Policy Page 7

Photo CC rp_photo via Flickr

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.

Photo CC Radloff via Flickr

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.

Photo © Patrick Gage

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.

Photo CC Adam Fagen via Flickr

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.

Photo CC Bike Texas via Flickr

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).

Photo © Mark Fischer

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.

Photo CC MyWheelsareTurning via Flickr

Complete Streets: Recently Introduced Bills Could Further Active Transportation in U.S.

Posted 02/28/14 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Federal, Funding

A couple weeks ago, the Partnership for Active Transportation—a national coalition of transportation, health and economic development groups organized by RTC—released our federal policy platform calling for three policy innovations: greater investment in active transportation networks, innovative financing to leverage the private value of these investments, and the integration of health impacts into transportation decision-making.

Photo CC Dr. Ted Eytan

Cross-Sector Coalition Calls for Investment in America’s Active Transportation Networks

Posted 02/14/14 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Federal, Funding

On Feb. 11, 2014, during a morning presentation on Capitol Hill, the Partnership for Active Transportation launched Safe Routes to Everywhere, a federal policy platform calling for cost-effective investments in active transportation networks to meet the changing mobility patterns and needs of today’s America. The Partnership is a dynamic cross-sector coalition convened by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy that unites leading groups addressing transportation, public health and community development.