Success Stories Page 4

Five of America’s Best Pedestrian Bridges (and Why They Matter)

Posted 10/11/15 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

Spanning waterways, railroad tracks, highways, canals and more, bridges allow us to make the necessary connections that we often take for granted. Walking infrastructure is not high on the priority list for some communities, but these spectacular bridges in the United States defy that standard, close gaps and allow access for all.

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2015 Youth Sojourn participants on the Circuit Trails network in Philadelphia | Photo courtesy Cy Maramangalam

Trails + Watersheds Get Philadelphia Youth Engaged on the Circuit Trails

Posted 09/24/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Circuit Trails, Ecology and Environment, Pennsylvania, Walkability and Bikeability, Young Champions

Pennsylvania and New Jersey residents are beginning to appreciate the importance of the regional connections made possible by the Circuit, a 750-mile in-progress trail network. Arguably no group understands that more than a handful of youth in Philadelphia, a dedicated crew of avid bicyclists, teammates and young minds called the Cadence Youth Cycling All-Stars.

Photo courtesy Love Healing Deb

RTC Mourns the Passing of Friend and Bike/Ped Advocate Deb Hubsmith

Posted 08/19/15 by Marianne Wesley Fowler in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with California, Success Stories

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was deeply saddened by the passing of our friend and colleague Deb Hubsmith on Aug. 18, 2015, after a two-year battle with acute myeloid leukemia. She was 46. Deb was a passionate, persistent and amazingly gifted champion for the many advances the nation has seen in trails and bike/ped policy and practice over the past 20 years.

The Testermans on the C&O Canal Towpath | Photo by Brian Gerhardstein

Washington Couple Meets Retirement—One Rail-Trail at a Time

Posted 07/20/15 by Elizabeth Striano in Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with California, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging

After years of running a household and raising their children, and a long career as a veterinarian, Ann and Bill Testerman are starting a new life in retirement together by biking the United States, one rail-trail at a time.

Walnut Street Bridge in Chattanooga | Photo courtesy The Trust for Public Land

Transforming Chattanooga: How Rail-with-Trail Is Shaping the City's Future

Posted 06/26/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Rail-with-Trail, Tennessee

Dubbed the "Dirtiest City in America" in 1969, the Chattanooga of today is leaps and bounds away from that bleak vision. The "Scenic City" now boasts a flourishing outdoor culture and can proudly consider itself a healthy place for recreation, green space and living a full and healthy life.

Elroy-Sparta 50th Anniversary Celebration - left to right: Stephanie Klett, Wisconsin secretary of tourism; Kurt Thiede, deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Keith Laughlin, RTC president; Brigit Brown, Wisconsin trails coordinator; and former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson | Photo courtesy RTC

The Trail That Started It All: Elroy-Sparta Celebrates 50 Years

Posted 06/15/15 by Elizabeth Striano in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with Community Events, Success Stories, Wisconsin

Earlier this month, one of the oldest rail-trails in the nation turned 50! RTC President Keith Laughlin joined local leaders and residents from several towns along the trail’s path at a 50th anniversary ceremony sponsored by Friends of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.

A still-standing coaling tower relic on the Armstrong Trail | Photo by Ron Steffey

A Well-Fought Battle for Good: The Armstrong Trail

Posted 05/23/15 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Overcoming Opposition, Pennsylvania, Success Stories

The 36-mile Armstrong Trail was forged in a fire hotter than any other. And, as the saying goes, those types of fires forge the strongest steel. Read about the incredible history of the creation of this western Pennsylvania rail-trail.

Avid cyclists and 80-somethings Jack and Jeannette Ralston of Tennessee | Photo courtesy Jack and Jeannette Ralston

“They Think We’re Nuts”: Being in Their 80s Won’t Stop This Biking Duo

Posted 04/27/15 by Katie Harris in Trail Use, Success Stories | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, Tennessee

Remember Jack and Jeannette Ralston, the amazing couple who recently achieved a 70-years-plus dream of riding their bikes in every state (their story was originally featured in a 2013 issue of Rails to Trails)? They are still going strong! The Ralstons just took a trip to the Tweetsie Trail, a recently completed and stunningly beautiful rail-trail outside of Johnson City, Tennessee.

Atlanta's Eastside Trail | Photo by Ryan Gravel

Transforming Atlanta

Posted 04/21/15 by Rebecca Serna in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Georgia, Success Stories, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Today, a decade and a half after Georgia Tech graduate student Ryan Gravel laid out a simple, elegant vision for Atlanta's former railroad tracks in his master’s thesis, it’s safe to say that the city is once again being shaped by the convergence of railroad tracks and development.

Photo by Joe Gall

Made in Detroit: Energy, Optimism and the Resurgence of America's Motor City

Posted 04/08/15 by Jake Lynch in Success Stories | Tagged with Biking, Featured Magazine Articles, Michigan, Success Stories

At the Motown Café and Grill on East Jefferson Avenue one October morning last year, a small group gathers in a booth near the window. The visitors peer out, studying with some interest the wide roadway in front of the diner. Minutes pass between solitary cars. The six lanes of East Jefferson Avenue—as wide as most interstate highways—are for the most part empty. “For people who do what we do,” says one of the visitors, a man from Ohio, “this city is amazing.” Around the Motown, eyebrows are raised. It is a description that, in recent times, is not often heard here in Detroit.

The Bay Trail is helping to preserve the natural beauty and heritage of the San Francisco Bay Area region. | Photo by TJ Gehling

San Francisco Bay Trail: Environmental Icon, Public Asset

Posted 03/18/15 by Katie Harris in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with California, OpeningDay, Trail Destinations

On March 28, 2015—people around the nation will be getting out to celebrate their favorite pathways and kick off spring in honor of RTC’s third annual Opening Day for Trails. As Opening Day approaches, we're pleased to bring you this great example of how a trail in the San Francisco Bay Area is getting people where they need to go—and helping to preserve the region's environmental legacy and natural beauty.

Midway across the span of the Chartiers Creek Bridge | Photo courtesy Kordite | CC by 2.0

Pennsylvania's Montour Trail

Posted 03/16/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

In terms of rail-trail mileage, Pennsylvania dominates, but in a crowded field, the Montour Trail—which forms a 55-mile arc around western Pittsburgh—is a standout with plenty of “wow” moments.