CHARACTERISTICS OF OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL TRAVEL

Abstract

THE PURPOSE OF THIS INVESTIGATION WAS TO EXAMINE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TRAVEL TO OUTDOOR RECREATIONAL AREAS IN KENTUCKY. DATA WERE OBTAINED BY MEANS OF A LICENSE-PLATE, ORIGIN-DESTINATION SURVEY AT 160 SITES WITHIN 42 RECREATIONAL AREAS AND BY MEANS OF A CONTINUOUS VEHICLE-COUNTING PROGRAM AT EIGHT OF THESE SITES. A COMPUTER ALGORITHM WAS DEVELOPED FOR ERROR DETECTION AND SUBSEQUENT ADJUSTMENT OF THE VOLUME DATA AS NECESSITATED BY OCCASIONAL MALFUNCTION OF HTE TRAFFIC RECORDERS AND BY VEHICLE OCCUPANCY WAS FOUND TO DEPEND ON THE TYPE OF RECREATIONAL AREA, DISTANCE TRAVELED, AND VEHICLE TYPE. OCCUPANCY INCREASED WITH INCREASING DISTANCE AND WAS GREATEST FOR THOSE VEHICLES PULLING CAMPING TRAILERS. PERCENTAGES OF THE VARIOUS VEHICLE TYPES WERE ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE TYPE OF RECREATIONAL AREA AND THE DISTANCE TRAVELED. THE PROPERTION OF CAMPING UNITS IN THE TRAFFIC STREAM INCREASED WITH INCREASING DISTANCE OF TRAVEL. IN GENERAL, TRIP LENGTHS WERE QUITE SHORT AS EVIDENCED BY THE FACT THAT 60 PERCENT OF ALL VEHICLES TRAVELED LESS THAN 50 MILES. HOWEVER, TRIP-LENGTH DISTRIBUTION WAS HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON TYPE AND LOCATION OF THE RECREATIONAL AREA. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT FUTURE DATA COLLECTION PROGRAMS BE CONCENTRATED ON THE AVERAGE SUMMER SUNDAY SO THAT THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF USABLE TRAFFIC DATA CAN BE COLLECTED WITH A MINIMUM OF EFFORT.