Abstract Title: The relationship between travel distance, transportation preferences and national park visitation for different racial/ethnic visitors

Abstract Title: The relationship between travel distance, transportation preferences and national park visitation for different racial/ethnic visitors

3/11/2015
AAG ­ 2015 Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
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Abstract Title:
The relationship between travel distance, transportation preferences and national
park visitation for different racial/ethnic visitors
is part of the Paper Session:
National Parks: Origins and Management
scheduled on Tuesday, 4/21/2015 at 16:40 PM. Author(s):
Xiao Xiao* ­ University of Vermont
Elizabeth Perry ­ University of Vermont
Robert Manning ­ University of Vermont
Abstract:
National parks reserve environmentally and historically important areas of America for
the enjoyment and benefits of the general public. Transportation aids in the enjoyment
and appreciation of national parks by facilitating access to these recreation opportunities
and often serving as a means of recreation itself. However, racial/ethnic minorities has
been underrepresented in national parks, and transportation may be one of the limiting
factors because transportation may not be equally accessible to all groups in society. To
encourage visitation of people from diverse demographic backgrounds, we must
understand travelers' transportation preferences based on their spatial locations. This
study will focus on the relationship of travel distance, perceived transportation barriers,
and transportation mode preferences for park visitation by race/ethnicity. To address
these research questions, five on­site questionnaire surveys were conducted at African
Burial Grounds National Monument, General Grant National Memorial, Fire Island
National Seashore, Acadia National Park and Grand Canyon National Park, which
represent different recreation settings ranging from urban parks to rural parks. Study
found different uses of selected modes and varying attitudes toward transportation
issues to and within parks depending on respondent residence and race/ethnicity
(Hispanic, African­American, and White). Study results will help explain the relationship
between proximity and transportation preferences among racial and ethnic groups, and
provide park and transportation managers effective strategies to plan and manage the
transportation system to improve the accessibility for difference racial and ethnic groups.
Keywords:
travel distance, transportation mode, park access, race/ethnicity New Query
http://meridian.aag.org/callforpapers/program/AbstractDetail.cfm?AbstractID=66857
1/2
Expanding Transportation
Recreation Opportunities for
Diversity and Democracy:
A Quantitative Measure of Indicators
of Transportation Recreation
Opportunity
Xiao Xiao, Park Studies Lab, Transportation Research Center, UVM
Robert Manning, Park Studies Lab, UVM
AAG 2015 Annual Conference, Chicago, IL
Outline
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. Background
2. Literature Review
3. Methods
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. Implications
‘Average’ Visitor?
Recreation areas designed for the ‘average’ visitor neglect low-density and
other minority recreation opportunities.
-Wagar, 1951
Recreation Preferences by Racial/ethnic Groups
 Underrepresentation of racial/ethnic minority in
outdoor recreation settings.
 Three hypotheses: marginality, subculture, and
discrimination.
 Differences of activity preferences by
racial/ethnic groups
The Recreation Opportunity Spectrum:
Designs for Diversity and Democracy
• Public lands must serve a broad population base
with diverse interests and desires for recreation
A National Plan for American Forestry
-Marshall, 1933
Planning for America’s Wildlands
-Carhart, 1961
Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS)
• The ROS framework is
a tool used to support
definition and
management of
diverse outdoor
recreation
opportunities in parks
and public lands
(Manning 1998)
Fig.1 Factors defining outdoor recreation opportunities
(Clark and Stankey, 1979)
Transportation & Recreation
Transportation  Recreation


Transportation facilitates recreation
Transportation provides access to recreation settings for
public
Transportation = Recreation


Activity participation
Transportation provides diverse recreational opportunities
Transportation Recreation Opportunity
Spectrum (T-ROS)
• T-ROS can be useful in planning and managing
transportation in the context of parks and
public lands.
• A study developed a highway experience
opportunity spectrum (Brown, 2003)
• Pettengill (2013) developed a conceptual
framework for T-ROS.
Research Questions
1. How do visitors perceive the T-ROS indicators
for different transportation modes?
2. What are the differences of desirability for TROS indicators among racial/ethnic visitors?
3. How do visitors in difference recreation settings
perceive the T-ROS indicators?
Methods
• Sampling Method:
– On-site visitor surveys at five NPS units
– Sample time: Summer 2013
– Sampling Sites: from urban to rural parks.
