Success Stories Page 5

The High Line in New York City | Photo by Adrian Cabrero

10 Rail-Trails That Helped Build the Movement

Posted 02/11/16 by Amy Kapp in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Celebrating 30 Years, Success Stories

In February 1986, RTC opened its doors—and since that time, trails have become the fabric of our existence—for health and physical activity, transportation, economic development, recreation and cultural impact. (They are, in a word, awesome.) In honor of RTC’s 30th anniversary, here are 10 game-changers of the rail-trail movement.

Photo courtesy Alex Blackstock | CC by 2.0

Bike-Friendly Colleges Are on the Rise

Posted 12/18/15 by Momentum Mag in Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Bike Commuting, Biking, Schools and Young People, Walkability and Bikeability

Many are familiar with the League of American Bicyclists’ List of Bike Friendly Businesses. Another category the League ranks is Bicycle Friendly Universities (BFUs). This list has only been active for four years, but the last round of designations graduated to a new level with a record-breaking number of top-performing colleges.

Steam Into History along the Heritage Rail-Trail at Hanover Junction in Pennsylvania | Photo by Katie Harris

Pennsylvania Communities Celebrate 2015 Rail-Trail Hall of Fame Designation

Posted 11/17/15 by Katie Harris in Success Stories, America's Trails | Tagged with Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania, Rail-with-Trail, Trail Destinations

Last week, the restored depot in New Freedom, Pennsylvania, played host to a crowd of area residents, local elected officials and trail enthusiasts—all of whom had assembled to celebrate an exciting event: the induction of the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail and Heritage Rail Trail County Park into Rails-to-Trail’s Conservancy’s Rail-Trail Hall of Fame!

Nov. 1, 2015, ribbon cutting for the Thorn Creek Trail and Old Plank Road Trail extensions in Chicago Heights, Illinois | Photo by Thomas' Photographic Services

Illinois Completes Southeast Portion of 500-Mile "Grand" Trail Network

Posted 11/13/15 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Connected Systems, Illinois, Trail Communities

A ribbon cutting recently took place in Chicago Heights, Illinois, to celebrate the completion of extensions for the 16-mile Thorn Creek Trail and 22-mile, in-progress Old Plank Road Trail. This is big for Cook and Will counties and big for the entire region, as it brings the 500-Mile Grand Illinois Trail Network closer to completion.

Trans Canada Trail | Photo by Sean Marshall | CC by 2.0

Discover the Trans Canada Trail

Posted 10/29/15 by Momentum Mag in Success Stories, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Connected Systems, Tourism , Trails of the World

Stretching from the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland to the Pacific coast of British Columbia, the Trans Canada Trail winds its way across mountains, plains and rainforest—a bike-friendly slice through Canada’s beautiful landscape. As one of the world’s longest networks of multiuse trails, the Trans Canada Trail connects nearly 500 individual trails across the country, building a magnificent piece of Canadian heritage.

Photo courtesy Fairmount Park Conservancy

How We Show Off Our City: Walking Is the Way to Go in Philadelphia

Posted 10/21/15 by Katie Harris in Success Stories, Health and Wellness | Tagged with Health and Active Living, Pennsylvania, Walkability and Bikeability

Few cities have better embraced walkability more than Philadelphia. According to WalkScore’s 2015 rankings, Philadelphia is the fourth most walkable city in the United States! The city has even invested in a comprehensive signage system that is custom-made for pedestrians as part of the Streetscape Improvement Program, the Walk!Philadelphia campaign.

“La bicycliste et caricature, 1897” by Montorgueil, Georges, 1857-1933 (creator) Somm, Henry, 1844-1907 (illustrator) – This image is available from the Brown University Library under the digital ID 1123259547400435. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Three Women Who Changed the Course of History On Bicycles

Posted 10/19/15 by Momentum Mag in Success Stories | Tagged with Biking, Champions

Susan B. Anthony, famed suffragette leader and women’s rights reformer, once said of the bicycle, “I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.” Anthony described the image of a woman on a bicycle as “the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”

Photo courtesy The Greenway Guy

Minnesota’s Midtown Greenway

Posted 10/16/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Minnesota, Rail-with-Trail, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Nestled 20 feet below street level in an early 20th-century railroad cut, Minnesota’s Midtown Greenway bypasses the street traffic crossing overhead on more than two dozen historical bridges. Combined with a smart design, which incorporates westbound and eastbound biking lanes, as well as a separate walking path, and you have a commuter’s paradise of both beauty and speed.

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.

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.