TrailBlog Page 107

Photo © City of San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services

San Jose's Annual Trail Count Sees Usage Increase 10 percent

Posted 11/09/09 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with California, Case Studies, Facts and FIgures, Mode Shift, Trail Communities

For the past three years, the Department of Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services of the city of San Jose, Calif., has conducted an extensive user count and survey of its major trails and greenways. This year's count, which was conducted on September 23, has resulted in some encouraging statistics.

Photo © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Stephen Miller

RTC Partners with D.C. After-School Program for Bike Giveaway Along Rail-Trail

Posted 10/28/09 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with District Of Columbia, RTC in Action, Schools and Young People

On Friday, October 23, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) partnered with Beacon House, a tutoring and mentoring organization in the Edgewood neighborhood of Washington, D.C., to give free bicycles, locks, helmets and safety instruction to 40 students enrolled in Beacon House programs.

Photo © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy/Eric Orberg

Moonville Rail-Trail Saves Money by Using Old Rail Cars as Bridges

Posted 10/21/09 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, Ohio, Private Fundraising

Bridges are a costly need for rail-trails, many of which cross streams, roadways and even other rail corridors. After engineering and installation quotes were obtained from a precast bridge supplier for bridges along Ohio’s Moonville Rail-Trail, the reality of the extremely costly challenge became clear.

View the Englewood Rail to Trail Routein a larger map

Chicago's Englewood Neighborhood Aims for its Slice of Green with New ERA Trail

Posted 10/19/09 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Illinois, Trail Communities, Urban Pathways

Running through the Englewood neighborhood, which was recently described by the Chicago Sun-Times as "impoverished and desperate," the New ERA Trail would run on a nearly two-mile inactive elevated corridor currently owned by Norfolk Southern.

Pere Marquette Rail-Trail | Photo courtesy Isabella County Parks Staff

Michigan’s Pere Marquette Rail-Trail

Posted 10/01/09 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Hall of Fame, Michigan, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Few pathways take more pride in upkeep and user experience than the 30-mile Pere Marquette Rail-Trail of Mid-Michigan, which runs from Midland to Clare. There's no pea under the mattress on this evenly paved trail, and visitors are always quick to point out what a pleasant ride the Pere Marquette provides.

Active Transportation Programs Eligible for $650 million Available Through New Public Health Grants

Posted 09/30/09 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Health and Wellness | Tagged with State and Federal Programs

On September 17, 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new program: Communities Putting Prevention to Work.Thirty to forty communities will receive a total of $373 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus) dollars through this competitive grant program to support interventions that reduce obesity (through improved physical activity and nutrition) and/or reduce tobacco use.

Mural along Metropolitan Branch Trail | Photo by TrailLink user hirhoward

D.C. Residents Turn Out for Bike and Walk Tours of New Trail

Posted 09/28/09 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Trail Use | Tagged with District Of Columbia, Local Organizing, Urban Pathways

A major section of Washington, D.C.'s long-awaited Metropolitan Branch Trail is now under construction and close to completion. The first layer of asphalt was put down last week between Franklin Street and Rhode Island Avenue, and construction continues south to New York Avenue along the rest of this 1.5-mile section of trail in the Edgewood and Eckington neighborhoods.