Differences among users in a peri-urban park

SEBASTIAN ROSSI

Brisbane

Simposio; Student Research Symposium 2012; 2012

Griffith University

When people engage in different recreational activities on the same trails in parks there can be conflict. But which activities and why do some visitors have issues with others? This study assesses interactions among visitors to a peri-urban park close to the largest city, Brisbane, in south-east Queensland, Australia. Information on visitor demographics, park usage and perceptions about other visitors was collected through an on-site self-filled questionnaire. A total of 288 visitors were surveyed during periods of peak usage over major holidays. The most common users were mountain bikers, hikers and runners. Most of them were 25-54 years old and all three activities were far more popular among men. Most visitors were frequent users of the Park, predominantly on weekends (80%). Contrary to most studies, there was very limited conflict among the three user groups in this Park. However, the three user groups had negative attitudes to motorised activities due to increased noise, damage to plants and animals and hazards such us collisions. These results highlight that user group interacting is not equivalent to conflict. However, as the study was conducted on a wide trail in a high use peri-urban park, it does not mean that conflict may not occur on narrower tracks with lower use in more remote locations.