Charleston Moves Marketing review of Greenville’s Swamp Rabbit Trail 7/2/14 Answers by Ty Houck, Director of Greenways, Natural and Historic Resources. 1. I’ve examined many articles that outline the success of the SRT, particularly in terms of economic impact. Was this a prominent factor in deciding to create the trail? What were the expectations then, compared to projected outcomes? Did you expect this level of success? If so, how did you prepare for it? Personally, I expected this level of success otherwise I wouldn’t have left my enjoyable job as Park Manager at nearby Paris Mountain State Park. The leadership of the County – County Council, Greenville County Recreation District, Upstate Forever, Furman University among others also believed it would be a success otherwise they wouldn’t have gone through the exhaustive process of acquiring the property. The articles after the trail was built emphasis that it was a good decision. I, personally, prepared for this type of success by being open to anyone that wanted to partner in order to make the trail possible and more importantly to help shoulder the load of operating and maintaining the trail once the capital funds were gone. 2. What bike facilities or studies did SRT look to when implementing its methods? Are there any facilities, in particular, that really stood out (particularly in the southeast region)? How did you make comparisons and what lessons did you draw? The AASHTO Guide to Bicycle Facilities and NACTO.org would good resources. The Rails-to-Trail Conservancy Toolbox also helped with planning and examples of best practices. A lot of internet research on specific details helped mold our design, from things like rail height studies, latest practices on road intersections, angled crossings on railroads, etc. Also, it’s critical to be an active walker and bicyclist so that you personally know when things feel right and when things feel wrong. Since I could ride a bike I have used greenways and have just simply had exposure to the good, bad and the ugly. Some of the things like the diagonal stripes as you approach the busier intersections came from simply being on the trail and asking my wife, “how can we make people more aware that they are approaching an intersection”. She came up with the idea, it wasn’t in any book, but it just felt right, wasn’t a sign that I would have to worry about keeping straight, was something that you can’t help but notice as you go down the trail versus a sign you may miss. Also, always ask trail users different than you, “How can I make the trail better for you.” Community input creates and builds community buy-in.
3. What kind of partnership exists between the SRT and business owners along the trail? Noting that there seems to be quite a lot of positive exchange, what factors would you say contribute to this? Is there any variation, depending on the business? All businesses that I have spoken with welcome involvement. However, before the trail was built I didn’t go around asking those small businesses for money. I simply asked them if they were willing to let people come into their store to use their already open to their customers restroom, in return I would give them free advertising, a bike rack, put them in our print and on-line maps, same offer if they were willing allow public parking. So, I contribute the positive exchange you mention to the fact I didn’t want money from them and wanted to drive business to them, gave and continue free advertising and sometime a free bike rack at their front door which helps remind everyone that “Bikes always get the best parking”. 4. What kinds of services or support do business offer, and in exchange for what? How much funding or community support would you say that businesses contribute to the SRT? The first part of this question is answered in #3. From a simple infrastructure cost there is a bathroom no further than a mile from any point on our northern 9.2 mile section but we didn’t have to build or maintain a single restroom. A recent study by Salt Lake City calculated the cost of a 4 stall public restroom at $125,000. In construction costs alone a conservative estimate of savings is $1.25 million and with our next printing more people are asking to be listed as restrooms. And obviously, if we don’t own the bathrooms we don’t have to maintain them, pay the utilities, etc. We constructed one gravel parking lot at the current northern end of the trail. But have 4 “Community Partners” that provide free parking. I don’t have a total number of parking spots these partners provide but every parking spot cost on average $1500 to build. Now concerning the “community support” aspect of your question you can either build a linear park like the Swamp Rabbit by yourself and then you’ll be managing and maintaining it by yourself or you can ask as everybody you can whenever you can “What do you like, what don’t you like, and what would like to see” then a community conversation starts and a community owns the trail, and not just an arm of government owning and operating a facility. I am simply fortunate enough that my day job lets me help my community become happier and better. We simply built a strip of asphalt where people could say hi to their neighbors and where visitors feel like locals. Immeasurable community support comes from the fact that so many people love the Swamp Rabbit. In 2009 there was no trail, now there is 17.5 miles. This year alone 5 different organizations are applying for $700,000 of the Recreational Trail Program Grant to build different sections of the Swamp Rabbit in their jurisdictions. Naturaland Trust, a land conservation group, is helping us by buying land quickly where we want to build the trail because they
