In 2011, Friends of Pathways and Alta Planning & Design developed a feasibility study for a Bike Share in Jackson. The study showed that a Bike Share would work, but pathway improvements would greatly increase its ridership. As a result, Friends of Pathways and Alta Planning & Design developed a Bicycle Improvement Plan for the Town of Jackson, which resulted in the system of bike routes and signs we now have connecting the pathway system through town.
After multiple additional improvements to pathways since then, Friends of Pathways conducted a three-week long demonstration of a bike share in 2015. 891 trips were taken for a total of 2,119 miles by 392 people. Opinions about need and cost were solicited from people who used the system as well as non-users. Based on the results from the the feasibility study and demonstration, Friends of Pathways and Alta Planning & Design developed a demand and cost model and presented it to the Town of Jackson and Teton County.
The model predicts 26,000 ridden miles per year over the first three years, and over 30,000 miles per year in the following years. The initial three years will result in the displacement of 3,900 gallons of fuel and 78,000 pounds of CO2. In each following year, 1,750 gallons of fuel and 35,000 lbs of CO2 will be avoided. START is currently the proposed host of the infrastructure and program. To Date, the Town of Jackson, Travel and Tourism Board, Friends of Pathways have invested more than $200,000 in the study, design, and piloting of a Bike Share system, along with the necessary improvements in local infrastructure.
In the Spring of 2016, Energy Conservation Works unanimously approved a motion to recommend that the Town of Jackson move forward with the Bike Share program using SPET funding for 1/3 of the capital costs, hoping to see matching funds from other sources.