Reducing Traffic Flow to Bridger Bowl Ski Area: Carpooling and Bus Transportation

Goals and Scope

The study explores various motivations for why people do, or do not, carpool or ride the bus to Bridger Bowl Ski Area. General background information is presented by gathering data through survey and observation. There is limited research into carpooling specifically for ski areas, however, there is a significant base of information regarding carpooling and motivation otherwise. This article builds off some of the repeated findings demonstrated in previous carpool studies and aims to apply it in a limited manner to a ski area. Within a small community like Bozeman, MT, the population seems to be environmentally conscious and thus, gathering information regarding carpooling was a relatively painless objective. However, the motivations behind doing so are complicated and are investigated more thoroughly in the study.

Process

Observation of traffic flow to and from ski area
Survey: ask questions pertaining to carpooling/ridesharing to Bridger Bowl, as well as incentives and motivations for doing so
Propose solutions from physical road changes to widen/increase lanes, to incentivizing carpooling/bus riding

Results

Road changes too expensive, require state permissions, etc
2/3 of people reported carpooling (3+ occupants), however, observational data contradicts
- 2/3 of vehicles had 2 or fewer occupants
People are not aware of when and where buses can be used to get to Bridger Bowl
- Need better advertising, especially for students

Outcomes

There was sufficient data showing students wanted more options to get to Bridger Bowl without driving during the week. As a result, Bridger Bowl decided to add two more bus times for a mid-day departure from MSU during the week! I ran into the director much after I had finished this study and he informed me of this decision and that it was based off my study. The feeling of contributing something to the community that directly meets people's needs is priceless and I loved knowing I helped, even if it was small.