realize government can’t buy land easily or quickly, then they are giving us easements that cost us $10 for us to build the trail. This year alone they bought 1.3 miles of trail and helped clear up a title issue on another 1200 feet of old railbed. All that cost us ten bucks. Our impact studies at greenvillerec.org/studies-surveys show the financial impact the trail is having on the community and those businesses support us by making the trail inviting and vibrant which drives demand for more trail. Those 5 organizations I mentioned earlier are seeking to build 3.5 more miles of trail this year alone. 5. Initially, how did you market the trail to business owners? How did you approach businesses? What kind of innovative marketing is unique to the SRT facilities? When the Greenville Health System became the naming rights partner it provided us with money to hire an official branding and marketing firm to create our look and logo. With an image and a name that the Mayor of Greenville called “Sticky” like the “Virginia Creeper” I walked in doors, introduced myself, gave them my cell phone number, and told them I am available whenever they needed me. I answer e-mails, texts, and calls whenever I am awake so they too get my excitement for what we as a community can grow. I look at the trail like social media, you can’t control the message on social media but if you are a good person and have a good project others will defend you and the trail. A good reputation is the best marketing. When some businesses weren’t ready to jump in when the trail was being built I gave them distance and welcomed them in when they want to be involved. I am a firm believer in quality customer service and when people see your sincerity marketing becomes contagious. 6. In examining your Year 1 & 2 Impact Studies of the GRT, it is clear that many local businesses in Traveler’s Rest have seen positive results in their revenue income because of the implementation of the trail. I can see in Year 1 that you interviewed nine owners and managers of retail businesses. What were these businesses and what criteria did you use choose them for interviews? How did you categorize them? The Impact Study is a scientific study conducted by Dr. Julian Reed at Furman University. It is designed to collect statistically accurate and academically sound data. Part of the professional methodology is that no one is allowed to know the businesses to avoid tainting or influencing those businesses in follow-up studies. Also, if people know Business A is a bike rental shop that made $200,000 last year, the study would create focused competition to the detriment of Business A and then businesses wouldn’t want to be involved in future studies. Dr. Reed may be willing to tell you how he chose the businesses to interview. My assumption is that the businesses are those that would be supported by the trail and/or near the trail. The most important
aspect of the studies is that it gives accurate real data that provides numbers that show the impact. Big grants that are needed to fund projects like this want measureable results. Also, we are finding that the depth of the data is being used as a free market feasibility study by new businesses because it give you information such a demographics, hours of highest use, mean average household income, etc. 7. In the Year 2 study, I see that the selection of impacted businesses expanded to include 20 local businesses within proximity to SRT. How were these businesses chosen for interview? In what area around the trail have improvements been seen? That is, how extensive is the success from the trail geographically? Could you provide a list of these businesses or others that are experiencing economic improvement? There is not one area that isn’t seeing improvement because of the trail. Be it either an industrial building deciding to paint their building because they are embarrassed that so many people are passing by their flaking building. Be it Leadership Greenville taking on a project to help a community create an identity on the trail that not only creates a pocket park but also a safe spot for Para-cyclists to turn around. Be it an entrepreneur that bought a gutted warehouse that was home to crack addicts and now it have 7 businesses to serve trail users, including a grocery store that stocks 70% locally sourced produce and meats. Be it the downtown business district in TR that had 12 businesses before the trail and now has 30 businesses, 12 of which say they are solely there because of the trail. When you are on the trail walk in and ask them how they are “experiencing economic improvement” to get even more unique yet repeatable elsewhere examples. 8. Was there any public opposition for the SRT before, during, or after its creation? If so, why? Not everyone sees eye to eye. I respect and expect that. There is a lot to be learned in social discourse. When people see it as “opposition”, people dig heels in and get defensive. I see it as opportunity to understand another viewpoint. People with an “opposition” can’t oppose something for very long when who they thought was their “opposition” is openminded to their opinion. 9. Does the SRT affect previously existing patterns of traffic? 10.5 percent of the trail users say they use the trail for recreation and transportation which means we have affected the traffic pattern of up to 43,000 users a year either giving them alternative to the personal vehicle or biking in a more enjoyable and inviting environment then the side of a road.
