Impact of all terrain vehicle access on the demand for a proposed trail

摘要

The growing popularity of using all terrain vehicles (ATVs) for leisure has become an important issue for both existing and planned trails. A contingent trip survey was used to examine the impact of different ATV access levels on trip demand for a proposed trail in the province of Nova Scotia (Canada). Relative to a prohibition on ATVs, permitting their use reduced non-ATV users' expected trips by 48% and their consumer surplus by 41%. Depending on ATV access level and travel cost, total consumer surplus ranges from approximately $1million (M) Canadian dollars ($C) to $C4M and between C$9.19 and C$26.89 per trip. Trip demand is also weakly related to trail surface, particularly for potential commuters. We suggest that the trail be implemented as a paved pathway in the central core where the population is most dense and that ATV use be prohibited on this portion. A gravel-based shared-use path with controlled ATV use is recommended for the eastern end of the trail where the population is of much less density and where non-ATV use will likely be low.