Posts by Patrick Wojahn

The “INVEST in America” Act: A Strong, But Unfinished, Vision for America’s Transportation Future

Posted 06/11/20 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Connected Systems, COVID-19, Federal, Funding, Tourism and Economic Development

Cyclist in Washington, D.C. | Courtesy iStock by Getty Images

June 3, 2020, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released the INVEST in America Act. The bill tackles many of the most critical issues—including safety, climate and maintenance; however, there is room for more innovation, including a commitment to invest in connected active-transportation infrastructure, to make walking and bicycling safer, more equitable and more convenient for Americans.

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The Underline in Miami, Florida | Photo by Lee Smith

USDOT Awards Over $120 Million to Benefit Trails and Active Transportation Around the Nation

Posted 11/13/19 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Alabama, Federal, Funding, Miami LOOP, Missouri, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

On Nov. 12, 2019, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded substantial grants to support several trail and active transportation projects, as well as multimodal projects with trail and active transportation elements, around the country. These investments rose to the top in the highly competitive BUILD program (or Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Developments), which has taken the place of the popular TIGER grant program as USDOT’s means of funding important transportation projects that otherwise lack sufficient funding from other sources.

United States Capitol during the national cherry blossom festival in Washington, D.C.

A Senate Committee Just Approved a Transportation Bill for America—Here’s What It Means for Trails

Posted 07/30/19 by Kevin Mills, Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, TrailsTransform

The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW Committee) passed the bipartisan America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019, or ATIA, and is making progress more than a year before the FAST Act expires. This gives us optimism at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) that Congress will be able to come together to invest in a balanced transportation system. But there's still work to be done.

Baltimore, MD | Photo by Side A Photography

Maryland Communities Are Hungry for Trails—and the Maryland General Assembly Can Help

Posted 02/27/19 by Patrick Wojahn in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Funding, Great American Rail-Trail, Local Organizing, Maryland, State and Federal Programs, TrailNation

With several landmark trail networks in progress, the State of Maryland is poised to serve as a nationwide example for other states. Marylanders are increasingly recognizing the benefits of trails for health, transportation and economic development. And many communities in the “Old Line State”—whether in the I-95 corridor’s suburban and urban areas, the fields of the Eastern Shore or the mountainous Western panhandle—are developing trail master plans and investing in trail networks.

Burke-Gilman Trail | Photo by Barbara Richey

Nation’s Mayors Support a New Vision for Connected Walking and Bicycling Routes

Posted 07/11/18 by Patrick Wojahn in America's Trails, Policy | Tagged with Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Mapping and Technology, Mode Shift, Ohio, Walkability and Bikeability

Just last month, the nation’s mayors met in Boston for the Annual Meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors. Each year, more than 30,000 mayors from all around the country converge to help set a unified policy agenda for a diverse range of issues—including health, education, economic development and, not least in our minds, transportation and infrastructure.

A Prescription for Congress: Invest in Transportation That Meets Americans' Needs

Posted 02/13/18 by Patrick Wojahn, Kevin Mills in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Mode Shift, Partnership for Active Transportation, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

President Trump released his proposal for federal policy to build—and rebuild—our nation’s infrastructure. More infrastructure investment could be great for America, but only if it is invested in a balanced transportation system that meets the evolving needs of 21st-century America. Balanced transportation means investing in maintenance for our roads and bridges. It means investing in public transit and rail systems.

Photo by Ada Hao, courtesy RTC

A Message to President Trump and Congress: Trails Transform Our Nation

Posted 01/17/18 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Biking, California, Connected Systems, Federal, Florida, Funding, Kentucky, Miami LOOP, Pennsylvania, TrailsTransform, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, West Virginia

President Donald J. Trump is on the verge of releasing his principles for a bill to fund infrastructure over the next 10 years. He and his top officials have already given some clues about what the bill will include, but one thing we have yet to see is the role that trails will play.

Mount Vernon Trail in Northern Virginia | Photo by Milo Bateman

Trail Policy 2017: The Latest Reports from Washington

Posted 08/17/17 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Federal, Funding, State and Federal Programs

When Congress returns after Labor Day with 12 legislative days left in the fiscal year, there will be a lot on the agenda! In this video, Leeann Sinpatanasakul and Patrick Wojahn—Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s advocacy manager and director of government relations, respectively—break down what’s in store for trails.

Photo courtesy Tim Tai | CC BY-NC 2.0

Secretary Foxx’s Parting Gift for Trails and Active Transportation Could Impact America

Posted 03/02/17 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Walkability and Bikeability

In the waning hours of his time as secretary of transportation, Anthony Foxx issued a regulation that could, if implemented, be a true gift to cyclists and pedestrians around the country. The regulation—which was developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)—integrates multiple recommendations from the trail community to ensure biking and walking are considered when measuring the effectiveness of our transportation system. Here’s a quick recap!

Photo Courtesy Adam Coppola Photography

New Congress, New President: What’s Ahead for Trails?

Posted 01/24/17 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

This is a significant time for America. The 115th Congress is underway, and a new administration is taking its place in Washington, D.C. On the heels of what has arguably been the most divisive presidential election in modern history, there is much uncertainty about what’s to come, including for active transportation—trails, walking and biking.

Commuter in the D.C. Metro Area | Photo courtesy Washington Area Bicyclist Association | CC by 2.0

Why “People Before Cars” Can Help Curb Traffic Congestion

Posted 08/26/16 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with District Of Columbia, Maryland, Overcoming Opposition, Products of Good Policy, RTC in Action, Threats to Trail Building, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

“The congestion in our region is real. Very real. Every-single-day real,” writes RTC Director of Government Relations and Mayor of College Park, Maryland, Patrick Wojahn, in an Aug. 26 Washington Post Op-Ed about traffic in the District and how people-powered mobility can do much to help alleviate it.

GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, South Carolina | Photo by Ian Curcio

Transportation for People or Cars? USDOT’s New Rule Focuses Only on Highways.

Posted 08/10/16 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with RTC in Action, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

If a person uses a trail to get to work or school, and no one is around to measure the trip, do they count? That is the question RTC has asked in response to a new performance measure rule proposed by the United States Department of Transportation.