Policy Page 3

Kiwanis Trail in Billings, Montana | Photo by Kristi Drake

Latest Round of Federal BUILD Grants Underscores Value of Active Transportation and Need for Investment

Posted 09/25/20 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Policy | Tagged with Connected Systems, Federal, Funding, TrailsTransform

The USDOT announced its latest round of grant awards in the highly competitive BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Developments) grant program. This year, a significant portion of the total funded projects, representing more than $300 million, include active transportation elements that will help ensure safe and connected infrastructure for people to walk and bike around the country.

Northern Rail Trail | Photo by TrailLink user sc302

Five Top Trails That Make the Case for America’s Recreational Trails Program

Posted 09/21/20 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding, Idaho, Maintenance and Volunteers, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Recreational Trails Program, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives, Vermont

Nearly three decades after its inception, the need for the RTP has only intensified as trail development accelerates nationally. Looking at the rail-trail niche alone, the country has increased its number of rail-trails from around 500 to more than 2,200. And, in many places, individual trails are now coalescing into expansive networks of interconnected trails spanning hundreds of miles. Awareness and use of trails has grown in tandem—but with more footfalls, hoofbeats and wheel revolutions than ever, funding for trail maintenance is not keeping pace with demand.

C&O Canal in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. | Photo by Danielle Taylor

Great American Outdoors Act Will Boost Trails on Public Lands

Posted 08/06/20 by Mary Ellen Koontz in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Great American Rail-Trail, Recreational Trails Program

On Tuesday, Aug. 4—President Trump signed into law the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA)—a bi-partisan bill passed by the Senate and House of Representatives last month that’s regarded as one of the most impactful bills for parks and the outdoors in decades.

Cyclist in Washington, D.C. | Photo by Anthony Le

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

Posted 06/11/20 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Policy | Tagged with Connected Systems, COVID-19, Federal, Funding, Recreational Trails Program, Tourism and Economic Development, Transportation Alternatives

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.

Flint Hills Trail State Park | Courtesy Kansas Tourism

Tapping into Federal Funding: Five Trail Tales of Success

Posted 05/28/20 by Laura Stark in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with Federal, Funding, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives

We explore a handful of rail-trails that have been supported by essential Transportation Alternatives funds, and the impact they’ve had on local communities and the nation. Many of these trails are part of larger, connected networks of trails and active transportation infrastructure that provide both critical recreational opportunities and much-needed transportation options to daily destinations or transit. Others connect communities and help promote tourism or travel between towns.

Four Bills Introduced in Congress Could Mean $2 Billion Annually for Trails, Walking and Biking

Posted 03/10/20 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Federal, Funding, Recreational Trails Program, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives

This year, RTC has been working with members of Congress to introduce the missing pieces of an ambitious funding package comprising four bills that collectively call for $2 billion/year for programs dedicated to advancing a nationwide network of trails, walkways and bikeways that would result in a huge return on investment in the next couple decades.

Connectivity Evolution: Examining a Decade of Rails-to-Trails’ Impact, 2010–2020

Posted 12/31/19 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Capital Trails Coalition, Caracara, Circuit Trails, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Great American Rail-Trail, History Happened Here, IHTC, Miami LOOP, Recreational Trails Program, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Here’s a look at RTC and a decade of rail-trails—their power and their impact. As the 2010s built momentum, opportunities to maximize the power of these essential community assets became clear, and a new focus took hold at RTC and across the movement: that of regional connectivity and, ultimately, connecting the country by trail like never before. Check out RTC's connectivity evolution over the past decade.

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 Rails-to-Trails Conservancy 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.

Photo courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Shining a Light on the Transformative Impact of Trails in the Quad Cities

Posted 09/12/19 by Brandi Horton in Building Trails, Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Great American Rail-Trail, Illinois, Iowa, Local Organizing, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

The Riverfront and Great River trails, both host trails of the Great American and “spines” of a regional trail system between the states. Yet, while those trails have been so important to the region’s riverfront revitalization strategy, there is much more benefit that could be realized if two key gaps are filled, one in the Riverfront Trail in Davenport, Iowa, and the “Critical Gap Connector” between the Great River Trail and the Hennepin Canal Parkway in Illinois.

The Empire State Trail in New York City | Photo by Scott Stark

Rail-Trail State Policy 2019: Here’s What’s Happening Right now

Posted 08/29/19 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Funding, Local Organizing, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Texas, TrailNation

This year, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s state policy arm focused on strategies aimed at building financial support for trails, walking and bicycling over the long term, including the creation of advocacy infrastructure that should pay dividends for active transportation for years to come. Here’s a brief snapshot of where we are right now.

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 in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives

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.

New Transportation Bill Could Open Up More Money for Trails Nationwide

Posted 04/12/19 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Transportation Alternatives

Not to be outdone, the Senate is also considering the next big transportation bill—and they heard about the need to build trails and active transportation infrastructure loud and clear. Two recent developments are inching proposals for more and better trail funding closer to reality: First, Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) recently supported RTC’s request to fund trail networks and spines; and second, Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) introduced a bill on Tuesday (S. 1098) to improve the current federal program for active transportation. What will these proposals mean for trails? Here is RTC’s take on these recent developments.