If you frequent the east side of downtown Bozeman, you've no doubt encountered drivers blundering their way through this odd intersection at East Babcock and South Wallace.

It's a disaster. I mean, it wouldn't be if everybody just drove through it correctly. But we don't drive through this intersection correctly. Hardly ever. Add narrow streets to the ignorance and I'm AMAZED there aren't more fender benders at this intersection.

South Wallace and East Babcock come together at a T-shaped intersection, just west of the Bozeman Public Library. (There are buildings in between so you don't actually see the library from the disaster zone in question.)

When the two, one-way lanes of East Babcock come to their narrow end, both lanes can make a left hand turn onto South Wallace...but the right lane can also make a right-hand turn to head south.

South Wallace obviously heads north and south. HOWEVER, drivers who arrive at this intersection (from either direction) on South Wallace need to stop. The folks driving on East Babcock do not.

Folks making that left turn from Babcock to Wallace can almost fix the whole issue: 1) Both lanes of Babcock can turn left. But each lane turning left needs to stay in their own damn lane. Once you're heading north toward Main Street on Wallace, one lane can only continue north or it can turn left onto Main Street. The "right" lane on Wallace can only turn right and head further east on Main Street.

Confusing? Sure...on paper. That's why I scribbled all over the Google Map of the intersection. Now it's clear as day, right?

Bozeman's worst intersection?
Bozeman's worst intersection?
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