01023760

Component

https://doi.org/10.3141/1939-02

http://scholar.google.com...ther&publication_year=2005

The northern Outer Banks coastal area in North Carolina is well suited to drawing bicycle tourism because of its geography, climate, and attractions. In 2003, the North Carolina Department of Transportation commissioned a study to examine the value of public investment in bicycle facilities that have been constructed in this area over the past 10 years at a cost of approximately $6.7 million. A particular challenge in conducting this study was that tourists visited the Outer Banks for a variety of reasons, not just for cycling. Thus, the collection of information on the amount and nature of bicycling activity and on the spending patterns of bicyclists in the area was critical for the development of an economic impact analysis. Researchers surveyed cyclists using the bicycle facilities (shared-use paths and wide paved shoulders) and obtained data from self-administered surveys of tourists at visitor centers during the primary tourist season. The data collected were then used to determine the economic impact of bicycling visitors to the area. Seventeen percent of tourists to the area reported that they bicycled while there; this translates to 680,000 people annually. The economic impact of bicycling visitors is significant: a conservative annual estimate is $60 million, with 1,407 jobs created or supported per year. This is almost nine times greater than the one-time expenditure required to construct the facilities. Continued investment in bicycle facilities is expected to increase this favorable economic impact and is therefore recommended.

01023740

English

pp 15-21

2005

Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board

0309094135

Print

References (8) ; Tables (2)

Bicycle facilities; Bicycling; Case studies; Data collection; Economic impacts; Investments; Paved shoulders; Surveys; Tourism

Shared-use paths

Outer Banks (North Carolina)

Economics; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Society; Terminals and Facilities; I10: Economics and Administration

TRIS, TRB, ATRI

May 2 2006 10:14AM

• Accessible Pedestrian Signals: The Effect of Push-Button Location and Audible “Walk” Indications on Pedestrian Behavior
• Case Study Analysis of Pedestrian and Bicycle Data Collection in U.S. Communities
• Conversions of Wide Curb Lanes: The Effect on Bicycle and Motor Vehicle Interactions
• Design and Performance Analysis of Pedestrian Crossing Facilities for Continuous Flow Intersections
• Determination of Pedestrian Push-Button Activation Duration at Typical Signalized Intersections
• Development and Application of an International Vehicle Emissions Model
• Equity Impacts and Challenges of Highway Access Management in an Emerging Economy: South Africa at the Crossroads
• Estimating Bicycling Demand
• Evaluating the Safety of Shared-Use Paths: Results from Three Corridors in Connecticut
• Field Comparison of Two Types of Accessible Pedestrian Signals
• How Pavement Markings Influence Bicycle and Motor Vehicle Positioning: Case Study in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Influence of Winter Road Conditions and Signal Delay on Pedestrian Route Choice in Japan’s Snowiest Metropolis
• Institutional and Regulatory Options for Bus Rapid Transit in Developing Countries: Lessons from International Experience
• Level-of-Service Model for Pedestrians at Signalized Intersections
• Microsimulation Assignment Model for Multidirectional Pedestrian Movement in Congested Facilities
• Multimodal Microsimulation of Vehicle and Pedestrian Signal Timings
• Optimization for Pedestrian and Vehicular Delay in a Signal Network
• Shopping Trip-Chaining Behavior at Malls in a Transitional Economy
• Times of Bicycle Crossings: Case Study of Davis, California
• User Perceptions of the Quality of Service on Shared Paths