BOZEMAN — Driving around Bozeman, you’ve probably come across an intersection where you have to creep all the way forward to be able to see oncoming traffic.
Well, the City of Bozeman is working to address that issue.
WATCH: City of Bozeman taking steps to make intersections safer
“If you’re a driver and you’re coming to this intersection in the driver’s seat, you want to be able to have a clear sight line to the people that are oncoming,” said Benjamin Bailey.
Bailey is the City of Bozeman’s Neighborhood Service and Code Compliance Manager. As he explains, street vision triangles are areas at each corner of an intersection that provide visibility to oncoming traffic.
“The whole purpose of it is to ensure safety,” said Bailey.
As part of the guidelines, there can be no walls or fences within the triangles. Property owners must ensure their plants are kept below 30 inches and their tree branches are at least 10 feet above the road.
To learn more about the street vision triangles, MTN’s Esha Walia headed to multiple different intersections with Bailey to see examples of what’s allowed and what’s not – starting with North Grand and Tamarack.
“Previously, there was a lot of vegetative growth in this area that would prohibit people from safely being able to view from the intersection any oncoming traffic,” said Bailey, referencing the intersection.
“The property owner had come out here and done some trimming to ensure the sight lines were in accordance with the code,” he added.
In fact, MTN spoke with the property owner, who happened to be trimming her shrubs at the time, and said she feels the street triangles are important.
“You don’t want to have your bushes in the way and have people cause an accident,” said owner Tracy Thomas.
After stopping by Thomas’s house, MTN’s Esha Walia headed over to the intersection at Peach and North Wilson, where the plants were over 30 inches in height.
As for what happens if you’re not in compliance? Bailey says a code compliance officer would respond to the location of the alleged violation to determine whether it’s valid, then try to contact the property owner if it is.
“Once that dialogue starts with the folks, we work collaboratively with them to gain compliance with what the code says,” said Bailey.
Since July, Bailey says the city has seen an 88% compliance rate for cases related to the triangles and weed abatement.
If you’re interested in learning more about the street vision triangles or have any questions, reach out to the Neighborhood Services and Code Compliance Division at 406-582-2222.
