COVID-19 compliance among urban trail users: Behavioral insights and environmental implications

Predicting physical distancing on recreational trails during COVID-19

“…Unlike some other research where signage did not lead to desired behaviors ( Goh, 2020 ; Guo et al, 2015 ), this data revealed a positive association between sign presence and physical-distancing compliance. This finding supports past research where visitors adhere to clearly communicated rules, especially when reinforced by social norms ( Schneider et al, ; Schneider & Hammitt, 1995 ). While a reverse causality explanation cannot be ruled out (e.g., signage is placed in areas where compliance is anticipated to be poor), visitors' attention to signage and behavior norms deserve further research attention, as does the signage content.…”

US national park visitor experiences during COVID-19: Data from Acadia, Glacier, Grand Teton, Shenandoah, and Yellowstone National Parks

“…These respondents changed their travel plans, and noted coping behaviors, such as arriving earlier, going to different areas of the park, exploring fewer sites, engaging in more automobile touring rather than non-motorized outdoor recreation, or ending a visit earlier than planned. These self-reported behaviors amid the pandemic are in accord with the predictions and observations of other protected area researchers (Jacobs et al 2021;Schneider et al 2021), who found that visitor coping behaviors were the result of attempting to social distance, avoid areas where masks were not being worn at a level comfortable to the respondent, or avoid crowding in general.…”

Was it really different? COVID-19-pandemic period in long-term recreation monitoring – A case study from Polish forests

“…Typically, the natural and social carrying capacity of the investigated sites, as well as desired visitor satisfaction, have been the primary motivations for the ongoing development of visitor monitoring techniques in recreational sites ( Pickering et al, 2018 ). Recently, a new context for visitor surveillance has been introduced in the context of public health preparedness planning ( Schneider, Budruk, et al, 2021 ; Schneider, Lindsey, et al, 2021 ). To capture the extent and characteristics of recreational use, studies of outdoor recreation have employed a variety of monitoring methods: direct and indirect observation, automated counting devices, visitor tracking, access permit and ticket counting, surveys, self-registration, internet-based user-generated content, traces of use ( Akehurst, 2009 ; Bielański et al, 2018 ; Cessford & Muhar, 2003 ; D'Antonio et al, 2013 ; Korpilo et al, 2017 ; Taczanowska et al, 2014 ).…”