Missoula council approves 15 mph school speed zone on Phillips Street for extended hours

The Missoula City Council on Aug. 25 approved a resolution establishing a school speed zone on Phillips Street between Burton Street and Scott Street with a posted limit of 15 miles per hour from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The measure, which passed 10-0 after extended public comment and council debate, follows a traffic engineering study prepared by the city’s Public Works and Mobility Department and several interim safety steps already installed in the corridor, including refreshed pavement markings, delineators, temporary curb “bulb-outs,” and rapid rectangular flashing beacons at a prioritized crossing. Public Works Director Jeremy Keane told the council staff had also secured grant funding for street art at the Hawthorne intersection and coordinated tree trimming and police enforcement to improve safety.

Councilors and staff said the action responds to a series of crashes and near misses around Lowell Elementary and Westside Park and is meant to be part of an ongoing three-part approach of engineering, education and enforcement. Keane said the city had completed a multi-faceted response over recent months and would continue to evaluate results. "Traffic safety really relies on the three E's, which is engineering, education, and enforcement," Keane said.

Ryan Gelt, the city traffic engineer, summarized the technical basis for the proposal and the city’s recommendations. He said data collection included daytime traffic counts and crash history from 2020–2024 and that the engineering study recommended speed-zone signage for the corridor; staff additionally recommended the lowered 15 mph limit — lower than the department’s initial 20 mph recommendation — after council members and community speakers pressed for a more protective limit. Gelt emphasized that some treatments already in place, such as the Scott–Phillips roundabout and temporary beacon trailers, are intended to change driver behavior and that the city will continue monitoring speeds, volumes and crossing behavior.

Community members and parents urged faster action. "Teachers, students and families see the risk every day, and the fear it causes our children is real and preventable," Lowell parent Nicole Guay told the council, urging a permanent 15 mph limit and permanent flashing beacons at Shakespeare. Guay recounted that her daughter had been struck in the area earlier in the year and said more protective measures were needed immediately.

The council debated alternatives, including keeping the staff-recommended 20 mph limit or adopting a 24/7 lower limit. City Attorney Ryan Sudbury advised council that state law requires a traffic and engineering study to support lowered urban speed limits and that adopting a 15 mph limit without a study conclusion showing it is warranted could expose enforcement to legal challenge; Sudbury nonetheless said the council could direct staff to perform further analysis if it chose. After amendments and votes, council approved the 15 mph zone for 6 a.m.–11 p.m. daily and directed staff to monitor implementation.

City staff told the council they will continue to collect speed and volume data, make morning observations during school drop-off, coordinate with Missoula Police Department on enforcement priorities, and review whether permanent hardware (for example, fixed beacons instead of trailers) should be installed at Shakespeare or Hawthorne based on observed pedestrian crossing patterns.

What happens next: the city will install regulatory signs reflecting the new limit, continue enforcement coordination with police, and monitor speed, volume and crash data to evaluate whether additional engineering or enforcement is needed.

The vote was 10 in favor, none opposed.