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Exploring the significance of the great outdoors during the holiday season yields diverse perspectives.

While some view it as a means of relaxation or exercise, a prevailing motivation, particularly at this time of year, is the emphasis on family bonding.
Now I walk my dogs most mornings and Boxing Day was no exception, but the hordes of people out as early as 7:30am, when the day was only just breaking was phenomenal; not your normal joggers, or dog walkers in which there is an exchange of pleasantries such as a nod or maybe a “good morning”. But Families, some with three or more generations, laughing, holding hands, or simply chasing behind a child as they cycled somewhat erratically.
Now those who know me, know that I’m a data nerd at heart; I enjoy what data tells me, what data reveals.
So, on Wednesday early AM, just after receiving the count data from our client's many locations, I started to interrogate the reporting portal, (I know I need to get out more 😊)

So here are some snippets of info.

A comparison between the average of the preceding six Tuesdays and Boxing Day 2023 revealed noteworthy trends:
1 Rural car parks experienced a staggering 234% surge.
2 Cycle trails witnessed a substantial 194% increase.
3 Pedestrian traffic escalated by an impressive 332%.

Comparing these figures to the corresponding period in 2022, where a 16% increase in rural car parks, an 8% uptick in cycle trail usage, and a 17% rise in pedestrian activity were noted, prompted consideration of external factors, such as weather. Broadening the analysis to three weeks leading up to and including Boxing Day revealed a more nuanced narrative.

Over a 26-day period in December 2023 versus December 2022:
1 Rural car-parks exhibited an 11% increase.
2 Cycle trail usage saw a 14% uptick.
3 Pedestrian traffic recorded a 9% rise.

While acknowledging the somewhat generalised nature of aggregated count data, its significance at the local level becomes evident, offering a detailed narrative that proves instrumental for clients in budgeting, fund allocation, labour cost assessment, and overall investment quantification.
www.parklifemonitoring.com
If you would like to know more or simply want to understand better the number and at what times your visitors navigate your locations, please send an email to me; Dr Jason Farrell at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.