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Erie Lackawanna Trail Measuring the Health, Economic, and Community Impacts of Trails in Indiana

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Erie Lackawanna Trail Measuring the Health, Economic, and Community Impacts of Trails in Indiana 2017 Indiana Trails Study Erie Lackawanna Trail Measuring the Health, Economic, and Community Impacts of Trails in Indiana Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands 501 N. Morton St., Suite 101, Bloomington IN 47404 www.eppley.org 2017 Indiana Trails Study Erie Lackawanna Trail Sponsors Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington Greenways Foundation of Indiana George and Frances Ball Foundation Completed by Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands Stephen A. W olter Co-Principal Investigator William D. Ramos Co-Principal Investigator Project Associates/ Research Team Layne Elliott, Project Manager Abbas Smiley, Statistical Consultant Sara Suhaibani May 31, 2018 Copyright Notice This report is the property of the Trustees of Indiana University on behalf of the Eppley Institute for Parks & Public Lands. It may not be duplicated or used in any way without written permission of Indiana University. © 2018, Trustees of Indiana University on behalf of the Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands Cite as: Wolter, S., Elliott, L., Ramos, W., Smiley, A., Suhaibani, S. (2018). Summary report: 2017 Indiana trails study. Bloomington, IN. Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands, Indiana University. Erie Lackawanna Trail iii Table of Contents Acknowledgements vii Background 1 Erie Lackawanna Trail 2 Description of the Trail 2 Trail Map 3 Study Methods 4 Selection of Participant Trails 4 Trail Use Counts 5 Survey Recruitment 6 Findings 7 Trail Use Factors 7 Trail Activity 7 Access 10 Social Factors 14 Reasons for Trail Usage 15 Concerns and Problems 20 Physical Activity Factors 27 Economic Factors 30 Demographic Factors 31 Trail Counters 35 Summary and Conclusions 37 References 39 iv 2017 Indiana Trail Study Table of Figures Table 1: Study Timeline 6 Table 2: What Type of Activity do You Mostly Do on the Trail? 7 Table 3: Distance, Time, and Days per Week of Primary Activity 8 Table 4: Is There a Second Activity that You Do on the Trail? 8 Table 5: What is the Second Activity You Do on the Trail? 9 Table 6: Distance, Time, and Days per Week of Secondary Activity 9 Table 7: On Most Days, Where Do You Usually Come from to Get to the Trail? 10 Table 8: On Most Days How do You Get to the Trail? 11 Table 9: How Far do You Travel to Use the Trail? 11 Table 10: If You Were to Walk to the Trail, How Long Would It Take You? 13 Table 11: How Long Have You Been Using the Trail? 13 Table 12: While On the Trail do You Usually Use it… 14 Table 13: Who do You Usually Use the Trail With? 14 Table 14: What Time of the Day do You Usually Use the Trail? 15 Table 15: What is the Primary Reason You Use This Trail Instead of Other Facilities? 16 Table 16: Scenery (Beauty of Environment) 17 Table 17: Terrain (Flat, Paved, etc.) 17 Table 18: Access (No Cost Associated With Use) 18 Table 19: Convenience (Location) 18 Table 20: Friendly Atmosphere (Social Environment) 19 Table 21: Accessible Features (Ease of Entry/exit, Seating, Surface, etc.) 19 Table 22: Outdoor (Environment/Access to Nature) 19 Table 23: Safety 20 Table 24: Parking (Lack of, or Cost) 21 Table 25: Accessibility of the Trail 21 Table 26: Location 22 Table 27: Facilities (Restrooms, Water Fountains) 22 Table 28: Maintenance 22 Table 29: Space/Congestion on the Trail 23 Table 30: Fear of Injury 23 Table 31: Bikers/Skaters Going Too Fast 23 Table 32: Police Presence 24 Table 33: Adequate Signage 24 Table 34: Visibility of Distance / Mile Markers 24 Table 35: Unleashed Pets 25 Erie Lackawanna Trail v Table 36: Wild Animals 25 Table 37: What Concerns You Most About the Trail? 26 Table 38: Did You Exercise Regularly (Three or More Times per Week for 20 Minutes per Session) Before Using a Trail? 27 Table 39: Since Beginning to Use a Trail, Has the Amount of Exercise that You Do... 27 Table 40: Since Using the Trail, Approximately how Much has Your Exercise Level Increased? 28 Table 41: Physical Activities in the Past Month, Apart from Your Trail Activities 28 Table 42: Time Spent Doing Physical Activities Altogether 29 Table 43: For the Items Listed Below, Please Indicate Your Amount Spent on the Day You Used the Trail and also Your Estimated Annual Spending 30 Table 44: Age 31 Table 45: Gender 31 Table 46: Race/Ethnic Origin 32 Table 47: Marital Status 32 Table 48: Employment Status 33 Table 49: Employment Satisfaction 33 Table 50: Educational Attainment 34 Table 51: Household Income Level 34 Table 52: Erie Lackawanna Trail monthly counts 35 Table 53: Erie Lackawanna average daily count 36 Table 54: Erie Lackawanna average hourly count 36 Figure 1: Location of Indiana Trails Study participating trails 5 Figure 2: Trailhead shelter- Erie