Policy Page 5

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.

Trail Geek Terminology (A Cheat-Sheet to Satisfy Your Inner Wonk)

Posted 01/29/18 by Amy Kapp in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Corridors and Railbanking, Design Strategies, Facts and FIgures, Federal, Government Agencies, History Happened Here, Legal Issues, Mode Shift, Recreational Trails Program, TrailsTransform, Transportation Alternatives, Walkability and Bikeability

RTC's put together this little trail-geek cheat sheet so that we can all bone up on our trail and active-transportation policy speak.

Photo by Ada Hao, Courtesy RTC

First Glimpses of Infrastructure Proposal Trickle Out: Here's What It Could Mean for America's Trails

Posted 01/25/18 by Kevin Mills in Policy, America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Partnership for Active Transportation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump promoted an idea that nearly all Americans agree on: Fund infrastructure to revitalize America’s crumbling roads, railways, water systems and more. Since then, RTC has been closely tracking the prospect of an infrastructure bill to maximize opportunities for trails, walking and biking.

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.

Brent Hugh, executive director of the Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Federation, speaks at the rally. | Photo by Brandi Horton

Six Ways RTC Made a Difference for Trails This Year

Posted 11/30/17 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, BATC, Best Of, California, Circuit Trails, Encouraging Trail Use, Equity, Facts and FIgures, Florida, Funding, Local Organizing, Mapping and Technology, Maryland, Miami LOOP, Missouri, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tourism and Economic Development, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Communities, Walkability and Bikeability

As 2017 draws to a close, here’s a look back at six ways RTC made a difference for trails. Through our work, we witness trails strengthening economies, putting people first when it comes to mobility, promoting health and protecting our environment.

Photo by Amy Kapp, courtesy RTC

Ohio Legislative Trails Caucus Helps Kick Off Ohio’s “Year of the Trails”

Posted 11/06/17 by Brian K. Housh in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Community Events, Demand for Trails, Funding, IHTC, Local Organizing, Ohio, State and Federal Programs, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Why Use Trails?

This fall 2017 kicks off Ohio’s Year of the Trails, so named by the state legislature, and with multiple trail networks under development—at the local, cross-state and even interstate levels—there is definite cause for celebration.

Tampa Riverwalk, funded by a TIGER grant | Photo courtesy Matthew Paulson | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

How Funding for Trails Moves America: 5 Trails Funded by TIGER

Posted 08/22/17 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in America's Trails, Success Stories, Policy | Tagged with Arkansas, Case Studies, District Of Columbia, Federal, Funding, Georgia, Indiana, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Private Fundraising, State and Federal Programs, Success Stories, Trail Destinations, Transportation Alternatives

The federal TIGER program has funded more than $340 million in projects for trails, walking and biking to date—making it a powerful resource for those who want to create multimodal transportation choices in their communities for those who cannot or choose not to drive. Through the leveraging of additional federal, state, local and even private philanthropic sources, the highly competitive program (which also funds highway, freight rail, transit and maritime projects) promotes interplay between all levels of government and the private sector and strikes a good deal for federal transportation investments.

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.

New River Trail State Park, Virginia | Photo by Tom Bilcze

Moving the Dial: RTC Celebrates 30 Years of Impact

Posted 08/15/17 by Brandi Horton in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories, Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Best Of, Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, RTC in Action, Success Stories, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

For three decades, we have served as the national voice for trails, establishing a movement and setting the precedent that rail-trails are need-to-have community assets. As we build momentum, it’s a great time to pause and reflect on our achievements—and those of the rail-trail movement—summarized in RTC’s recently released 2016 Annual Report.

Napa Valley Vine Trail in California | Photo courtesy TrailLink.com/tommyonbike

California Ups the Ante With Billion-Dollar Active Transportation Plan

Posted 06/05/17 by Laura Cohen, Andrew Dupuy in Policy | Tagged with California, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Funding, State and Federal Programs

On the tail of a historic three-year funding ride for biking and walking projects, California upped the ante this spring by announcing a $1 billion increase to its innovative Active Transportation Program (ATP) over the next decade.

Photo courtesy Gareth Milner | CC BY 2.0

White House Budget Sets Troublesome Tone for Trails

Posted 05/24/17 by Kevin Mills, Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Federal, Funding, Partnership for Active Transportation, RAISE, Recreational Trails Program, State and Federal Programs

Yesterday, the president released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018. While White House budget proposals are little more than agenda-setting exercises—and many in Congress have said that this one is dead on arrival—the agenda it aims to set would not be good for trails, walking and biking.