Cross-Sector Collaboration

California Invests Big in Trails, Demonstrates Growing Statewide Demand for Walking and Biking Infrastructure

Posted 03/29/19 by Ben Kaufman, Laura Cohen in Policy | Tagged with BATC, California, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Funding, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs

Skunk Train passing on Willits Rail-Trail | Photo by Laura Cohen

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) recently approved more than $280 million in Active Transportation Program (ATP) funding (Cycle 4) to support 59 trail, walking and biking projects throughout the state, with about half—some $139 million—going to trails and separated bikeway projects (hereafter collectively referred to as “trails”). This huge investment in trails comes on the tails of a $1 billion increase in ATP funds over the next decade, announced last year with the approval of Senate Bill 1 (SB 1).

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Photo by Jeff London

Pennsylvania’s Mahoning Shadow Trail

Posted 02/12/19 by Danielle Taylor in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Best Of, Community Events, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Funding, Health and Active Living, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Pennsylvania, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Learn how the legendary groundhog Punxsutawney Phil helped create the Pennsylvania's Mahoning Shadow Trail in RTC's trail of the month feature.

Dave Schlabowske, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Bike Fed, discusses the value of building a Trails Caucus | Photo by Brian Housh, courtesy RTC

Trail Caucus Kicks Off to Connect Wisconsin as New Projects Build Momentum

Posted 10/10/18 by Willie Karidis in America's Trails, Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Community Events, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Demand for Trails, Design Strategies, Health and Active Living, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, Route of the Badger, RTC in Action, Trail Communities, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Urban Pathways, Walkability and Bikeability

Last week, an active and enthusiastic crowd of public officials, trail advocates, business owners and avid cyclists in Wisconsin gathered at the Wisconsin Bike Fed offices and Velobahn Coffee & Cycle to kick off the state’s newly formed Legislative Trails Caucus.

View from the Augusta Canal | Photo courtesy Augusta Convention and Visitors Bureau

Georgia’s Augusta Canal Trail

Posted 08/13/18 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Georgia, Heritage and Restoration, History Happened Here, Local Organizing, Trail Businesses, Trail Communities, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month, Walkability and Bikeability

Like the fabled yellow brick road, Georgia’s Augusta Canal Trail unfolds with a soft orange hue and unexpected delights with every footstep or turn of the wheel. The packed-dirt trail, spanning just shy of 8 miles, follows an old towpath that is enveloped in history, paralleling the oldest continuously operating hydropower canal in the United States.

Photo by Ada Hao, Courtesy RTC

First Glimpses of Infrastructure Proposal Trickle Out: Here's What It Could Mean for America's Trails

Posted 01/25/18 by Kevin Mills in Policy, America's Trails, Building Trails | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Federal, Funding, Government Agencies, Partnership for Active Transportation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump promoted an idea that nearly all Americans agree on: Fund infrastructure to revitalize America’s crumbling roads, railways, water systems and more. Since then, RTC has been closely tracking the prospect of an infrastructure bill to maximize opportunities for trails, walking and biking.

Napa Valley Vine Trail in California | Photo courtesy TrailLink.com/tommyonbike

California Ups the Ante With Billion-Dollar Active Transportation Plan

Posted 06/05/17 by Laura Cohen, Andrew Dupuy in Policy | Tagged with California, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Funding, State and Federal Programs

On the tail of a historic three-year funding ride for biking and walking projects, California upped the ante this spring by announcing a $1 billion increase to its innovative Active Transportation Program (ATP) over the next decade.

Inaugural September 11th National Memorial Trail Alliance ride, Liberty State Park, Sept. 10, 2015 | Photo by Gail Zavian

Trail of Tributes: September 11 Memorial Trail Honors America's Fallen Heroes

Posted 09/08/16 by Maureen Hannan in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Featured Magazine Articles, Trail Destinations

Fifteen years after the 9/11 tragedy, the September 11th National Memorial Trail provides a reflective journey of pilgrimage and remembrance, nation-building and resilience in America. Read about the route, which links three national memorials honoring America's fallen heroes and first responders.

San Francisco Bay Trail | Photo courtesy Tony Webster | CC by 2.0

Uniting the Bay: Trails Are Creating Healthy Communities in California

Posted 02/04/16 by Elizabeth Striano in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with BATC, California, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration

In 2014, RTC launched the Bay Area Trails Collaborative (BATC) to create a 1,000-mile interconnected system of trails and greenways in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently comprising more than 40 nonprofits, public agencies and private entities—the diverse group is speaking in a unified voice to regional and state planning authorities on behalf of trails.

Photo by Scott Hagan | Courtesy Clark County, Nevada

Nevada’s Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail

Posted 04/10/15 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Cross-Sector Collaboration, Nevada, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Las Vegas: The name conjures up bright lights, flamboyant shows, glitzy hotels and casinos that never close, but a growing outdoor movement is changing that perception. Get the scoop on the 13.4-mile Lower Las Vegas Wash Trail, which comprises the trail network’s eastern arc and is always a sure bet with beautiful parks, desert landscapes and vistas of the rugged mountains that ring the valley.

Ruby Falls | Photo by Kelly Winstrom

Stewards of Lookout Mountain: Preserving a Tennessee Legacy

Posted 12/08/14 by Katie Harris in America's Trails, Success Stories | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, Ecology and Environment, Tennessee

A unique partnership is being forged on a Tennessee mountain, both above and below ground. The Lookout Mountain Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust based just outside of Chattanooga, and Ruby Falls, a commercial business, are teaming up to celebrate and preserve the natural area they both call home.

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.