Published Research

Photo by Adam Coppola Photography

RTC works closely with our external academic partners to conduct research of the highest quality. It is our goal to publish findings from our research efforts in peer-reviewed research publications to advance the implementation of our research agenda and extend the benefits of this body of research to the active transportation, planning and trail development communities.

Recent Publications

  • The Effects of Weather on Urban Trail Use: A National Study
    Transportation planners and trail managers can use these results to assess the effects of weather on trail traffic throughout the United States.

    Authors: Greg Lindsey, PhD, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; Alireza Ermagun, M.Sc., Master of Urban and Regional Planning; Tracy Hadden Loh, Research Director (former), Rails to Trails Conservancy.

  • Strategies for Monitoring Multiuse Trail Networks: Implications for Practice
    This case study compares strategies developed by 10 organizations for monitoring traffic on multi-use trails, including local, multi-county, statewide and multi-state trail networks.

    Authors: Greg Lindsey, PhD, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; Jeffrey S. Wilson, Department of Geography, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Jueyu Wang, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota; Tracy Hadden Loh, Research Director (former), Rails to Trails Conservancy.

  • Development of a Survey Tool to Quantify Health Impacts of Trail Use
    These findings can help trail managers, local planners, or advocates to estimate survey administration costs and maximize returns through efficient and valid data collection to conduct trail benefit assessments based on high-quality data.

    Authors: Jesse Cohn, Fehr & Peers; Tracy Hadden-Loh, Director of Research (former), Rails to Trails Conservancy; Thomas Götschi, PhD, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute at the University of Zurich.

Recent Presentations