March Lunch & Learn Recap: Sustainable Commuting with Missoula in Motion

Thank you to our friends at Missoula in Motion for stopping by for our March Lunch & Learn! The team presented on why choosing sustainable transportation is great and offered four different options to commute sustainably.

Missoula is growing and the current infrastructure can’t sustain this long-term if everyone is driving. Transportation itself is the second largest producer of CO2 emissions, which is why it’s all the more important to consider other options of commuting.

So what are some other options?

BIKING

Missoula has many great biking lanes and trails. There’s a Greenway Network that shows protected bike lanes and neighborhoods that have low traffic.

BUS

There are two different bus systems in Missoula. They all run 7 days a week. There’s the UDASH bus, which services the University of Montana, and the Mountain Line, which has 14 lines that operate around the city.

WALK

Walking is a great way to explore a place in a new way, and, if you live close enough, an excellent way to commute to work. While not all of Missoula is considered pedestrian-friendly, people can refer to the Greenway Network to find routes that are available.

CARPOOL/VANPOOL

If driving is the only way to commute, the folks at Missoula in Motion recommend carpooling or vanpooling, which is a van that fits 5-15 people and can drive them to and from work.

The Missoula in Motion team also talked about Downtown SAM (Safety, Access, and Mobility). The aim is to make the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly, with better accessibility for bikers and walkers. They’re also very excited about the SAM ramp, which will allow people to easily get from the Beartracks Bridge down to Caras Park. As a reminder, Missoula in Motion offers free bike lights and bike maps. It’s required to have a rear red reflector light and recommended to have a front white light.

We hope that this Lunch & Learn provided useful information on sustainable commuting and what Missoula in Motion does. How do you commute sustainably? Comment below! Thank you MCAT for filming and Double K Deli for providing the delicious lunch!