Vision Zero for ALL road users. http://www.adventurecycling.org/actnow/