Signature Project 3: Sustainable Transportation for Tourism Principal Investigators: Robert Manning Lisa Chase Postdoctoral Associate: Laura Anderson Graduate Research Assistants: Peter Pettingill Nathan Reigner Cristina Mastrangelo Research Staff: David Kestenbaum Relationship Between Transportation and Outdoor Recreation/Tourism Travel to, through, and from recreation areas Transportation as recreation Our transportation-recreation scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Purely transportation About half transportation and half recreation Purely recreation
Goal: Guide planning and management of transportation to serve the needs of sustainable recreation/tourism Objectives: 1. Develop indicators and standards of quality for transportation in the context of recreation/tourism 2. Incorporate indicators and standards of quality into an expanded Levels of Service (LOS) framework used in conventional transportation management 3. Apply this work to a spectrum of transportation modes and contexts Indicators and Standards of Quality Contemporary park and outdoor recreation management frameworks Steps: 1. Formulate management objectives and associated indicators and standards of quality 2. Monitor indicator variables 3. Apply management practices to ensure that standards of quality are maintained
Indicators and Standards of Quality Example: Wilderness Hiking Management objective: provide opportunities for solitude Indicator of quality: number of groups of hikers seen per day Standard of quality: maximum of 10 groups per day Standards of Quality: Hypothetical Social Norm Curve
Levels of Service (LOS) Highway Capacity Manual (Transportation Research Board) Levels of service A through F Conventional focus on efficiency and safety Needs extension to include experiential considerations Levels of Service/Highway Capacity Manual Example: Levels of Service for a Class 2 Highway Percent Time Following LOS A = Less than 40 Percent LOS B = 40 to less than 55 Percent LOS C = 55 to less than 70 Percent LOS D = 70 to less than 85 Percent LOS E = 85 Percent LOS F = When flow rate exceeds capacity
Indicators and Standards of Quality/ LOS Framework Overlay 4 3 2 LOS A LOS B LOS C LOS D LOS E Acceptability 1 0-1 -2-3 -4 8 12 19 31 51 Vehicles-Per-Viewscape Multiple Modes of Transportation Roads Greenways Public transit
Multiple Recreation/Tourism Contexts Roads (Park Urban) Acadia National Park Loop Road Vermont Route 100 Interstate 89 Greenways (Park Urban) Acadia National Park Carriage Roads Stowe Recreation Path Burlington Bike Path Public transit (Park Urban) Acadia National Park Island Explorer Muir Woods Shuttle Bus Alcatraz Island Ferry Visitor Surveys Survey questionnaires Indicators of quality (open and close-ended questions) Standards of quality Density of use Landscape character Commercial services Speed Frequency of service Transportation-recreation scale Background information on use and user characteristics
Roads Visitor Surveys Acadia National Park Loop Road (N=247; Response Rate = 87%) Vermont Route 100 (N=311; Response Rate = 69%) Interstate 89 (N=242; Response Rate = 77%) Greenways Acadia National Park Carriage Roads (N=246; Response Rate = 94%) Stowe Recreation Path (N=270; Response Rate = 94%) Burlington Bike Path (N=272; Response Rate = 88%) Public transit Acadia National Park Island Explorer (N=255; Response Rate = 79%) Muir Woods Shuttle Bus (N=236; Response Rate = 44%) Alcatraz Island Ferry (N=200; Response Rate = 95%) Research Findings
Acadia National Park Loop Road 0 Cars
4 Cars 8 Cars
12 Cars 16 Cars
20 Cars Social Norm Curve for the Acadia Loop Road 4 3 2 Acceptability 1 0-1 -2-3 -4 Zero Cars 4 Cars 8 Cars 12 Cars 16 Cars 20 Cars Number of Cars
Vermont Route 100 0 Cars
4 Cars 8 Cars
12 Cars 16 Cars
20 Cars Social Norm Curve for Vermont Route 100 4 3 2 Acceptability 1 0-1 -2-3 -4 Zero Cars 4 Cars 8 Cars 12 Cars 16 Cars 20 Cars Number of Cars
Interstate 89 0 Cars
