Questionnaire Evaluation of Selected Parameters of Forest Recreational Trails Suitable for Wheelchair Users in Slovakia and in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The article presents the results of a survey on the preferences of disabled people in wheelchairs for selected features of recreational trails in forests. The study was conducted in in the years 2015 and 2016 with a sample of 109 people from Slovakia and from the Czech Republic (57 respondents in Slovakia and 52 in the Czech Republic). The questions in the survey were designed to determine the preferences concerned in this article: answers regarding the optimal length of the route for one trip and the distance between the accompanying trail elements (information signs, shelters etc.) are presented. We have observed differences between the respondents’ preferences in Slovakia and the Czech Republic in the preferred length of the trail. On the other hand, preferences in the distance between the accompanying elements on the trail in the forest did not differ. Respondents in the Czech Republic prefer far longer routes, with relatively larger distances between the recreational elements. The results will be used in the future for designing optimal trails for visitors on wheelchairs in the Masaryk Forest Křtiny, property of the Mendel University in Brno.