DAYTON — The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) is partnering with local park districts and citizen volunteers to conduct a quadrennial Miami Valley Trails User Survey in September. Walkers, runners, or cyclists using the designated Miami Valley Trails may encounter volunteers counting trail users and requesting they take the user survey. New this year is an online version of the survey users may take using a smart phone. The volunteers will be able to assist survey takers in getting to the survey via a website address or via a QR code. Paper survey forms will also be available.
“We’re anticipating most people will choose to take the online survey using their cell phones,” said MVRPC’s Executive Director, Brian O. Martin, AICP. “The online survey will greatly reduce our data entry time, and cut down on data entry errors. It will allow our staff to start analyzing the data sooner.”
Trail users interested in taking the survey may go to: www.mvrpc.org/trail-user-survey-2017 .
The survey seeks to find out who are trail users, when and how the trails are being used, why people use the trails, and to measure the economic activity that is generated from trail use. The survey results will be released by MVRPC later this year. Past survey reports from 2009 and 2013 are available on MVRPC’s website, www.mvrpc.org.
In addition, the park districts use the results to plan programming and maintenance activities along the trails. The results will be taken into consideration as future marketing efforts are developed.
Established in 1964, the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission promotes collaboration among communities, stakeholders, and residents to advance regional priorities. MVRPC is a forum and resource where the Board of Directors identifies priorities and develops public policy and collaborative strategies to improve quality of life throughout the Miami Valley Region. MVRPC performs various regional planning activities, including air quality, water quality, transportation, land use, research and GIS. As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), MVRPC is responsible for transportation planning in Greene, Miami and Montgomery Counties and parts of northern Warren County. MVRPC’s areawide water quality planning designation encompasses five counties: Darke, Preble plus the three MPO counties.
Detailed information about the Region’s trail system can be found at www.miamivalleytrails.org. For more information about the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission, go to www.mvrpc.org or call 937-223-6323.
