The Huckleberry Trail
Heritage Park & Trail System
2000 Users Survey: Activities
Unlike the series of questions on those features or characteristics of the
trail respondents felt they liked, the questions concerning use were far more
rigid. As the survey indicates, the questions asked respondents to characterize
their use under one (or more) of four categories: recreation, commuting, traveling,
or other. Of those responding, the vast majority (93%) characterized their use
of the Huckleberry Trail as recreational in nature. Much smaller percentages
used the trail either for commuting (12.7%) or as an alternative transportation
route (10.6%). It should be noted that there was some crossover between the
three categories because a few of the respondents chose multiple categories.
Those trail users who chose “other,” generally described the trail
as an “exercise facility,” clearly drawing a distinction between exercise
and recreation. Demographic factors (gender, age, geographic location, and student
status) had very little impact on the characterization of Huckleberry Trail
use (Figure 8.1).
While there were very few differences in the overall characterization, difference
did exist when respondents were asked about specific trail usage. The survey
provided an open ended question in which respondents were asked to describe
their specific activities on the Huckleberry Trail. As with the question concerning
general characterization of use, respondents had multiple answers. The specific
uses have been grouped into six categories (excluding nature watching, which
seemed to be characterized as a benefit rather than a specific use):
- Walking
- Running (jogging)
- Cycling
- Skating
- Walking a dog
- Other
Not surprisingly, the majority of Huckleberry Trail users used the trail for
walking (51.4%), cycling, (50%), or jogging (26.8%). A far fewer number use
the trail specifically for walking their dog (9.2%), for skating or rollerblading(6.3%),
or for other uses (8.5%).
Survey results show striking differences in terms of specific activities when
gender, age, and geographic location were factored into the analysis (Figures
8.2, 8.3, and 8.4). While both men and women were nearly equally likely to use
the trail for running or jogging (23.9% of men and 28.6% of women), a greater
percentage of men (59.2%) used the trail as a cycling venue than did women (41.4%).
Women, on the other hand, were far more likely to use the trail for walking
(57.1%) than were men (46.5%).
Although there are some gender differences, the greater use differences show
up when factoring in age. As users age, the data indicates that their specific
uses of the trail is likely to change (Figure 8.3). Respondents between the
ages of 18 to 22 are almost equally likely to use the trail for cycling (55.6%)
and jogging (50%), and slightly less likely to use the trail for walking (38.9%).
Respondents in the 60 and over age range were more likely to cycle (42.9%) and
walk (71.4%), but far less likely to use the trail for jogging (4.8%). Indeed,
as users age, there is a corresponding percentage increase between those using
the trail for walking (+32.5 points) and and decrease for those those using
the trail for jogging ( -45.2 points).
Finally, the survey results indicate similar use patterns between the three
primary jurisdictions. In all three (Christiansburg, Blacksburg, and Montgomery
County), users were nearly twice as likely to walk or cycle on the trail, rather
than jog, and they were slightly more likely to choose walking over cycling.
Much of the preference for walking over the other two specific activities can
be attributed more to age than to either gender or geographic location. Given
the location of the trail in relationship to Warm Hearth, the preference for
walking, exhibited in the survey, may not be particularly surprising. What the
results do suggest is that the rules which govern the different uses of the
trail (see Section 10 for an longer explanation of safety concerns) may need
to be strengthened in order to address the concerns raised by the mixed constituencies
and their use of the trail.
|
|
