ABSTRACT ZECK, ADRIAN MICHAEL. Examining Users’ Preferences, Perceptions, and Attitudes on a Multi-Jurisdictional Rail-Trail. (Under the direction of Dr. Roger L. Moore.) Instances of trails managed by multiple governmental agencies (i.e., multi-jurisdictional trails) are becoming increasingly common. However, researchers have focused little attention on the users and use of these important recreation resources. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of a multi-jurisdictional trail near a growing metropolitan area by profiling the users and trail use, examining their choices, attitudes, and perceived benefits along the trail. The particular focus was determining the importance of various factors in users’ choices of which trail section(s) they use and determining users’ awareness of and attitudes toward the multi-jurisdictional nature of the study trail. A purposive sample of visitors to the multi-jurisdictional American Tobacco Trail near Durham, NC participated in an on-site and then a follow-up questionnaire to provide the study data. Study results revealed that multi-jurisdictional awareness and preferences differ somewhat by activity type. Specifically, runners have more concern than bicyclists and walkers for trail-wide consistency in terms of bathroom facilities and availability of drinking water. However, runners have less concern than bicyclists for consistency in terms of parking facilities and on- site information about the trail. These results should help inform the planning and management of such trail settings and, thereby, help increase the benefits they can provide. © Copyright 2012 by Adrian Michael Zeck All Rights Reserved Examining Users’ Preferences, Perceptions, and Attitudes on a Multi-Jurisdictional Rail- Trail. by Adrian Michael Zeck A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management Raleigh, North Carolina 2012 APPROVED BY: _______________________________ ______________________________ Roger L. Moore Aram Attarian Committee Chair ________________________________ Chris Siderelis ii DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this thesis to my loving and supporting parents, Pam and Gerry Zeck. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Roger Moore for his help and assistance as my advisor for the past two years. iii BIOGRAPHY Adrian Zeck was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a bachelor of arts in history at the University of Florida then stayed in Gainesville, Florida and worked for the George A Smathers’ Libraries at the University of Florida. It was here that he became interested in working in the field of parks and recreation. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the managers and stakeholders of the American Tobacco Trail, including Tracy Burnett, Bill Bussey, Christina Sorensen, Chris Snow, and Rosetta Radtke. Special thanks are extended to my committee for all of their help and suggestions. Lastly, I would not have been able to do this study without the users of the American Tobacco Trail. Thank you to everyone I encountered for interrupting your trail visits (and in some cases letting me run alongside you) to gather my data. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES .....................................................................................................x INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 LITRATURE REVIEW ..............................................................................................8 Theoretical Framework ...........................................................................................8 Research on Trails and Trail Use .........................................................................12 Background ............................................................................................................13 Trail Research. ...................................................................................................14 User Studies. .......................................................................................................18 Trail Activity Differences. .................................................................................20 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................22 METHODS .................................................................................................................23 Study Site ................................................................................................................23 Trail Characteristics ..............................................................................................28 Procedures ..............................................................................................................31 Survey Instruments ................................................................................................34 Data Analysis ..........................................................................................................35 RESULTS ...................................................................................................................37 User Characteristics ..............................................................................................37 Trip Characteristics ...............................................................................................39 Users’ Trail Experiences .......................................................................................48 vi Users’ Perceptions and Attitudes about the American Tobacco Trail .............53 Study Research Question ......................................................................................64 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................................70 Profile of Users’ Characteristics ...........................................................................71 Profile of Use on the ATT ......................................................................................72 Activities..............................................................................................................72 Distance Traveled to Access. .............................................................................73 Sections Used. .....................................................................................................74 Length of Stay. ...................................................................................................75 Perceived Benefits & Motivations. ...................................................................75 Users’ Multi-jurisdictional Awareness and Preferences ....................................76 Influence of Activity Differences on Preferences for Trail Use .........................78 Research Question .................................................................................................79 Summary. ............................................................................................................82 Strengths and Limitations .....................................................................................82 Management Implications .....................................................................................84 Further Research ...................................................................................................85 REFERENCES ...........................................................................................................87 APPENDICES ..........................................................................................................100 Appendix A: On-site questionnaire ....................................................................101 Appendix B: Follow-up Questionnaire ..............................................................104 Appendix C: Results Compared by Trail Activity ...........................................115 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Sections of the ATT ......................................................................................28 Table 2. Public Access Points for ATT ......................................................................33 Table 3. Respondents’ Age .........................................................................................37 Table 4. Respondents’ Gender ....................................................................................38 Table 5. Respondents’ Annual Household Income Level ..........................................38 Table 6. Respondents’ Highest Level of Education ....................................................38 Table 7. Respondents’ Race ........................................................................................39 Table 8. Origin Location that Respondents Traveled from to Access the ATT .........40 Table 9. How Respondents Travelled to the ATT ......................................................40 Table 10. Miles from Respondents’ Origin to Trail ...................................................40 Table 11. Minutes from Respondents’ Origin to Trail ...............................................40 Table 12. On-site Respondents’ Primary Trail Activity (from On-site Questionnaire) .......................................................................................41 Table 13.