@article{Gonzalez:208030,
      recid = {208030},
      author = {Gonzalez, Liliana and Hanumara, Choudary and Overdeep,  Carol and Church, Steven},
      title = {ASSESSMENT OF BICYCLE PATHS FROM USERS PERSPECTIVE},
      address = {2006-03},
      number = {1427-2016-118531},
      pages = {15},
      year = {2006},
      abstract = {The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has  been on the forefront in
recognizing the potential for  bicycle travel to provide mobility, reduce congestion,  improve
environmental quality, and promote healthy  lifestyles. An important component of RIDOT’s
mission has  been to create a balanced transportation system that  embraces a multi-modal
approach to transportation  decision-making and bicycling has remained central to  the
department’s inter-modal planning efforts. RIDOT has  aggressively pursued a strategy of
acquiring abandoned rail  lines to convert into scenic commuter and recreational  trails. RIDOT’s
efforts have produced a very popular  resource for touring, recreational, exercise, and  commuting
activities.
As part of RIDOT’s continuing efforts  to promote bicycle use as another form of
transportation,  planners in RIDOT’s Intermodal Planning Division identified  the need to compile
a comprehensive survey of bike path  activity that would provide a gauge of demand and  general
attitudes. The construction of several new bikeways  as part of RIDOT’s statewide bicycle plan
have intensified  the need for new and current data on path use, types of  users, maintenance
issues, and the positive economic  potential of the state’s bikeways to local businesses.
The  survey results show that visitors to the bike paths came  from all age groups and from
all over the state. The paths  are clearly facilities with wide appeal. In fact, 99.12%  of
respondents, answered “yes” when asked if bike path  construction constituted good use of tax
dollars. The  results of the survey reveal enthusiastic support for the  bikeways as a facility to
promote a healthy lifestyle;  unfortunately, use of the bike paths as an alternative  facility for
commuting remains near its low 1996 level. The  lack of restroom facilities and drinking water
were the two  common complaints from visitors from all of the paths;  there are safety concerns
about intersections with motor  vehicles.
Overall, the survey has provided the Intermodal  Planning Division a valuable source of
information for  improving, maintaining, and providing high quality  facilities. The results of this
survey presented in this  paper in descriptive form are useful to planners  responsible for
developing, expanding and maintaining bike  paths in other parts of the country.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/208030},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.208030},
}