00483808

The objective of this study is to determine what effect, if any, an 8-yr-old urban, bicycle and pedestrian rail-trail has had on property values and crime rates on property near and adjacent to the trail. Also evaluated is public acceptance of the trail and its effect on the quality of life of adjacent neighborhoods. The study is intended to help determine if additional trails should be developed along abandoned railroad rights-of-way. The scope includes a 7-mi section of a bicycle and pedestrian trail; 152 single-family homes and 607 condominiums adjacent to the trail; and 320 single-family homes within one block of the trail. The method used in this study includes random interviews with adjacent property owners and other residents within one block, interviews with police officers who patrol the area, interviews with real estate agents who sell properties in the area, and a survey of local real estate advertisements. The conclusion of this study is that this particular rail-trail is an amenity that helps sell homes and increases property values. The study also found that the trail has had little, if any, effect on crime and vandalism experienced by adjacent property owners, and that there is a very high level of public support and acceptance of the trail.

This paper appears in Transportation Research Record No. 1168, Driver Performance, Pedestrian Planning, and Bicycle Facilities.

HRIS

p. 57-59

1988

Transportation Research Record

0-309-04704-8

Bikeways; Crimes; Interviewing; Lines of track; Property values; Public relations; Public support; Rail-trails; Residential areas; Trails; Walkways

Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Terminals and Facilities; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

May 31 1989 12:00AM

• A HEURISTIC SHORTEST-PATH METHOD FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLE ASSIGNMENT--A STUDY ON THE MEXICO CITY NETWORK
• A STUDY OF DRIVER NONCOMPLIANCE WITH TRAFFIC SIGNALS
• ACCIDENT TYPE DESIGNATIONS AND LAND USE DATA IN PEDESTRIAN ACCIDENT ANALYSIS (ABRIDGMENT)
• BICYCLE ACCIDENTS: AN EXAMINATION OF HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM REPORTS AND COMPARISON WITH POLICE ACCIDENT DATA
• COMMUTERS' ATTITUDES TOWARD TRAFFIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND ROUTE DIVERSION
• ESTIMATING THE DAILY VOLUME OF CROSSING PEDESTRIANS FROM SHORT-COUNTS
• MOTORCYCLISTS: WHO THEY ARE AND WHY THEY DO WHAT THEY DO
• NATIONAL SURVEY OF METROPOLITAN BICYCLE-ON-TRAIN PROGRAMS AND A PROPOSAL FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CALTRAIN SYSTEM (ABRIDGMENT)
• NONMOTORIZED URBAN TRANSPORT IN INDIA
• PREDICTING PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALK VOLUMES
• SAFETY IMPACTS OF BICYCLE LANES
• STOP AHEAD AND STOP SIGNS AND THEIR EFFECT ON DRIVER EYE SCANNING AND DRIVING PERFORMANCE
• VALIDATION OF THE TIME-SPACE CORNER AND CROSSWALK ANALYSIS METHOD