Travel Markets

The United States has a history of supply-side driven approaches to managing people’s transportation needs—roads are constructed, cities and regions grow, those roads fill with vehicles, and more capacity is added. This cycle is driven by government process and lucrative auto manufacturing, fossil fuel, and road building industries. However, its perils are clear—vehicles are among the largest contributors to climate change, road collisions are among the leading causes of death for humans and wildlife, and pavement predominates in the American landscape.

Decades of unchecked road building are fueled by profit and ease—ample road capacity and a vehicle in every driveway is a promise of “freedom.” The tragedy is that as this “simple” story is repeated over and over, we increasingly lose opportunity to build communities that properly balance human-oriented needs with ecosystem-friendly, and sustainable values. To reverse these trends, we need transportation systems that focus not on a generic “supply” target but on the specific demands of key travel markets.

While there are many reasons for travel, three key markets predominate in Teton County’s summer peak season:

Market Commuters Visitors

LOCAL TRAVELERS

Demand Drivers Recent Trends

• Housing affordability crisis forces local workers to live outside Teton County

• Service and lower wage jobs require employees to be on site

• More people hold multiple jobs & work off-peak hours

• National Park and recreation visits at all time high

• Summer visitors pass through and/or visit multiple, distant attractions

• Lacking information, service, and infrastructure for summer visitors who don’t want to drive

• Low density development patterns increase price of frequent transit to everyone

• Limited disincentive to drive even for short trips

• Pandemic increased remote work from Jackson Hole

VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED PER JOB ACCESSED

SUMMER VISITORS RELIANT ON CAR TRAVEL

NUMBER OF LOCAL TRIPS BEING TAKEN BY CAR