Evaluating the Impact of Neighborhood Trail Development on Active Travel Behavior and Overall Physical Activity of Suburban Residents

Abstract

Many studies have examined the impact that the built environment has on physical activity. Much existing research posits that if communities will provide and improve active infrastructure such as trails, sidewalks, and bike lanes, people will become more physically active. However, most of these studies have used cross-sectional methods that have allowed them to establish correlations but not behavioral causality. In this pilot project, a longitudinal design is used to assess a trail construction impact on active travel behavior and overall physical activity among suburban residents. A sample of suburban residents in West Valley City, Utah, was surveyed both before and after the construction of a Class 1 trail in their neighborhood by means of a preliminary household survey, individual activity diaries completed at three preassigned time points (before and twice after the trail's construction), new-resident surveys, and a trail user's intercept survey. This intervention technique (the intercept survey) performed a more direct test of causality by looking at the same group of residents over time and analyzing whether individual changes in behavior occurred following the construction of the trail. The paper shows that trail neighborhood residents did not use the facility after it was built, new residents did not move to the neighborhood because of the trail, and users of the trail came from elsewhere. It also discusses trail amenities that appear to be the more desirable ones.

Shifting from car to active transport: A systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions

“…Though as a result of the trail a loop of 2.5 miles was created, adequate signposting was missing, which possibly limited the trail's effectiveness. In line with this the authors mentioned that a lack of information could have influenced the negative effects (Burbridge and Goulias, 2009). The extension of the UK National Cycle Network (Jones, 2012) was also implemented without any additional tools and could therefore have resulted in no effect on a mode shift.…”

“…Another architectural and urbanistic adjustment stimulating a mode shift is the building of a neighbourhood trail (physical tool) in West Valley City in Utah (Burbridge and Goulias, 2009). The aim of the neighbourhood trail was to provide the public with a facility for transportation as well as recreation.…”

Cycle commuting intention: A model based on theory of planned behaviour and social identity

“…Many studies have relied on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB, Ajzen, 1991), a model grounded in social psychology, to explain the behavioural intention of bicycle usage (Bamberg & Schmidt, 1994;Burbidge & Goulias, 2010;De Bruijn, Kremers, Singh, van den Putte, & van Mechelen, 2009;Eriksson & Forward, 2011;Heinen, Maat, & van Wee, 2011;Muñoz, Monzon, & Lois, 2013). The aim of this study was to enrich the TPB by including social identity as a predictor variable, because behaviour is not determined by purely utilitarian considerations, but also by the symbolic consequences for one's self-concept and identity as a member of certain groups (Mannetti, Pierro, & Livi, 2004).…”

A Complete Street Intervention for Walking to Transit, Nontransit Walking, and Bicycling: A Quasi-Experimental Demonstration of Increased Use

“…28 Furthermore, two U.S. studies revealed no effects of proximity to new paths, with one study finding only 2 bicycle trips per 386 travel diary days 29 and the other finding only 2 of 366 residents making any bicycle trips pre-trail construction and a decrease in cycling time post-trail construction. 30 Even after screening for bike ownership, a recent Portland study showed no increase in biking among nearby bike owners near a new greenway.…”