City Gridlock: When One Way Out Isn’t Enough

In wildland fire training, they always teach you that you have to make sure you have a way out. In our country, you should always have two ways out.

I mention this after the accident Friday in the Heights. That wreck at the intersection of Airport and Main brought the traffic to a standstill. There are simply no other alternatives for one of the highest traveled roads in Montana in or out.

Anywhere else in town, you have the ability to navigate around or find an alternate route, not in the heights. I saw comments that had people backed up to Lockwood. Since there was another accident on 27th at the same time, there wasn't near enough law enforcement to help with traffic.

Traffic could be re-routed behind the Cenex station, leaving and going south, but nothing for the people entering and heading North. A Metra cut across could have helped, but there was no one to get that going either.

Sometimes we are just stuck. We've all been there, and that's life. Look at it this way, at least you didn't have to sit on the interstate for 12 hours like those poor folks last week on their way to Bozeman or beyond. That makes this Friday night thing seem like a walk in the park.

Remember, always have at least two ways in and two ways out; it could save you from some future aggravation, and it may also save your life someday when you're camping or in the hills...

See ya tomorrow at 5.