5 Annoying Things About Getting Around in Missoula

I know your dog is “friendly” and “usually so well-behaved,” but when he lunges at me as I run by you two in Greenough Park, I’m pretty sure he’s about to bite my face off. Not cool.

Photo courtesy of or & roy/Flickr

Whether you’re downtown on a Saturday night, or going to class on the University of Montana campus during the day, you’ve probably been frustrated with Missoula’s lack of parking spaces at one point or another. And if you think you can sneak one by the parking patrol, think again: I’ve gotten tickets in both of the aforementioned locations.

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Should you stop? Roll through? Honk your horn? Blink your lights? Some drivers require specific instructions. Otherwise, they are liable to speed through with zero regard for any other drivers on the road.

Photo courtesy of Vince Alongi/Flickr

It’s pretty obvious that the city of Missoula was built without a solid plan — or any plan, for that matter — in mind. It’s full of awkward intersections, no-turn signs and tricky one-ways. I’ve been renting movies at Hastings for a good four years, and I still don’t know how to get out of the parking lot.

Photo courtesy of allaboutgeorge/Flickr

Whether you’re on two feet or two wheels, chances are, you’d lose in a fight against a three-ton automobile — which is why I don’t understand walkers who step off the curb and into traffic without a second glance. And bikers, this may come as a shock, but you are not exempt from the rules of the road. That stop sign actually does mean stop.

Photo courtesy of Richard Masoner/Cyclelicious/Flickr