Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Trail Blog

If It Passes, Everything Will Change. What If It Fails?

Posted 09/19/14 by Ken Bryan in Taking Action, Policy | Tagged with Ecology and Environment, Florida

If passed, the Florida Water, Land and Legacy Conservation Amendment (Amendment 1) would provide upwards of $16 billion over 20 years for the protection and restoration of environmentally sensitive lands and water resources. This funding could be used in many instances to build and maintain trails.

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Finding Common Ground for Balanced Transportation in Pennsylvania

Posted 09/16/14 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Federal, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs

Founded by transportation policy veteran George Wolff, the Keystone Coalition comprises more than 100 advocacy groups from seemingly disparate sectors but with an interest in making transportation work for Pennsylvanians.

Photo © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Ada Hao

Putting Safety First: U.S. DOT Takes Major Step Forward to Prioritize Safety for Bicyclists and Pedestrians

Posted 09/15/14 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Government Agencies, Safety and Law Enforcement, State and Federal Programs

Last week, U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Secretary Anthony Foxx announced the department’s new plan to increase walking and biking and reduce pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities. The initiative seeks to improve safety by supporting better infrastructure for walking and bicycling, and providing research and tools for local governments and advocates.

Putting It All Together: How One Pennsylvania Agency Is Turning Community Trail Visions into Reality

Posted 09/04/14 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Government Agencies, Pennsylvania, State and Federal Programs

For many, government agencies represent a land of endless bureaucracy, where dreams of new trails wither, bogged down by mountains of paperwork and red tape. Not so at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), which has played a key role in creating new trails for over two decades. To date, Pennsylvania has more than 1,700 miles of trails.

California Approves $43 Million for Trail Projects in First Round of Active Transportation Program

Posted 09/02/14 by Laura Cohen in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Products of Good Policy, State and Federal Programs

Twenty trail projects in California got good news in August when they were funded in the first round of Statewide and Rural projects under California’s new Active Transportation Program (ATP).

Congress Passes Short-Term Fix for Transportation Funding; So What Will Happen to Trails, Walking and Biking?

Posted 08/04/14 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Threats to Trail Building

On July 31, 2014 the Senate agreed to pass H.R. 5021. This bill, which passed in the U.S. House of Representatives the week before, will temporarily shore up the Highway Trust Fund and extend the current MAP-21 transportation funding bill, originally to fund transportation through Sept. 30, 2014, until May 2015.

What Happens When a Member of Congress Attacks Trail Funding?

Posted 07/14/14 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Federal, Pennsylvania, RTC in Action, Threats to Trail Building

Though it may not have made news headlines in your community, last Friday a significant battle was won in our never-ending defense of America's trails.

Fighting for TIGER: Thousands of Trail Supporters Speak Out

Posted 06/13/14 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Taking Action, Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Threats to Trail Building

On Monday, we asked trail users like you to support TIGER, a critical federal program that supports investments in trails, walking and biking. In just a few hours, thousands of you wrote to your representatives, and thanks to your swift action, support for TIGER has only grown.

Senate’s Turn Part I: Senate Committee Takes On the Transportation Reauthorization Bill

Posted 05/21/14 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Threats to Trail Building

Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed a bill (S. 2322) to reauthorize MAP-21, the federal transportation legislation passed in 2012, which will expire at the end of September. The new bill seeks to fund transportation projects at status quo levels plus inflation through fiscal year 2020. The underlying premise of the bill is that transportation policies should not change substantially but should only be marginally refined, that long-term funding is critical for large infrastructure projects and that the current funding levels are acceptable.

Obama Bill Offers Way Forward on Active Transportation

Posted 05/02/14 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs

This week, the White House and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx put forward the GROW AMERICA Act, a bill which would increase funding for transportation infrastructure in the United States. GROW AMERICA includes provisions that could support the development of active transportation networks; that is, infrastructure for human-powered modes of transportation such as walking and biking.

International Report Calls for Greater Investment in Cycling-Friendly Infrastructure, Policies

Posted 03/25/14 by Elissa Southward in Policy | Tagged with Products of Good Policy, Transportation and Health

At the end of last year, the International Transport Forum (ITF) Working Group on Cycling Safety released a report titled, "Cycling, Health and Safety." This report has put forth that the positive benefits of cycling (e.g., increased physical activity, impact on mortality and chronic disease, reduction in carbon emissions from motorized transportation) far outweigh the risks (e.g., crash injury risk to cyclists, health reduction from breathing in polluted air in an urban environment).

What the Marvin M. Brandt Case Means for America’s Rail-Trails

Posted 03/17/14 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Legal Issues, Threats to Trail Building, Wyoming

On March 10, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the case of Marvin M. Brandt Revocable Trust et al. v. United States. The issue in this case was whether the federal government retains an interest in railroad rights-of-way that were created by the federal General Railroad Right-of-Way Act of 1875, after the cessation of railroad activity on the corridor.

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