Build it, but they might not come. Breaking down barriers to active transportation
Background:
A 2011 review of the effects of trails on physical activity did not find conclusive results (1). A few studiesobserved no increases in physical activity, while perceptions trail proximity was associated with anincreased odds of physical activity in others (2). The factor most associated with trail use is access, in onestudy trail use differed with greater perceived distance to the trail, a difference that was supported byobjective measures (3,4). In this research demographic factors, built environmental and perceptions are usedto predict trail use behavior among randomly selected adults in the United States

Purpose:
The scope of this research was to understand the barriers that prevent people from engaging in physical
activity on trails. This study was conducted to better understand why some people use trails and
greenways while others do not, what each groups’ motivations and barriers are to walking and bicycling
on trails and to gain insights into the ways to overcome these barriers.

Methods:
A survey software was used to conduct a random nationwide survey about people’s perception and habits
regarding physical activity on trails. The survey questions asked respondents about their home zip code,
frequency of trail use; awareness of neighborhood trails; personal characteristics; recreational activities;
purpose, barriers, and motivations for walking/bicycling on trails; and travel mode preferences. Due to the nature of the variables, logistic regression was used to analyze the survey data. The dependent dichotomous variable was current trail use as revealed respondents. Independent variables included trail
access, awareness, perceptions, demographics of the respondents.

Results:
Odds of trail use for people who are aware of trails in their neighborhood is 6.07 times that of people who
are unaware. Odds of trail use for people with access to trails is 1.23 times that of people without access.
The result point to the significance of building more trails nationwide so that more people can easily get
to trails without any significant barriers. Odds of trail use for people riding a bike is 1.31 times that of
people walking.

Conclusions:
This research used qualitative and quantitative data to analyze people’s trail use across the United States.
The concept of build it they will come holds true in a lot of situations. But research shows that in some
cases trail use is limited to certain sections of the population and therefore the associated health benefits
of trail use is not distributed equitably among the population. In case of trails, even if people have access,
they might not use it for a variety of personal, cultural, and financial reasons. But the most important
finding from this study is the impact of increasing awareness on people’s trail use. While building trails is
of primary importance, education and programmatic interventions that increase the awareness of trails,
especially among non-trail users, and encourage diverse group of people to use trails might have a
disproportionately large impact on increasing trail use.

Presenter: Torsha Bhattacharya
Agency Affiliation: Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Presenter Biographical Statement: [biography]