We received an e-mail from someone wishing to remain anonymous who is contemplating moving back to the US from abroad, but is unsure purchasing property in Billings is the best decision.
They told us:
“I’ve been watching City Council meetings to get a sense of the direction of the city. A recent meeting gave me pause when Councilmembers denied the need for bike/ped infrastructure on Monad Rd.”
Read the full letter below:
In the July 20th City Council meeting, several council members (but notably Mr. Kennedy) said that bike/ped infrastructure along the soon to be resurfaced section of Monad was an ‘unnecessary expense”. Ward 3’s Councilwoman Aguirre was the sole proponent of bike/ped infrastructure on this dangerous street.
Comparing the first two graphics (below), we see that Amend Park — the site of several multi-million-dollar investments geared toward children and youth — has only one awkward bus connection (line #10 in graphic #2), the bike/walk infrastructure (graphic #1) is limited to the red line ‘most direct bike route’ – meaning streets with pick-ups, SUVs, and even semis and trains.
In light of the following points, the already planned improvements (graphic #3) are more necessary than ever before to augment accessibility and effectively capture the value of the public good of Amend Park as well as the connections to River Front Park and the Audubon Center. Additionally, the planned ‘spot improvement’ should be a bike/ped bridge linking Monad to the northwest access road (behind Picture Court Hotel) of the newly upgraded Amend Park and Signal Peak Sport Arena. This would be a sensible, fiscally responsible use of future TIF funding and an excellent target for grant acquisition. It should be completed as soon as possible to best utilize this public space.
Consider the following points regarding this multimodal infrastructure:
Safety
2 pedestrian deaths already in 2026 within a mile of this road
Economics / fiscal responsibility
$15+ million investment in the arena with negligible multimodal transport options
A connection activates existing calm street (east arm of S. Plainview) and city land (small island at the junction of S. Plainview & Monad)
Eases event parking and traffic for hockey, soccer and Balloon Festival (imagine cycling up over the bridge with your neighbors to see the balloons rising!)
Social Capital, Health indicators
A bike/ped bridge would provide an important psychological North-South connection in Billings – connecting the larger population to the new Sport Arena that their tax dollars help fund. This bridge would provide unexpected views offering the pride of a sense of place spanning river, rail & rims.
A South Plainview Bike Boulevard + Monad mixed-use path + a bike/path bridge would provide a safe, direct connection to 8000 households in Terry-Central district: 22% of which are households with children, 34% single households
Opens up work and recreation opportunities for non-drivers and single car families
Youth participation
Creates an active, car-free option for the otherwise isolated Streeter Addition to access Terry-Central activating small, local businesses
N-S access to Washington Innovation Center for non-driving teens.
Following established plans
Proposed path/lane improvements on bike vision plan graphic #3
Induces active transport and multimodal demand, provides health and social benefits for the entire city. If you create a safe protected path, you create walkers/bikers. Visualize the Amend Health District with local community garden produce and lot of activity.
Establishes the Amend planned Urban Node area as a multimodal planned community before construction and a car-centric design constrains transport options.
Augments future 2045 land use plan, linking proposed Amend Urban Node to Central Urban Node (graphic #4). This denser, multi-use development in turn feeds back into the tax base fostering the Parks and Recreation funding.
