Report from JetBlue "Pedal to the Park" event: Better Understanding Lee's Bicyclists Evaluation

As part of our "pedal to the park" effort on Saturday,  one of our Steering Committee members, Dr. Cindy Banyai  with the Refocus Institute, put together a questionnaire that we used with many of the participants.  She aptly named the evaluation:  Better Understanding Lee’s Bicyclists or BULB.  We also wanted to know where the riders started from to get to jetBlue Park, so a large map was set up at the check-in tables for the riders to respond on.  Here is Dr. Banyai’s Executive Summary:

Better Understanding Lee's Bicyclists Evaluation (BULB):  Executive Summary

With traffic being consistently the number one complaint of tourists (DPA, 2012) and residents alike a change in course is necessary. There needs to be more emphasis on the bikeability and walkability of Lee County Tourist attractions.

Lyle Jamieson, seasonal resident from Canada, summed it up best “…as impressed as I was with the park it was out done by your bike service… [I] hate going to any event due to traffic. This (BikeWalkLee’s bike corral) solves all problems. I beg you to try and expand this service to all major events…Congratulations on your progressive thinking and good luck in the future.” With the opening of JetBlue Park Lee County and the Boston Red Sox organization have a unique opportunity to be thought leaders in terms of sustainability and ecotourism by accommodating the desire of fans to ride their bikes to the games. This can be accomplished by providing safe bicycle parking and routes to JetBlue Park.

The objective of Better Understanding Lee’s Bicyclists (BULB) evaluation is to learn who is biking to JetBlue Park and to gather feedback on Lee County’s biking infrastructure. The BULB evaluation demonstrates that Lee County tourists and residents are interested in biking to games, but have reservations about the safety and availability of bike paths, as well as the consistency of bicycle parking at JetBlue Park. It is also hoped that the information in this report will persuade those involved with JetBlue Park the necessity of providing adequate paths and parking for cyclists.

Numbers at a Glance

·         300 cyclists – 2% of event goers

·         76% of cyclists want to ride to future games

·         88% of cyclists specifically request biking options at JetBlue Park

·         32% of JetBlue Park cyclists are tourists

·         52% of cyclists came to JetBlue Park with their friends and families

Click here for the full report.

Thanks, Cindy!