Missoula Connect Active Transportation Plan Update

The Missoula Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is developing a new Active Transportation Plan for the Missoula Area*. The plan will provide a strategic framework for making it safer and more accessible to walk, bike, or use a wheelchair or mobility device to travel Missoula.

The Active Transportation Plan identifies policies, infrastructure improvements, and programs that strengthen connections between Missoula neighborhoods and employers, schools, transit, parks, and other key destinations. It also guides investments that improve public health, increases the safety of our transportation network, and positions Missoula to compete for funding for active transportation projects.

*What is the Missoula Area? The Missoula Area includes the city of Missoula and adjacent urban areas of Missoula County. View this map to see if you are in the MPO Area.

What is Active Transportation?

Active Transportation refers to any human-powered or people-powered way of getting from one place to another without primarily relying on a car. It includes modes such as walking, bicycling, using a wheelchair, and traveling by scooter or other mobility device. The term also increasingly includes low-speed electric-assist devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters.

Yes: Walking, Mobility Aids, Wheelchairs, or Power Chairs, Bicycles, Kick Scooters and Skateboards, Electric Assist Devices, E-Bikes, and E-Scooters. No: High Speed E-Motos and Dirtbikes, Motor Scooters, Mopeds, and Motorcycles, Compact Cars and Robotaxis, Electric and Gas Powered Vehicles.

How to Get Involved

There are several ways to stay connected with this project and make sure your input shapes the plan:

• Follow this page to get notified about new documents, project updates, and opportunities to comment.
• Visit our website to learn more about the Missoula MPO and our current plans.
• Sign up for updates to receive regular updates from the Missoula MPO to learn more about our current projects.

How Will Your Input be Used?

• Identify Gaps and Barriers: Your feedback helps planners identify missing sidewalk connections, unsafe crossings, gaps in bike lanes, and other barriers for people walking, biking, or using mobility devices.
• Prioritize Projects: Funding is limited, and only a select number of priorities can be addressed in the near term. Your feedback provides important insight into where investments are most needed.
• Shape Policies and Programs: Your input helps shape the policies and programs needed to support safer and more accessible ways to get around Missoula.

Why is an Active Transportation Plan Important?

All Missoulians use active transportation in some form, whether they complete an entire trip by walking or biking or simply park a vehicle and walk to their final destination. Every trip includes some amount of walking, biking, or rolling.

About 3 in 10 commuter trips in Missoula are made using a mode other than a single-occupancy vehicle. In addition, about half of all trips in Missoula are three miles or less, often making them an easy bike ride or a practical walk. Providing safe, connected options for these shorter trips gives residents more travel choices while reducing demand for limited road space and parking.

Active transportation options are also evolving. The growing use of e-bikes, e-scooters, and other low-speed electric mobility devices raises important questions about street design, appropriate levels of separation, device parking, and how limited public right-of-way should be allocated.

At the same time, ADA guidelines for sidewalks, curb ramps, and crossings establish a higher standard for creating an accessible public right-of-way. A transportation network designed to serve people using wheelchairs and other mobility aids also creates a safer, more comfortable experience for parents pushing strollers, older adults, children, and anyone traveling in Missoula on foot or by bike.

What’s Next for the Active Transportation Plan

• During the first planning phase, staff will collect data, review existing plans and current conditions, and meet with key stakeholders.
• Stay involved by using the resources on this page.
• Check back for future engagement opportunities and project updates.