In an effort to conserve rail corridors while still allowing rail carriers to discontinue use on unprofitable lines, the U.S. Congress included a unique and prescient provision within the National Trails System Act Amendments of 1983. The Rails to Trails Act allowed the federal government to regulate the disposition of soon-to-be abandoned railroad lines to preserve the right-of-way in case the need for […]

This document describes how to use a new method to analyze the quality of service provided by shared-use paths of various widths that accommodate various travel mode splits. Given a count or an estimate of the overall path user volume in the design hour, the new method described here can provide the level of service […]

A guide prepared for land trusts, watershed councils, federal, state and local land management agencies, landowners interested in wetland education, ecotourism, or related subjects. The summary is based upon a series of studies and workshops conducted by the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) including a survey of approximately 100 wetland interpretive sites, most of […]

Trails and greenways create opportunities for people of all ages to bicycle, walk, hike and jog. Across the country, trails and greenways are stimulating tourism and recreation spending, and in many rural communities they are seen as a catalyst for economic growth. In providing attractive, safe, accessible, and low- or no-cost places, they also make it easier for people to […]

This checklist for starting your trail project will help you gather information to create a vision for your trail or greenway project. The questions help you identify what type of trail you can create and how you can build support for it.

The need for this report arose from a discussion between CSX Railroad and the City of Philadelphia over safety and liability concerns regarding street-level access to the Schuylkill River Park Trail in Philadelphia.This paper reviews surveys performed by RTC and the U.S. Department of Transportation which found no crashes between trains and trail users on […]

The purpose of this manual is to help you implement a trail user survey and determine the economic impact that your trail has on your community. Four sample survey forms are included in the appendix of this manual.

Development of Transportation Enhancement (TE) projects always entails a basic level of environmental review. In some cases, the environmental review and remediation process can be complicated by the presence of toxic substances. The rehabilitation of a historic building could require removal of lead paint or asbestos; creation of a new park on a former industrial […]

This report is one in a three part series looking at linear recreation corridors, or trails, in Virginia. The intent of the series is to quantify a number of issues related to recreational trail use across different types of trails in the State. These issues broadly include: (1) trail use, (2) user demographics and preferences, […]

Trails and greenways create health and wellness benefits for people of all ages with attractive, safe, accessible places to bike, walk, hike, jog, skate or ski. In doing so, they make it easier for people to engage in physical activity. With more health-focused initiatives in progress and more trails on the ground than ever before, the evidence is beginning to accumulate […]