An Evaluation of the Effectiveness, Costs and Benefits of Laying a Paved Path to Permit Grass Regeneration
L. S. Leland
P. Hughes
S. Halder
M. Rowan
DOI: 10.2190/ADU2-6GFB-52PB-DVN5
Abstract
An ABAB design was used to evaluate the presentation and removal of a hard surfaced pathway over an area which was subject to considerable destructive lawnwalking and which was initially bare of grass in its heaviest traffic areas. The presence of the paved path significantly reduced (from 100% to 3%) the amount of destructive lawnwalking, when all crossings were taken into account. More importantly, it also significantly reduced the amount of destructive lawnwalking (from 32% to 3%) when the population that always (in both baseline and intervention) walked on the potential path area (i.e., the area that was covered by the paved path during intervention periods) was eliminated from the analysis. In addition, there was a significant (81%) increase in the number of pedestrians crossing the area when the paved path was present. Despite this increase, the average number of destructive lawnwalkers off the path area went from 5.4 (per 25 minute observation period) during baselines to 1.1 during interventions. These changes in behavior are discussed in terms of the competing contingencies present during baseline and intervention. Path laying also proved cost effective and a permanent path has now been constructed where the experimental path had been laid. This has resulted in a spontaneous regrassing of the areas adjacent to this path.
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