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New Congress, New President: What’s Ahead for Trails?

Posted 01/24/17 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Photo Courtesy Adam Coppola Photography

This is a significant time for America. The 115th Congress is underway, and a new administration is taking its place in Washington, D.C. On the heels of what has arguably been the most divisive presidential election in modern history, there is much uncertainty about what’s to come, including for active transportation—trails, walking and biking.

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More and more cities across the country are interested in creating multimodal transportation options like those offered in Greenville, South Carolina. | Photo by Ian Curcio

Who Won the Race for Bike/Ped Funding on Nov. 8?

Posted 11/21/16 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with California, Funding, Georgia, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

During this year’s Nov. 8 election, the presidential race was the primary focus for many Americans; however, another story was also unfolding in communities across the country. As we take time to process all the results of the election during this “lame duck” time period, RTC wanted to address this story—which had positive implications for trails, biking and walking on both sides of the U.S.

Fallasburg Covered Bridge (Lowell, Michigan) along the North Country Trail/Iron Belle Trail | Photo by Tom Pidgeon Photography

Best of the Midwest: Five Major Trail Developments in America’s Heartland

Posted 11/14/16 by Brian K. Housh in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Best Of, Connected Systems, IHTC, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Route of the Badger, State and Federal Programs, Wisconsin

Today, representatives of 22 bike/ped organizations and government agencies from six states are convening in Illinois for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 2016 Midwest Policy Summit. The bike/ped landscape in the region has changed dramatically in recent years, and there are many major projects in the works. Here are five big happenings in the Heartland that are changing the face of active transportation (in no particular order).

Atlantic Greenway (East Coast Greenway) | Photo courtesy RTC

Bright Days Ahead: $Millions Shine on a Promising Future for Florida Trails

Posted 10/20/16 by Amy Kapp in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Florida, Funding, Miami LOOP, State and Federal Programs, TrailNation, TrailsTransform

Millions have recently been awarded to two major trail network projects in the Sunshine State, as Florida moves toward a statewide system of trails that impact economic development, active transportation and community health. Here’s a quick glance at what’s going down in Florida—and why RTC and trail advocates in the Sunshine State are looking up to a brighter future.

Fort Mason segment of the developing San Francisco Bay Trail in California | Photo by Cindy Barks

$90 Million Allocated to Trails, Biking and Green Infrastructure in California

Posted 09/13/16 by Laura Cohen in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with California, Disparities and Underserved Communities, Ecology and Environment, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Exciting developments in California! Last week, Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr.—along with Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon—announced California’s plans to allocate $900 million to programs specifically targeted toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions—while benefiting low-income areas, supporting clean transportation and reducing climate pollution.

The Ohio and Erie Canalway Towpath Trail in Cleveland, Ohio | Photo courtesy Canalway Partners

Enter the TIGER: $7.95 million Grant for Cleveland Metroparks Bodes Well for US Trails

Posted 08/10/16 by Eric Oberg in Policy, Building Trails | Tagged with Connected Systems, Federal, Funding, Ohio, Products of Good Policy, RTC in Action, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Recently, Cleveland Metroparks was awarded a $7.95 million TIGER Grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to help complete a $16.45 million regional trail network through the city and traversing parts of Northeast Ohio. Included among a record-setting eight bike and pedestrian TIGER grants awarded in 2016 totaling $94 million-plus, the project, “Reconnecting Cleveland,” is part of a new and groundbreaking trend: Local communities are recognizing that trails are critical to healthy, balanced transportation systems.

Sacramento River Trail | Photo courtesy Sergio Ruiz | CC by 2.0

Tracking Federal Bike/Ped Spending in 2015: RTC Releases TrADE Report

Posted 07/26/16 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with Facts and FIgures, Federal, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health

The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP)—known as Transportation Enhancements (TE) until 2012—is the largest federal source of funding for walking and biking projects and has helped to build thousands of trails across America since 1991. Here's the latest spending report on this critical program for the rail-trail movement.

Riverwalk in Wilmington, Delaware | Photo courtesy mwms1916 | CC by 2.0

The First State: Delaware Passes Innovative “Complete Communities” Bill

Posted 05/16/16 by Andrew Dupuy, Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with Health and Active Living, Products of Good Policy, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Walkability and Bikeability

The “First State” in the Union just achieved another first—and this one has important implications for the active-transportation movement. Earlier this month, Delaware passed an innovative policy tool that will enable communities to become more bikeable and walkable.

View of John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and Nashville, Tennessee, skyline | Photo courtesy C.T. Thongklin | CC by 2.0

Trail Users Help Kill Anti-Bike/Ped Bill in Tennessee

Posted 04/21/16 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with Funding, Local Organizing, RTC in Action, State and Federal Programs, Tennessee, Walkability and Bikeability

Thanks to the grassroots mobilization of thousands of cyclists and trail users this spring, legislation that could have had negative repercussions for active transportation around the country officially died this week with the close of the Tennessee General Assembly’s annual session.

Photo courtesy Green Lane Project

Safer Streets Ahead for Bikers and Walkers with New Federal Safety Rule

Posted 03/21/16 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Last Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) released a new and improved set of requirements designed to increase transportation safety—including safety for people who walk or bike.

Montour Trail in Pennsylvania | Photo courtesy Jim Brown

30 Years: Birth and Evolution of the American Rail-Trail Movement

Posted 03/10/16 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Demand for Trails, Federal, Funding, History Happened Here

The U.S. rail-trail movement began not with a bang—but as an intriguing idea that quietly took hold in the Midwest in the 1960s and eventually spread across the country. Here's a brief history of the rail-trail movement and a glimpse of RTC's future focus on regional trail networks.

Napa Valley Vine Trail | Photo courtesy Napa Valley Vine Trail Coalition

The Verdict Is In: California Approves $133 Million for Trails

Posted 02/26/16 by Laura Cohen in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with BATC, California, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Walkability and Bikeability

It was another great year for trails in California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP), the largest funding source for biking, walking and trails in the state. RTC recently learned that the California Transportation Commission has approved $133 million for 59 trail projects and separated bikeways in Cycle 2 of ATP.