Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Do Trails Really Equal Dollars for Trail-side Communities? Here's What Business Owners Say

Posted 10/10/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Success Stories | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Pennsylvania, Statements of Support, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Though the communities that have developed significant rail-trail networks can attest to the positive impact trail traffic has on local businesses, elsewhere this phenomenon still has its doubters.

Photo © Friends of the Salem Bike-Ped Corridor

With Strong Local Support, Rail-Trail Projects Move Forward in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania

Posted 10/10/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, State and Federal Programs

Excellent rail-trail news out of the Northeast this week, with communities in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania taking important steps toward opening new segments in their area.

Photo of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Carl Knoch

Adirondack Corridor - America's Next Great Rail-Trail

Posted 10/10/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, New York, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Though there are more than 1,700 rail-trails across America, covering all different shapes and sizes, a small handful stand out as true superstars of the rail-trail movement. On this list are trails such as the Route of the Hiawatha in Idaho, the Katy Trail State Park in Missouri, and Vermont's Island Line. Right now, plans are afoot for the conversion of former rail corridor that, when completed, will immediately force its way into that elite company.

Florida's Rail-Trail Champion Continues to Give

Posted 10/02/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Taking Action | Tagged with Champions, Florida, Signage and Amenities

When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) named Florida's Brian Smith one of the 25 inaugural Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions, it was in recognition of the years of labor and expertise he had given to the creation and expansion of the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, one of Florida's most popular and unique urban pathways.

Erie Canalway Trail, New York

Posted 10/01/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Heritage and Restoration, New York, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

The Erie Canalway Trail, which traces the canal's route for nearly 365 miles from Buffalo to the state capital in Albany, stands to be one of the longest multi-use trails in the nation when it's completed.

Powerful Story of N.Z. Rail-Trail Rejuvenating Rural Communities

Posted 09/28/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Success Stories, Trail Use | Tagged with Overcoming Opposition, Statements of Support, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

This wonderful video from the folks at Path Less Pedaled demonstrates that the power of rail-trails is universal.

How To: Attract Trail Traffic to Your Business

Posted 09/27/12 by Jake Lynch in Building Trails | Tagged with How-to

This past summer, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's 2012 Greenway Sojourn along the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal towpath was a great opportunity to talk with local business owners about just how much the trail traffic helps their business, and things they have been able to do to attract more bikers and hikers off the trail and into their stores.

RTC Study of California DOT Reveals Need to Improve Bike/Ped Culture

Posted 09/27/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with California, Design Strategies, State and Federal Programs

How prepared are the planners, designers, engineers and work crews of our state departments of transportation to deliver this active transportation infrastructure? Aware of the critical role of these staff in facilitating walking and biking, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) recently led a study of the California Department of Transportation's (Caltrans) bicycle- and pedestrian-related technical training for its staff.

With Highway Project Opposed, Trail Becomes Transportation Solution in Connecticut

Posted 09/25/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Connecticut, State and Federal Programs

The proposed Norwalk River Valley Trail in southwest Connecticut continues from great idea toward reality, with the completion of a design for a 27-mile, mixed use trail, utilizing both active and disused rail corridors, between Norwalk and Danbury.

Middlesex County, N.J., Converts Unused Land Into Valued Local Asset

Posted 09/24/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Success Stories, Building Trails | Tagged with New Jersey, Statements of Support

The Middlesex Greenway, which runs between Woodbridge, Metuchen and Edison in north-central New Jersey, now forms an important link in the developing East Coast Greenway, an ambitious project to connect nearly 3,000 miles of trails between Canada and Key West, Fla.

Rail-Trail Extension Brings Activity, Attention to Fryeburg, Maine

Posted 09/22/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Maine, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The people of Fryeburg in southwestern Maine are celebrating. Their New Hampshire neighbors in Conway are envious. What's the source of all the fuss? A new section of the Mountain Division Trail is finished and set to open next week, and already the local residents and business people are anticipating it will build on the successes of the first phase.

Texas Community Mourns Passing of Iris Stagner, 54

Posted 09/21/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Taking Action | Tagged with Champions, Texas

The bicycling community is today mourning the loss of one of its most loved and respected advocates. Iris Stagner, a member of the BikeTexas Board of Directors and a longtime promoter of bike safety and education, was killed on Monday after being hit by a pickup truck while riding on U.S. Route 180 outside Mineral Wells, Texas.

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