Policy Page 4

With a population of 1.5 million in Manhattan alone, New York has plenty of people willing to brave a cold and gusty winter day on the Hudson River Valley Greenway. | Photo by Scott Stark

State of the States: Here’s What’s on the Policy Horizon in 2019

Posted 02/07/19 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy | Tagged with California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Funding, IHTC, Indiana, Local Organizing, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Texas, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Wisconsin

Now, as 2019 gets underway, RTC’s state policy team has its antenna up for new opportunities to fund trails at the state level—and continue to build momentum for trail building nationwide. Below is a summary on the state of the states for trails, walking and biking.

Baltimore, Maryland | Photo by Side A Photography

Protecting Trails in 2018: Five Ways We Mobilized in Communities This Year

Posted 11/15/18 by Amy Kapp, Brandi Horton in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy, Taking Action, Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, Case Studies, Community Events, Corridors and Railbanking, Demand for Trails, Equity, Federal, Funding, Health and Active Living, IHTC, Legal Issues, Local Organizing, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rock Island, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives, Transportation and Health, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington, Wisconsin

All across the country—from the great redwoods of California, to the trestles of Missouri, to the stream valleys and neighborhoods of Baltimore, Maryland—Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) and the national trail community put itself on the front lines to protect and defend trails in 2018. Here are five ways we mobilized in communities this year.

Dave Schlabowske, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Bike Fed, discusses the value of building a Trails Caucus | Photo by Brian Housh, courtesy RTC

Trail Caucus Kicks Off to Connect Wisconsin as New Projects Build Momentum

Posted 10/10/18 by Willie Karidis in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Community Events, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

Last week, an active and enthusiastic crowd of public officials, trail advocates, business owners and avid cyclists in Wisconsin gathered at the Wisconsin Bike Fed offices and Velobahn Coffee & Cycle to kick off the state’s newly formed Legislative Trails Caucus.

2018 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions Award ceremony | Photo by Hung Tran

Central Author of Historic Trail Legislation Named 2018 Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion

Posted 09/27/18 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Policy, Taking Action, Success Stories, Building Trails | Tagged with Champions, Demand for Trails, Federal, History Happened Here, Rail-Trail Champion

One of the most important moments in the history of the rail-trail movement happened behind the scenes, with little fanfare or notice, when National Park Service (NPS) staffer Peter Raynor drafted an invaluable piece of legislation in just a few words.

The Chief Ladiga Trail in Alabama travels along and over Terrapin Creek. | Photo by Tom Dulaney

The State of Funding for Trails, Walking and Biking: A Mixed Bag

Posted 09/13/18 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding, Transportation Alternatives

Since the program’s inception in 1991, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has been monitoring how these funds have been invested and the projects that have been built. Each year, the results are published in RTC’s Transportation Alternatives Spending Report. The most recent report was just released, summarizing how states used Transportation Alternatives funding in 2017.

East Lake Sammamish Trail in King County, Washington | Photo by Barbara Richey, courtesy Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Rails-to-Trails Legal Team Protects Two Trail Corridors in Washington State

Posted 08/21/18 by Eli Griffen in Taking Action, Policy | Tagged with Legal Issues, RTC in Action, Threats to Trail Building, Washington

Last year, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s (RTC’s) legal team became actively involved in two cases—Hornish Joint Living Trust, et al. v. King County, and Kaseburg et al. v. King County, et al., involving attacks on railbanked rail-trails in King County. On Aug. 3, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of King County in both of these cases, rejecting attempts by adjacent landowners to limit the rights of trail managers to use the full width of the right of way. The Ninth Circuit ruling was a decisive victory that sets an important precedent for trail groups in the United States.

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.

South Beach Trail | Photo by Lee Smith

Rails-to-Trails State Policy Mid-Year Recap: What’s Happening

Posted 07/11/18 by Andrew Dupuy, Brian K. Housh in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, California, Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, Florida, Funding, IHTC, Maryland, Miami LOOP, Minnesota, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

With a majority of our states’ legislatures having adjourned for the year (or not meeting at all in 2018), let’s take a look at how Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has recently supported trails, walking and biking through its work in America’s state capitols, particularly this past spring. The news is good: States continue to increase their commitments to connecting healthy, thriving communities through enhanced networks of safe trails, bike lanes and walking paths.

Left to Right: Senators Sean O’Brien and Steve Wilson | Photo by Brian Housh

Ohio Senators Steve Wilson and Sean O’Brien on Creating a Statewide Trail System

Posted 05/11/18 by Amy Kapp in Policy, America's Trails | Tagged with IHTC, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

In Spring 2017, Ohio launched the Ohio Legislative Trails Caucus, a bipartisan group of state-elected officials committed to connecting Ohioans via a statewide trails network. RTC recently chatted with Sens. Wilson and O’Brien about their passion for walking and biking, their goals for the caucus and their vision to improve the quality of life for all citizens.

2017 Opening Day for Trails celebration on the Circuit Trails | Photo by Lauren Lenko

Exit the TIGER, Enter BUILD: What Does It Mean for Trails?

Posted 04/24/18 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Partnership for Active Transportation, State and Federal Programs, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced a new program, BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development), which replaces the wildly popular TIGER program and also seeks to pursue many of the principles in the White House infrastructure plan on a small scale. Here’s what these changes mean for trails and the future of walking and biking investment.

San Francisco Bay Trail in Fort Mason, California | Photo by Cindy Barks

How California’s “Prop. 68” Could Be a Big Win for Trails, Walking and Biking

Posted 04/16/18 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Facts and FIgures, Funding, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tourism , Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities

The Parks, Environment and Water Bond, on this June's statewide ballot as Proposition 68, or “Prop. 68,” includes major funding opportunities for trails, biking and walking. We’re encouraging all California voters to get out and vote yes in June on this long overdue $4 billion investment in parks, trails and clean, safe water.

Hudson River Valley Greenway, a segment of the developing Empire State Trail in New York | Photo by Scott Stark

State Policy Snapshot: A Look at Trail Funding and Advocacy in 2017 and Beyond

Posted 03/01/18 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with BATC, California, Caracara, Circuit Trails, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, IHTC, Local Organizing, Miami LOOP, New York, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Tennessee, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy monitors state legislative houses across the country to look for opportunities to advocate for new and innovative funding programs—as well defend and support trail funding under attack. And in 2017, RTC helped pass more than $103 million in recurring funding and more than $238 million in one-time funds for trails, walking and biking in states around the country.