Challenge
Florida’s SUN Trail system spans hundreds of miles and serves people walking and bicycling for recreation and transportation. To comply with Florida Senate Bill 106, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) needed to track how the system was being used, including travel modes, frequency, time spent, distance, and spending. Collecting this information consistently across the state posed a challenge. Traditional methods, such as fieldwork or manual surveys, can be costly, labor intensive, and difficult to maintain over time.
Solution
Our team designed and launched a statewide survey program that combined digital tools with existing data sources. QR-enabled trail signs were installed at 71 locations across the SUN Trail network to give users an easy way to share information about their trips. These surveys were integrated with FDOT’s non-motorized traffic counters and supported by a digital dashboard that allowed staff to monitor participation in real time. The dashboard also flagged inactive sites for maintenance, ensuring data collection stayed consistent statewide.
The Outcome
Following the Trail of Data to Understand How Floridians Use SUN Trails
The program generated more than 6,200 responses, providing rich insights into how Floridians and visitors use the SUN Trail system. Beyond fulfilling statutory reporting requirements, the findings give FDOT a stronger foundation for future decisions about investment, accessibility, and community engagement. The result is a clearer picture of the role trails play in people’s daily lives, which helps the agency to expand and improve the system in ways that reflect community needs.
