OPINION: Busier Billings Streets Need Some Very Important Changes

This week has been extremely awful for Billings residents, as two huge incidents caused two deaths on the same exact street on the same exact day. The deaths caused quite the stir in the community regarding the safety of Billings' streets, especially at night. What can the city do about it? As it turns out, they can do quite a lot to improve them.

Let's Shed Some Light on the Situation

Adequate road lighting is a necessity in any relatively busy city, including Billings. I'm not saying that not having light was the cause of these deaths, far from it. What I am saying is that sometimes headlights are not enough to see the sides of the road at night. That's why cities have street lamps on busy streets. So, why aren't there any all the way down Broadwater?

I also tried to look up the traffic numbers on Broadwater Avenue. To my surprise, I wasn't able to find any information from the city regarding these numbers. However, intersections on Broadwater have been noted for being more dangerous than others; Broadwater and 8th Street being one of the most dangerous in the city. Residents in the area have filed complaints to the city regarding some things they would change--and I agree with them.

We Know It Will Take Some Time

According to KTVQ, these residents have seen enough reckless incidents on their road and they've been demanding change. Some of the most important things they've discussed are re-painting the reflective paint on the road, implementing more street signs, and the aforementioned street lamps on Broadwater. I think they're on to something. But, it's going to take some time for it to happen. In my opinion, any amount of waiting is worth it if it's going to help save lives.

Get our free mobile app

We have to make sure the people in our communities are safe and sound. I think that changes like these are going to be a welcome sight on the roads of the Magic City. If you have any complaints to the city regarding the streets, visit the city website here for a complaint form.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

The Five Worst Places To Live In Montana

It's not our fault - these towns certainly have merit, but with so many other options, you could do better! For many reasons, these are the five worst places to live in Montana.

Source: OPINION: Busier Billings Streets Need Some Very Important Changes

Filed Under: Opinion, hit and run, motorcycle accidents, Billings Reckless Drivers