New study: Ravenel Bridge encourages exercise

A study just released by Charleson Moves says two-thirds of people who walk, run or bike on the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge say they're exercising more since the opening of the pedestrian path. Read the full statement from Charleston Moves:

Charleston Moves hails the findings in a study of users of the bike and pedestrian path on the new Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Fully two-thirds of the people interviewed said they were exercising more since the opening of the path. That figure was even higher — 85% — among African-Americans, indicating their enthusiastic adoption of the bike and pedestrian path as a place to exercise.

This study was funded by the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments and the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation. It was conducted by the Sociology Department of the College of Charleston. It documents significantly increased exercise patterns among users of the Wonders Way Bike and Pedestrian Path on the Arthur Ravenel Bridge. While the popularity of the path has been no secret and its success has been widely hailed by public officials, this is the first detailed measurement of its use.

A large percentage (75%) of all the people interviewed on the bridge and who called themselves “regular walkers” said the path contributed to greater exercise levels. And over half of those who said they didn’t walk regularly said the facility had contributed to increased exercise levels.

Don Sparks, one of the founders of Charleston Moves, said “This information should make everyone get serious about more of these provisions for pedestrians and cyclists. It’s not just about recreation and fun. It’s key to our transportation and the health of our communities.” (Mr. Sparks and others will have more to say about the study at the scheduled press conference.)

The study was conducted from January through July of 2007, and involved on-site interviews with 393 users of the facility. It covered opinions about how much the facility contributed to users’ level of activity, how often they used it and why, their ethnicity and their opinions about the path.

The initial design for the new bridge did not include provisions for pedestrians and cyclists. The South Carolina Department of Transportation agreed to add the lane however only after a huge public outcry for it developed, spearheaded by the founders of The Charleston Bicycle Advocacy Group (CBAG), headed by Dr. Sparks, a Professor of Economics at the Citadel, and Lenny Green, the owner of Orbital Engineering in Charleston.* The CBAG public campaign revolved around the slogan “Can’t Wait to Bike/Walk The New Bridge.” Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley lent considerable support for the project. It was named “Wonders Way” for Garrett Wonders, a promising Charleston bicycle racer and teacher at the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command who lost his life when hit on his bicycle by a pickup truck in 2004.

Among the study’s additional findings:
 Women were more likely to report being regular bridge walkers (68% of women versus 40% of men),
 Men were more likely to report both being regular bridge runners (48% of men versus 37% of women) and bicyclists (36% of men versus 11% of women)
 10% of the participants indicated that they utilized the path in order to
commute to work or conduct chores
 73 % drove to the bridge path in order to utilize it (instead of walking or bicycling to it).
 Many indicated they used the path because it is safe, and because the scenery is beautiful.
 A large number of people approached but not included in the study (17%) lived more than 20 miles from the bridge, indicating that the path operates as a strong tourist attraction.

In examining Wonders Way as an example of how public officials can help solve public health problems, the report cited statistics that show that one in four adults in South Carolina is obese and 3 out of 5 adults are obese or overweight. Health conditions in the Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester regions are consistent with statewide trends of poor health. A 2000 survey shows that 58% of the region's population is at risk for chronic diseases related to a sedentary lifestyle.

The study was designed by and supervised by Deborah McCarthy, Associate Professor of Sociology at the College of Charleston. She was assisted in the design by Yvonne Gilreath, Senior Planner at the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments