My senior seminar paper will measure and quantify the
benefits of the Town of Boone’s Greenway Trail system and determine the benefits
of expansion via additional trail mileage.
The Greenway trail currently has a 3.0 mile long paved section and
additional unpaved trails that attract walkers, joggers, and cyclists. Currently, there are two proposed extensions
to the Greenway trail. These are the
South Fork New River and the Middle Fork New River extensions, each of which
will add 0.5 miles and 7.4 miles, respectively.
The data was collected by means of a survey administered to a random
sample of Greenway trail users between Memorial Day and Labor Day. After collecting a sample of e-mail
addresses, the survey was sent to the participants. The survey questions were designed to
indicate stated preference and revealed preference. Stated preference of participants was
captured by asking questions that will indicate contingent behavior and
contingent valuation. That is, asking
people how their behavior will change given different situations and what their
consumer surplus is given changes in situations, respectively. On the other hand, revealed preference is
determined from other information users provide, such as distance traveled to
use the Greenway. After collecting data
from the participants, regression analysis will be used to test demand theory and
the travel cost method to determine whether change in quantity leads
to a change in the number of trips (x). From this data, I will determine if
expanding the Greenway trail will have a positive impact on consumer
surplus.
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