Demand for Trails and Routes - Tourism and Trails: Cultural, Ecological and Management Issues - page 109

accessible to the masses and tend to have a greater recreation and tourism
value. One study found that market accessibility and degree of difficulty
determine trail use, with the most accessible and easiest routes being the
most extensively utilized (Torbidoni et al. , 2005). Although urban corridors
see a higher volume of daily use, owing to their importance in exercising
and commuting, outdoor enthusiasts prefer rural footpaths and other
nature-oriented trails (Helleiner, 1986; Siderelis & Moore, 1995) (Figure 4.3).
Class elements are also present in trail location and use (Lindsey et al. , 2001).
The inner-city poor may have greater access to urban trails because of rela-
tive nearness, while the more affluent classes have easier access to suburban
and rural trails owing to their home locales on the city's periphery or the
countryside and higher incidence of car ownership.
This leads to the second locational concept, which is proximity to home.
Research shows that people are more inclined to walk, run, skate or cycle
close to home. The position of trails near people's homes translates into more
participation (Davies et al. , 2012; Troped et al. , 2001; van Damme & van Dijk,
1990). Conversely, the more distant a trail is from an individual's home the
less inclined he or she will be to use it (Lieber & Fesenmaier, 1984; Lindsey
et al. , 2001; Merom et al. , 2003). Thus, a simple distance-decay pattern can
be deciphered to understand resident proximity and level of demand. In a
study by Troped et al. (2005), most survey respondents lived only a short
distance from a trail access point with the average distance being just 820
meters. Moore and Scott (2003: 883) concluded that people develop attach-
ments to outdoor recreation areas, including trails that are closest to their
homes. This also translates into personal commitment, trail attachment and
increased use.
Figure 4.3 A rural footpath on the Isle of Man