10. What were some administrative obstacles in implementing the SRT and how did you resolve them? No obstacles just wishes that we had more money to do more but when the money is not easily given you work hard and creatively to get it or save it i.e. bathrooms and parking lots example mentioned earlier.
11. Has the community (as a whole) seen apparent economic improvement as a result of the increase in business along the trail? Last week WYFF 4 told me that this is not only the biggest thing to happen in Greenville County but in the Upcountry. The Swamp Rabbit is used by the economic development department when recruiting international corporations in locate to Greenville County. TD Bank said it was a major reason why they decided to have a headquarters in Greenville. 12. What does the future hold for the SRT and businesses along the trail? That is, are there any plans for expansion? Is the SRT still growing in terms of its merchant support base? If so please provide detail. Part of our relationship with the Greenville Health System allowed us to create the Greenville County Comprehensive Greenways Master Plan. We, as an entire community, are building a pedestrian interstate network. People in NC and Laurens County are talking with us about how to connect. People are calling me saying they want the trail on their property and are willing to give easement agreements. Every municipality in Greenville County has plans and desires to have a part of the Swamp Rabbit or another similar greenway. New businesses continue to build on the trail in order to access those 403,000 annual users. Stores not located on the trail are asking for bike lanes, signs, sidewalks, etc. to create better connections to the trail. 13. Charleston Moves is implementing a multi-use trail called Battery2Beach that stretches 24 miles from Isle of Palms to Folly Beach (and crossing through five separate local municipalities). -Thinking about the similarities and differences between Greenville and Charleston, is there any advice that you would give to Charleston Moves in terms of marketing the route to potential sponsors and businesses in the Charleston area? Purely personal, I think your name misses the opportunity to market the “cool� factor of your project. Many communities have paths that go from downtown to a beach. If people only hear your name it sounds like anyone of those projects. And why give yourself a definitive end? The Swamp Rabbit can keep hopping on into NC and Laurens and beyond, just like the Silver Comet streaks across multiple counties in the Georgia. If you can’t find a sticky
name that is not geographically limiting I would at least change it to Battery2Beaches because the plural paints the picture in my mind that it’s a stretching crescent and not just a straight point A-B path, to me it sounds more inviting to explore because riding a bike from the beach, through the battery, then over to another beach is more of an adventure then just riding your bike to the beach. Again my personal opinion but others might have the same opinion and you may never know. You want to get as many people as excited as you can about a project. Watch the faces in the crowd when the name is mentioned if they get even the slightest look of interest/excitement that is a potential sponsor and/or business partner. If they look uninspired, how many other people are they going to spread that opinion to? Speaking more directly about marketing to sponsors and businesses you could come up with a list of common issues that you think are holding sponsors and businesses from jumping in on your project and then come up here and interview those “peers”, get them on film explaining why they are involved with the Swamp Rabbit, posting their contact information on the screen so people can connect with their peers. My job security rest heavily on how well I sell greenways. It is in my personal best interest for people to want more trails. Businesses know that, connect businesses with other businesses that aren’t trying to sell them anything and they will realize the impact that greenways will have on them. Don’t ask people to trust you, let them talk to others and become believers. -Is there any general advice that you might offer Charleston Moves on implementing bike facilities? Keep it flat and wide, away from roads, cross over or under roads. Families aren’t going to ride a greenway that is inches away from a distracted driver running over their child. People return to greenways that are calming and therapeutic, away from the rush of hulking tractor trailers, in the shade where it is 10 degrees cooler than their grocery store parking lot. Create something where a 90 year old wheel-chair bound grandmother can ride a specialized bike with her granddaughter where they can both experience the “Wee!!!!” factor of riding a bike together. It happened here at the Woodlands Can you imagine the impact that it had on the two of them and all the people they passed that day? Some of those people are business owners, many of them probably later said to a friend “let me tell you about what I saw on the Swamp Rabbit today”