The Friends of Cedar Hill Park undertook a survey of the users of the Chip Trail in the Park’s natural areas from Mid-March to Late-September, 2017.
The volunteers used a form to tabulate users and compile the data by age, gender, and activity, noting the weather conditions, the date and the time of day. Volunteers did this at uncoordinated different times of the day, so we got a picture of the activity throughout the day – on a pot-luck basis. The forms were improved after the first few uses so some subtotals do not add to the totals due to age and gender data not being broken down consistently in the initial few forms and for children.
A total of 26 hours were surveyed on 24 days, primarily in the summer months (the main volunteer was laid-up from late March through the end of June), so spring sampling was limited.
Summary:
A total of 1426 persons were tabulated using the Chip Trial over some 23 hours of surveying, primarily during the summer months. This was an average of 62 people per hour, which prorates to some 870 users per spring/summer day.
Of those tallied:
772 (53%) were adults (ages estimated to be 20 to 60)
461 (32%) were seniors (age estimated as 60+)
114 (8%) were teens, and
79 (5%) were children, many in strollers, snuggees & child carriers.
294 (20%) of all users were jogging
Of adults, some 58% were women.
Of seniors, some 53% were women
Of total users, some 55% were females.
Observations:
Cedar Hill’s Chip Trail is well used and a valued natural resource area.
Over 60 people used the trail each hour, a couple hours witnessed 100+
Women are the majority of Park users and females exceed males in every age category.
Seniors represent significant number of the natural trail walkers
Approximately 10% of users are walking their dogs.
Walking Cedar Hill Park’s chip trail is an important recreational resource for adults in Saanich with women being the prevalent users.
