Use of greenway trails in Indiana

The quality of existing data about the use of urban trails is poor, and planners need better data to plan new trails and manage existing ones. This note presents descriptive analyses of pedestrian and bicycle traffic counts taken with infrared counters on urban multiuse greenway trails in Indiana during the fall 2000 and spring 2001. Monthly traffic, average daily, weekday, and weekend traffic, and average hourly and peak hour traffic are presented for trails in six municipalities and for five locations on one trail in Indianapolis. Trail traffic was higher in municipalities with larger populations and higher on weekend days than on weekdays. Peak hour traffic accounted for higher proportions of traffic on weekdays than on weekend days. Traffic at different locations on one trail in Indianapolis varied considerably. Planners can use these results to estimate the demand for proposed trails, describe congestion, as inputs to benefit-cost analyses and level of service studies, and help manage use.