•
•
•
•
•
African Burial Grounds National Monument
General Grant National Memorial
Fire Island National Seashore
Acadia National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Sampling Results:
– Total: 956 completed questionnaires (Response rate of 74.6%)
NPS unit
African Burial Grounds National Monument
General Grant National Memorial
Fire Island National Seashore
Acadia National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
Total
Survey Time
7/23/2013-8/29/2013
7/25/2013-8/25/2013
8/3/2013-8/24/2013
8/10/2013-9/15/2013
9/14/2013-10/26/2013
Completed
Sample
199
202
154
197
204
956
Completed
Rate
74.6%
58.4%
77.6%
64.0%
67.6%
Measurement of T-ROS indicators
Driving Recreation
Opportunities
 Landscape
characters
 Facilities/services
 Access
 Safety/security
 Density of use
Public
Transportation
Recreation
Opportunities
 Landscape
characters
 Facilities/servi
ces
 Access
 Information/in
terpretation
 Density of use
Biking Recreation
Opportunities
 Landscape
characters
 Facilities/services
 Access
 Safety/security,
 Density of use,
 Convenience,
 Environmental
impact
Visitors’ Desirability of Indicators of Driving Recreation
Opportunities in NPS areas by Racial/ethnic groups
Please rate the desirability of the following items for driving in
areas managed by the NPS.1,2
Landscape characters
Scenic views
Seeing wildlife
Lack of litter/graffiti
Limited development (houses, businesses) along the road
Facilities/services
Signs for tourist attractions, commercial services
Access
Being close to “civilization” (i.e., access to roadside assistance,
local businesses)
Safety/security
Low speed limit (to slow traffic)
High speed limit (to speed up traffic)
Guard rails along the road
Frequent police/safety patrols
Density of use
Ability to maneuver as you drive (change lanes, slow/stop)
Few vehicles on the road
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic
Black
White
Total
4.65a
4.40a
4.12a
3.75a
4.37b
4.12b
4.14a
3.62a
4.76a
4.66c
4.48b
4.18b
4.71
4.57
4.42
4.06
3.78
3.89
3.54
3.59
3.49a
3.66a
3.18b
3.24
3.43
3.21a
4.00
3.74a
3.51
3.10a
3.78
3.88a
3.63
2.74b
3.85
3.57b
3.60
2.83
3.86
3.61
3.74
3.85a
3.73
3.63a
3.82
4.04b
3.79
3.99
Visitors’ Desirability of Indicators of Public Transit Recreation
Opportunities in NPS areas by Racial/ethnic groups
Race/Ethnicity
Please rate the desirability of the following items for riding a shuttle
bus in areas managed by the NPS.1
Landscape characters
Having the opportunity to see scenic views
Limited development (buildings, parking lots, etc.) along the route
Access
Having access to facilities and services like visitor centers and shops
Having access to recreational facilities like trails and scenic vistas
Being able to access the park’s highlights via a shuttle bus
Facilities/Services
Having a shuttle bus take me between stops by the quickest route
possible
Having a shuttle bus take me between stops by the most scenic route
possible
The shuttle bus arrives at stops frequently
Information/Interpretation
Hearing educational announcements about the park while riding a
shuttle bus
Density of use
Having plenty of room on a shuttle bus
Total
Hispanic
Black
White
4.29
3.70a
4.50
3.93a,b
4.54
4.11b
4.49
4.06
4.08a
4.21a
4.04
4.49b
4.36a,b
4.36
4.31a,b
4.49b
4.26
4.26
4.44
4.25
3.92
4.18
3.93
3.94
4.00
4.28
4.24
4.21
4.06
4.09
4.11
4.09
4.02
4.29
4.09
4.11
3.96
4.22
4.15
4.13
Visitors’ Desirability of Indicators of Biking Recreation
Opportunities in NPS areas by Racial/ethnic groups
Race/Ethnicity
Please rate how desirable each of the following items would be if you
were riding a bicycle in areas managed by the NPS.1
Landscape characters
Having the opportunity to see scenic views
Being away from motorized forms of transportation
Access
Having access to recreation/tourism attractions
Facilities/Services
Presence of defined travel lanes (i.e., center stripe)
Presence of lane designated for bike use only
Convenience
Hills
Curves
Safety/security
Frequent police/safety patrols
Density of use
Few people are encountered
Environmental impact
Participating in a healthy form of transportation/recreation
Participating in a form of transportation/recreation that is “better” for the
environment
Total
Hispanic
Black
White
4.43a,b
4.14a
4.34a
3.88a
4.64b
4.38b
4.56
4.28
4.15
4.29
4.41
4.34
4.17
4.13a
3.98
4.12a
4.23
4.45b
4.17
4.36
3.45
3.69
3.46
3.55
3.43
3.69
3.44
3.68
3.77
3.95
3.74
3.75
3.70
3.81
3.86
3.82
4.22
4.14
4.36
4.30
4.08
4.20
4.32
4.27
• How do visitors in different recreation settings
perceive the T-ROS indicators?
