Grand Teton National Park

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park
Transportation System
Integrating Bicycling and Walking With Transit,
ITS, and Road Systems
Tim Young - National Parks Conservation
Association TRB Presentation 538 January 13, 2004
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NPCAsHistory and Mission

• The National Parks Conservation Association was
  founded in 1919 by Stephen J. Mather
• Mather was the first director of the National
  Park Service established just three years earlier
• Mather recognized that this new system of public
  lands would need a watchdog organization to
  safeguard it for posterity
• Hence, NPCAs mission

Protecting and enhancing parks for present and
future generations.
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Grand Teton National Park is aCrown Jewel of
the National Park System

• Created by Congress in 1929 to protect the Tetons
• Expanded in 1950 to todays 310,000 Acres
• Northwest Wyoming - part of the Greater
  Yellowstone Ecosystem
• 4 million visitors per year

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Grand Teton - Purpose and Significance1916
Organic Act conserve the scenery and natural
and historic objects and the wildlife therein and
to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such
manner and by such means as will leave them
unimpaired for future generations.

• To protect native plant and animal life and
  scenic values
• To preserve and protect the Teton Range

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Grand Tetons Famous Scenery
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Grand Tetons Famous Wildlife
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Jackson Hole Region
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• Transportation System
• 3 primary highways
• US Highway 26/191/89
• Teton Park Road
• North Park Road to Yellowstone
• Transit
• Local START Bus System
• Pathways
• Jackson Pathway System

• Minor Roads
• Moose Wilson Road
• Gros Ventre Road

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• Communities
• Regional
• Town of Jackson Population 6,000
• Teton County
• Population 18,000
• Peak Summer 55,000 total

• Park Activity Areas
• Moose, Park Headquarters
• Colter Bay
• Jackson Lake Lodge
• Jenny Lake
• Signal Mountain
• Flagg Ranch

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park
Transportation System
Problems in Paradise
Park Access is unbalanced - limited almost
exclusively to motor vehicles

• Creating Congestion
• Damaging Resources
• Reducing Visitor Enjoyment
• Increasingly unsafe for non-auto modes

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park
Transportation System

• Long History of Public Support for Alternative
  Transportation
• Visitor bicycle use common throughout parks
  history
• Demand for better facilities rose in 1970s
• Teton County offered partnership assistance
  1990s
• Scenic Byway Designation and pathway study grant
  1997
• Bicycling walking extremely popular on Teton
  Park Road when closed to cars in April

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park
Transportation System

• Long History of NPS Inaction on Alternative
  Transportation Modes
• 1970s public call for bicycle facilities
  unanswered
• 1978 Grand Teton Bicycle Study never implemented
• 1980s Teton Park Road reconstruction dismissed
  public requests for separated pathway
• 1998 County Scenic Byway Pathway Study rejected
• After fatal 1999 bicycle tragedy, NPS states park
  policy prohibits funding pathways - roads only!
• Pushed to action, in 1999 NPS initiates
  Transportation Plan, but study completion delayed
• Grand Teton Plan/EIS draft rescheduled for spring
  2004, now four-years in development

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• Bicycle Fatalities
• Spark Anger
• 13 year-old Gabriella Axelrad killed while
  bicycling with family in 1999
• Former Park employee Jeff Pool killed bicycling
  2001
• Cyclists call for Action
• Public outrage at tragedy
• Park slow to respond

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• National Park Service
• National Problems
• NPS Policy dismisses bicycling and walking as
  legitimate transportation modes - even ATP
  Program
• Roads first pre-ISTEA mentality
• Minimal pedestrian and bicycle transportation
  investment
• Outdated data and needs analysis last NPS study
  1988
• No national park bicycle data
• No national park walking data
• No plan to acquire data or study problem

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There is Hope!NPS Alternative Transportation
Program Shows the way

• USDOT and Interior Agreement
• 1997 Demonstration Parks
• Yosemite, Acadia, Zion, Grand Canyon, Golden
  Gate
• Congressional Champions like Congressman
  Oberstar, Senator Thomas, Senator Crapo weigh in
• Many Park Superintendents see value and support
  alternative modes

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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Alternative Transportation
Program
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Mission of the NPS Transportation Program
Preserve and protect resources while providing
safe and enjoyable access within the national
parks using sustainable, appropriate, and
integrated transportation solutions.
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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Alternative Transportation
Program

• Alternative transportation generally includes any
  mode of travel other than the automobile.
  Alternative transportation involves both
  motorized and non-motorized forms of
  transportation systems.

