Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Photo © Rails-to-Trails-Conservancy/Jake Lynch

RTC Responds to Misleading Report on Bicycle Fatalities

Posted 11/03/14 by Kevin Mills in Trail Use, Policy | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Safety and Law Enforcement

Over the past few days Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has been working with the League of American Bicyclists and the Alliance for Biking and Walking to respond to a number of troubling media reports about bicycling fatalities.

Putting It All Together: How One Pennsylvania Agency Is Turning Community Trail Visions into Reality

Posted 09/04/14 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Government Agencies, Pennsylvania, State and Federal Programs

For many, government agencies represent a land of endless bureaucracy, where dreams of new trails wither, bogged down by mountains of paperwork and red tape. Not so at the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), which has played a key role in creating new trails for over two decades. To date, Pennsylvania has more than 1,700 miles of trails.

Elly Blue: How Bicycling Can Save the Economy

Posted 08/07/14 by Katie Harris in Success Stories, Trail Use | Tagged with Case Studies, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

Recently, I caught up with Blue to talk about her book, investments in bike infrastructure and equity within the bicycling world.

Sundial Bridge | Photo by Beth Young, CC by 2.0

The Road to a Thousand Wonders

Posted 09/12/13 by Bryan Goebel in Trail Use, America's Trails | Tagged with California, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Featured Magazine Articles, Health and Active Living

The railroad used to wind through the canyon as part of the Southern Pacific Railroad's California-Oregon line, which was marketed in the early 1900s as "The Road to a Thousand Wonders."

In Massachusetts, Trails Top List of What Local Residents Want

Posted 07/18/13 by Carl Knoch in Success Stories | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Massachusetts, Trail Communities

For many of the early years of the rail-trail movement, supporters of trail development often had to work pretty hard as salespeople of sorts - convincing a skeptical community that if they would build a trail people would use it and love it and the local area would benefit in a myriad of ways. Back in the days when there wasn't the data and compiled experiential evidence, the promises of these benefits had to be taken on faith, which made the task all that harder for those rail-trail advocates.

America's Next Gen of Trail Cities - Not Where You Expected

Posted 07/10/13 by Eric Oberg in Success Stories | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Walkability and Bikeability

The great thing about what we're seeing with rail-trail development at the moment is that it's ignoring all the preconceived notions of what we think we know about American cities.

Bike Score Ups the Ante on Planners, Developers

Posted 01/14/13 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Case Studies, Demand for Trails, Facts and FIgures, Walkability and Bikeability

In the ongoing conversation about why Americans need more biking and walking options in their transportation infrastructure, often the "it feels good," "it's better for the environment," or "it's better for your health" arguments unfortunately don't carry a lot of weight.

In California, RTC Urges Gov. Brown on Active Transportation Strategy

Posted 01/11/13 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with California, Demand for Trails, State and Federal Programs

The state of California is a unique bird, particularly when it comes to transportation planning. A massive space populated with a mixture of booming metropolises, sprawling suburbs, and sparse rural areas, the Golden State's dire financial straits of late have made solving its intense congestion, connectivity and public health challenges all the more difficult, and important.

Shooting Star Rail Trail a Lifeline in Southern Minnesota

Posted 12/07/12 by Laura Stark in America's Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Minnesota, Tourism and Economic Stimulus

The Shooting Star State Trail in southern Minnesota could be coined the "Superstar Trail" for the beneficial impact it has had on the small communities along its route.

RTC's Work in Camden Catches On In Boston

Posted 12/05/12 by Jake Lynch in Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Private Fundraising, Urban Pathways

In February of this year Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) hosted a gathering of urban planners and transportation experts in Camden, N.J., to look at the bike/ped improvements that have been made in that city and the exciting work being done to better connect Camden with Philadelphia and the region.

Chomping at the Bit, Tennessee Community Finds Ways to Make Rail-Trail Happen Faster

Posted 10/26/12 by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy in Building Trails | Tagged with Demand for Trails, Local Organizing, Maintenance and Volunteers, State and Federal Programs, Tennessee

The people of Putnam County in central Tennessee are getting impatient. The money is lined up and the plans have been drawn--like a child on Christmas morning, they can see the gift under the tree but have to wait a few more excruciating moments to unwrap it.

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.

Demand for Trails Page 9