Visitors’ Desirability for Driving Recreation Opportunities in
Different Recreation Settings
Please rate the desirability of the following items for driving in
areas managed by the NPS.1,2
Landscape characters
Scenic views
Seeing wildlife
Lack of litter/graffiti
Limited development (houses, businesses) along the road
Facilities/services
Signs for tourist attractions, commercial services
Access
Being close to “civilization” (i.e., access to roadside
assistance, local businesses)
Safety/security
Low speed limit (to slow traffic)
High speed limit (to speed up traffic)
Guard rails along the road
Frequent police/safety patrols
Density of use
Ability to maneuver as you drive (change lanes, slow/stop)
Few vehicles on the road
Recreation Settings
UrbanUrban
Rural
proximat
Parks
Parks
e Park
Total
4.58a
4.26a
4.22a
3.83a
4.66a
4.53b
4.27a
4.16b
4.83b
4.77c
4.65b
4.23b
4.71
4.57
4.42
4.57
3.52
3.58
3.68
3.59
3.38a
3.15a
3.14b
3.24
3.51
2.92
3.85
3.89a
3.64
2.85
3.77
3.68a
3.66
2.74
3.89
3.46c
3.60
2.83
3.86
3.61
3.64a
3.84a
3.80a,b
4.04a
3.93b
4.09b
3.79
3.99
Visitors’ Desirability for Public Transportation Recreation
Opportunities in Different Recreation Settings
Please rate the desirability of the following items for riding a shuttle bus
in areas managed by the NPS.1
Landscape characters
Having the opportunity to see scenic views
Limited development (buildings, parking lots, etc.) along the route
Access
Having access to facilities and services like visitor centers and shops
Having access to recreational facilities like trails and scenic vistas
Being able to access the park’s highlights via a shuttle bus
Facilities/service
Having a shuttle bus take me between stops by the quickest route
possible
Having a shuttle bus take me between stops by the most scenic route
possible
The shuttle bus arrives at stops frequently
Information/Interpretation
Hearing educational announcements about the park while riding a shuttle
bus
Density of use
Having plenty of room on a shuttle bus
Recreation Settings
UrbanUrban
Rural
proximate
Parks
Parks
Park
Total
4.48
3.90a
4.35
3.95a
4.55
4.24b
4.49
4.06
4.23a,b
4.39a
4.22a
4.10a
4.31a,b
3.97b
4.35b
4.53b
4.36a
4.26
4.44
4.25
3.90a
3.77b
4.04b
3.94
4.17a
3.99b
4.32a
4.21
4.04a
3.85b
4.21a
4.09
4.16a
3.80b
4.17a
4.11
4.14a
3.92b
4.19a
4.13
Visitors’ Desirability for Biking Recreation Opportunities in
Different Recreation Settings
Please rate how desirable each of the following items would be if
you were riding a bicycle in areas managed by the NPS.1
Landscape characters
Having the opportunity to see scenic views
Being away from motorized forms of transportation
Access
Having access to recreation/tourism attractions
Facilities/services
Presence of defined travel lanes (i.e., center stripe)
Presence of lane designated for bike use only
Convenience
Hills
Curves
Safety/security
Frequent police/safety patrols
Density of use
Few people are encountered
Environmental impact
Participating in a healthy form of transportation/recreation
Participating in a form of transportation/recreation that is “better”
for the environment
Recreation Settings
UrbanUrban Parks proximate Rural Parks
Park
Total
4.47a
4.12a
4.63b
4.37b
4.63b
4.40b
4.56
4.28
4.28
4.41
4.38
4.34
4.12a
4.25a
4.05a
4.43b
4.27b
4.44b
4.17
4.36
3.32
3.57
3.61
3.80
3.50
3.73
3.44
3.68
3.83a
3.92a
3.61b
3.75
3.71
3.89
3.90
3.82
4.21a
4.27b
4.40b
4.30
4.20
4.27
4.34
4.27
Conclusion
• Results of racial/ethnic differences reported in
this study supported the subculture and
discrimination hypotheses.
• Visitors reported different desirability of TROS indicators for various transportation
modes.
• Transportation provides a variety of recreation
opportunities through different recreation
settings.
Implications
• 1. T-ROS indicators help managers to increase the
relevancy and engagement with a diverse audience.
– Enhancing accessibility of public transit service to
“developed” facilities
– Ensuring the safety and security
• 2. Importance of “scenic” character of NPS roadways
and bike facilities.
• 3. Integrating quantitative measures for indicators of TROS will help park and transportation managers design
and regulate transportation facilities.
Thank you!
Question?
Xiao Xiao, Graduate Research Assistant
Park Studies Laboratory, UVM
Transportation Research Center
Email: [email protected]