12 Cars 24 Cars
36 Cars 48 Cars
Social Norm Curve for Interstate 89 4 3 2 Acceptability 1 0-1 -2-3 -4 Zero Cars 12 Cars 24 Cars 36 Cars 48 Cars Number of Cars Burlington Bike Path
Research Design Pedestrians Bicyclists 0 People
6 Bikers 6 Walkers
3 Bikers/3 Walkers 12 Bikers
12 Walkers 6 Bikers/6 Walkers
18 Bikers 18 Walkers
9 Bikers/9 Walkers 24 Bikers
24 Walkers 12 Bikers/12 Walkers
Social Norm Curves for the Burlington Bike Path 4 3 2 Acceptability 1 0-1 -2-3 -4 0 6 12 18 24 Number of People Walkers Bikes Mix Acadia National Park Carriage Roads
0 Bikers/0 Walkers 3 Bikers/3 Walkers
6 Bikers/6 Walkers 9 Bikers/9 Walkers
12 Bikers/12 Walkers 15 Bikers/15 Walkers
18 Bikers/18 Walkers Social Norm Curves for the Acadia Carriage Roads 4 3 2 Acceptability 1 0-1 -2-3 -4 0 6 12 18 24 30 36 Number of People Walkers Bikes Mix
Stowe Recreation Path 0 Bikers/0 Walkers
3 Bikers/3 Walkers 6 Bikers/6 Walkers
9 Bikers/9 Walkers 12 Bikers/12 Walkers
Social Norm Curves for the Stowe Recreation Path 4 3 2 Acceptability 1 0-1 -2-3 -4 0 6 12 18 24 Number of People Walkers Bikes Mix Budget Status/Grant Proposals in Partnership with TRC Transitioning from TRC budget year 2 to 3 (of 4) Leveraging funding with multiple research projects Acadia National Park Golden Gate National Recreation Area Denali National Park Cumberland Island National Seashore Yosemite National Park Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks Technical Assistance Center (Federal Transit Administration) Measurement, Modeling, and Assessment of Transportation s Environmental and Psychological Effects (Proposal for IDIQ RFP from Volpe National Transportation Systems Center)
Presentations: Presentations and Publications Pettengill, P., Manning, R., Valliere, W. and Anderson, L. (2009). Standards of quality and levels of service: Bridging the gap between efficiency and sustainability in the context of transportation and tourism. Paper presented at the George Wright Society Biennial Conference. March 2-6, 2009. Portland, Oregon. Pettengill, P., Manning, R., Valliere, W. and Anderson, L. (2009). Standards of quality and levels of service: Bridging the gap between efficiency and sustainability in the context of transportation and tourism. Paper presented at the Northeast Recreation Research Symposium. March 29-31, 2009. Bolton Landing, New York. Manning, R., Anderson, L., Pettengill, P., Reigner, N., and Valliere, W. (2010). Integrating Transportation and Outdoor Recreation through Indicators and Standards of Quality. 5th International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas, Wagoningen, The Netherlands, May 30-June 3, 2010. Pettengill, P. and Manning, R. (2010). Indicators and Standards of Quality in Acadia National Park: Exploring a Multi-Modal Transportation Experience. Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium, Bolton Landing, New York, April 11-13, 2010. Books: Presentations and Publications Manning, R. (Ed.) (2009). Parks and People: Managing Outdoor Recreation at Acadia National Park. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. Book Chapters: Hallo, J. and R. Manning. (In Press). Managing park roads and scenic driving using indicators and standards-based frameworks. Drive Tourism: Trends and Emerging Markets. New York: Routledge. Journal Articles: Hallo, J., Manning, R. and Stokowski, P. (2009). Understanding and managing the off-road experience: Indicators of quality. Managing Leisure 14:195-209. Hallo, J. and Manning, R. (2009). Understanding and managing the off-road experience: Standards of quality. Managing Leisure 14:259-285. Hallo, J. and Manning, R. (2009). Transportation and recreation: A case study of visitors driving for pleasure at Acadia National Park. Journal of Transport Geography 17:491-499. Hallo, J. and Manning, R. (2010). Analysis of social carrying capacity of a national park scenic road. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation 4:75-94.