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Acadia
Rocky Mountain
Examples of alternative transportation systems
Buses and shuttles, railroads, vans, trams, canal
boats, trolleys, ferries, tour boats, cable cars,
snow coaches and Intelligent Transportation
Systems (ITS) such as traveler information
systems, entrance gate fast passes and traffic
management systems.
Adams
Glacier
Fire Island
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• What people are seeing

Great Smoky Mountains
Arches
Oregon Caves
Rocky Mountain
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National Parks or Parking Lots?
Arizona Daily Sun July 2003
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Authority

• Title 23, United States Code, Section 204,
  Federal Lands Highway Program
• Cooperative Agreements 1983 and 1997
• Jointly Administered Program
• Cooperation began in 1926 with the construction
  of Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier National Park

Excellent Working Relationship with Federal
Highway Administration
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Funding
National Park Service Transportation Program
Authorizationsfrom the Highway Trust Fund
Park Roads Parkway Program
Alternative Transportation Systems
Millions
STAA 82
STURAA 87
ISTEA 91
TEA 21
Fiscal Years
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Actual ATP Obligations FY 1999 to
2002 Projected FY 2003
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Major ATP Challenges NPS view

• Finding Partners
• Operations Maintenance Costs
• Replacing Aging Fleet
• Bus Design
• Understanding of Economic Benefits
• Alternative Fuel Infrastructure

What is missing? NPCA view
Embracing Bicycling and Walking Modes into the
NPS Transportation Family
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Grand Teton National Park Model Park
Transportation System
NPCAs Vision for the Future
Grand Teton is perfectly suited to become a model
national park that can demonstrate how improving
visitor access with a model pathway system for
bicycling and walking, combined with an inviting
transit system and appropriate roadways, can be
the key to relieving congestion, minimizing
resource impacts, working cooperatively with
gateway communities, and providing a quality park
visitor experience.
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Grand Teton National Park Model Park
Transportation System
What Does an Environmentally Preferred System
Look Like?

• A visionary Transportation System Must
• Improve Air Quality
• Reduce Noise Pollution
• Sensitive to Visual and Scenic Resources
• Protect Wildlife, Wetlands, Soil, and
  Vegetation
• Enhance Cultural and Historic Resources
• Serve Social and Economic Environments
• Promote Energy Conservation
• Improve visitors health

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• Model Park Transportation
• Introduce Pathway System
• Improve Roadway System
• Pedestrian Enhancements
• Transit choices
• Intermodal connections ITS
• Gateway integration

Moran

• Park Activity Areas
• Moose, Park Headquarters
• Colter Bay
• Jackson Lake Lodge
• Jenny Lake
• Signal Mountain
• Flagg Ranch

Moose
Teton Village
Jackson
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Grand Teton National Park Model Park -
Transportation Modal Components

• World-class bicycling and walking pathway system
• 48 mile core pathway network connects key park
  destinations
• Integrates with Teton County and Town of Jackson
  system
• Built over the next six years
• Invest 25 million

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park -
Transportation Modal Components

• Quality pedestrian facilities in all developed
  park activity areas -
• Moose, Jenny Lake, Colter Bay, Signal Mt.,
  Jackson Lake Lodge
• Facilitate intermodal connections with lodging,
  campgrounds, transit, and employee housing
• Invest 10 million

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park -
Transportation Modal Components

• Introduce functional and inviting Transit System
• Connect Jackson and Teton Village gateways with
  Park Destinations
• Transit hubs in Jackson, Moose, Colter Bay, Teton
  Village
• Partnership with local Government
• New Yellow Bus Option
• Clean Fuel vehicles - Regional Clean Cities
  Coalition partnership
• Invest 16 million

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park -
Transportation Modal Components

• Pioneer Intelligent Transportation Systems in
  National Parks
• Park Intranet network
• Variable messaging signs, reduce wildlife
  accidents and fatalities
• Transit and Parking information
• Signage and Wayfinding
• Interpretation of Resources
• Invest 3 million

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Grand Teton National Park Model Park -
Transportation Modal Components

• Manage motor vehicle traffic more efficiently and
  improve safety
• Limit Roadway Expansion to shoulder improvements
• Traffic Calming Reintroduce Medians at key
  intersections
• Enhance Inter-modal connections park-wide and to
  gateways
• Invest 20 million

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Community and Congressional Support for Grand
Teton Model Park

• Local government strongly supportive of paths and
  transit
• WY Senator Craig Thomas will seek support for
  Grand Teton Pathway Project
• Rep. Barbara Cubin requested High-Priority
  funding for Grand Teton pathways in TEA-3
• Support from ID Senator Crapo, and WY Senator
  Enzi
• Overwhelming Community Support for Model Park
  Vision

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GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK Realizing Our Goals
A Model Park Transportation System will

• Improve visitor access
• Minimize resource impacts
• Promote Gateway Partnerships
• Enhance visitor experience
• Protect Grand Teton for Future Generations

More information Tim Young - tyoung_at_npca.org
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