What’s the Rule? Can You Park on the Sidewalk in Missoula?

What's the rule about parking on the sidewalk in Missoula?

I asked myself this question several times as I walked around cars and hoofed it onto the street. I noticed it wasn’t because the vehicle was in the process of unloading a bunch of groceries or someone needed help getting into or out of the car. Someone decided to just park the thing there, halfway over the curb onto the sidewalk.

The sidewalk itself is designed for people to be able to walk safely down the road. That means parking over the sidewalk so that people can't get by safely and easily is a definite no.

I sent a request to the Missoula Parking Commission asking if there are rules about parking on the sidewalk in Missoula, and they were gracious enough and quick to respond with, Ordinance 3601, Section 10.22.070 Parking prohibited in specified places,

A. No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in compliance with law or the direction of a police officer or traffic control device, in any of the following places: 1. On a sidewalk; 2. In front of a public or private driveway; 3. Within an intersection.

Wow! It tops an intersection!

So, What Do You Think?

I asked a person I know what they thought about the practice and they said they didn’t see anything wrong with trying to get their car off the road “a little bit more”. If you are trying to get a wheelchair down that sidewalk you might not think that way.

In case you need to know what the definition is, believe it or not, I found this ORDINANCE NUMBER 3424, "Sidewalk Section". In regards to approaches; it means the portion of an approach lying between the apron and the driveway, within right-of-way or public access easement visually and functionally serving as the public sidewalk.

Now I'm going down the rabbit hole! If you really want the specs on that slab of "Don't You Park There!" and NEED to get into the REQUIREMENTS FOR PAVING AND PARKING LOT CONSTRUCTION, knock yourself out!

That was way more information than I intended to find out and share, But NO! You cannot park on a sidewalk.