A roadside interview survey of road traffic in the lake district national park was carried out during august 1974 to provide data for developing computer models of recreational traffic in rural areas. In particular, information on the routing characteristics of recreational journeys was required. A technique for recording the routes of journeys, in addition to the more usually obtained information on origin, destination and journey purpose, was therefore developed using a mimeographed map. Methods were evolved for coding these routes using a digitising table and for pairing them with the information which could be coded directly from the questionnaire. In a supplementary postal questionnaire the attitudes of recreational motorists to route choice and the 1973/74 fuel price increases were monitored. Results show the route mapping technique to be an effective way of monitoring recreational travel within a large rural area. The data obtained will provide the basis for a traffic modelling exercise and have also been used in the study of traffic in the lake district which the local authorities have been conducting. (Author/publisher)
Abstract