Lackawanna Trail 10 Figure 3: Erie Lackawanna Trail in Schererville 13 Figure 4: Erie Lackawanna Trail at Calumet Ave. in Hammond 12 Figure 5 : Interpretive panel on the Erie Lackawanna Trail 16 Figure 6: Arbogast Ave. trailhead in Grifith 18 Figure 7: Bridge crossing at Southeastern and Columbia Avenues 21 Figure 8: Bikers on the Erie Lackawanna Trail 27 Figure 9: Trail plaza in Griffith 32 Figure 10: Summit St. trailhead in Crown Point- trail counter location 37 vi 2017 Indiana Trail Study Acknowledgements Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission Mitch Barloga, Active Transportation Manager Leslie Phemister, Active Transportation Alliance Trails Study Advisory Group Mitch Barloga- Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission Karen Bohn- Greenways Foundation of Indiana Bob Bronson- Indiana Department of Natural Resources Angie Pool- Cardinal Greenways, Inc. Dawn Ritchie- Fort Wayne Public Works Division Rory Robinson- National Park Service Yvette Rollins- Greenways Foundation of Indiana Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands Hana Cleveland Gina Depper Layne Elliott Derek Herrmann Crystal Howell Matthew Johnson Kevin Naaman Katy Patrick Elizabeth Sherrill Abbas Smiley Sara Suhaibani Stephen Wolter Stefanie Wong Erie Lackawanna Trail vii 2017 Indiana Trails Study Background Multi-use trails are becoming a popular initiative across the country, as they provide recreational and health opportunities for users. In Indiana, a Trails Advisory Board was established by the Director of the Indiana Depart- ment of Natural Resources (“Indiana Trails Advisory Board” n.d.) in June 1994. An Advisory Board was formed to make recommendations regarding planning for and implementing multi-use trails and to allow Indiana to apply for funding from the federal Recreational Trails Program. The majority of Indiana trails are built with a mix of state and federal funding. This funding has resulted in more than 3,500 miles of public multipurpose trails, all of which contribute to Indiana’s State Trails Plan goal of provid- ing a trail within five miles of every Indiana resident. The state’s commitment to reaching this goal has led to an increase in the level of trail access from 70% of residents in 2006 to 94.4% of residents in 2017 (“Indiana State Trails Plan” 2017). Due to the rapid increase of trails in the state, a thorough investigation of trail use, trends, benefits, and attitudes of trail users and trail neighbors became necessary. The Indiana Trails Study was developed to gather and better understand information on trail use and its benefits. The first Indiana Trails Study, published in 2001, described findings from a six-trail study utilizing trail traffic data, surveys of trail users, surveys of trail neighbors, and a review of other relevant studies. The 2017 Indiana Trails Study, which included three of the trails from the original study, uses the same methods, along with surveys of a control group of non-trail users, and includes information on the following: trail use levels; trail management practices; the opinions of trail users, non-users, and neighbors; and data related to trails’ impact on public health and state and local economies. Erie Lackawanna Trail 1 Erie Lackawanna Trail Description of the Trail The Erie Lackawanna Trail, located in Lake County, Indiana, is the longest contiguous trail in northwest Indiana. The 17.7-mile-long trail starts at Dan Rabin Plaza in Hammond and heads south through the communities of Highland, Griffith, Schererville before terminating at Summit Street in the county seat of Crown Point. The trail also runs along the east side of Wicker Park in North Township, just south of Hammond. Erie Lackawanna Trail is a rail trail built along the bed of the former Erie Lackawanna Railway. The original Erie Lackawanna right-of-way was an important freight route through Lake County, although with the decline of railroad traffic in the United States the line was abandoned in 1986. After it was abandoned, plans were made by Hammond’s Parks and Recreation Department to develop the former right-of-way into a trail system. The first portions of the Erie Lackawanna Trail were created in the mid-1990s and have been continually extended since then. Today, the trail is a multi-use path, complete with trailheads, park amenities, and local attractions nearby. The trail is also a part of U.S. Bicycle Route 36, one of the designated national “bike highways” that are part of the United States Bicycle Route System, the national cycling route network of the United States. In addition, the American Discovery Trail, a national coast-to-coast hiking network, is routed along the Erie Lackawanna Trail from Highland to Crown Point. 2 2017 Indiana Trail Study Trail Map Erie Lackawanna Trail 3 Study Methods The Indiana state government and local communities have made a significant commitment to build, operate, and maintain trails.
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