Trail Blog by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Virginia Uses Transportation Alternatives to Make the Most of Railroad Riches

Posted 06/27/13 by Marianne Wesley Fowler in Policy, Success Stories | Tagged with Heritage and Restoration, State and Federal Programs, Virginia

Geography and history gave the state of Virginia an abundance of railroad lines, many of which have fallen into disuse as the patterns of industry through the Appalachian Mountain region changed so much in the last century.

Tapping Into TIGER Funds for Trail Projects

Posted 06/24/13 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with State and Federal Programs

In 2012, the U.S. Congress adopted a new bill to govern surface transportation programs through September 2014. That bill, referred to now as MAP-21, provides opportunities for creative communities to develop good networks of trails and active transportation facilities. In our third post of this series, we examine the TIGER Program.

Photo © www.pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden

The Prevention Fund: Smart Money For Local Programs. So Why is Congress Trying to Kill It?

Posted 06/14/13 by Kevin Mills in Health and Wellness, Policy | Tagged with Cross-Sector Collaboration, State and Federal Programs

Created by the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the Prevention Fund is the nation's first large dedicated source of funds for preventing health problems. As we see in the above examples, making it easier for people to regularly walk or bike is a simple but powerful preventative medicine. Thanks to the Prevention Fund, relatively small investments in promoting walking and biking are saving the nation many billions of dollars in future healthcare costs.

Diving Into MAP-21: Using CMAQ to Fund Bike/Ped Projects

Posted 06/05/13 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with State and Federal Programs

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is leading the effort to provide education and resources related to MAP-21. In this blog series, we demonstrate how communities can leverage the programs funded by MAP-21.

Photo © Danvers Rail Trail Advisory Committee

Beyond the Ribbon-Cutting, What You Sometimes Don't Hear About How Trails Get Built

Posted 06/04/13 by Jake Lynch in Building Trails | Tagged with Local Organizing, State and Federal Programs

The determined grassroots effort in Danvers, Mass., to build their local rail-trail was typical of the kind of "can-do" attitude we often see behind successful rail-trail projects.

Diving Into MAP-21: An Education Resource for Planners and Advocates

Posted 05/29/13 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with State and Federal Programs

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is leading the effort to provide education and resources related to MAP-21. In this blog series, we demonstrate how communities can leverage the programs funded by MAP-21. In this first piece, we examine the Surface Transportation Program, or STP.

Today's House of Reps Hearing on Transportation Funding

Posted 04/24/13 by Marianne Wesley Fowler in Policy | Tagged with Federal, State and Federal Programs, Statements of Support

Earlier today the Budget Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives hosted a hearing on the solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. As generally acknowledged, current funding sources for the Trust Fund (notably gasoline and diesel taxes) are not sufficient to maintain a reliable transportation system. You can read all the testimony from the hearing at the House website here.

Photo CC Transportation for America via Flickr

Walking in America: Contribute Your Comments to Surgeon General

Posted 04/22/13 by Kevin Mills in Health and Wellness, Taking Action | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, State and Federal Programs

The U.S. Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, says take a hike. We agree. Dr. Benjamin is getting set to issue a Call to Action urging Americans to walk, and is looking for ideas on how to get more Americans walking.

Obama’s Budget: How Would It Impact Trails?

Posted 04/11/13 by Marianne Wesley Fowler in Policy | Tagged with State and Federal Programs

Yesterday, President Obama proposed a budget that would keep funding for core transportation programs even with the levels authorized in MAP-21, while adding $50 billion for immediate funding of transportation projects in key areas. The proposal also takes aim at some non-DOT programs of interest to the trail and active transportation constituencies.

Call to Action on Walkability

Posted 04/04/13 by Kevin Mills in Health and Wellness, Taking Action | Tagged with Encouraging Trail Use, State and Federal Programs

As part of National Public Health Week, we're calling on our partners to help Surgeon General Regina Benjamin develop her Call to Action on Walkability—an effort to improve walkability and increase walking in our communities.

What Sequestration Will Mean for Trails: The Latest

Posted 03/27/13 by Marianne Wesley Fowler in Policy | Tagged with State and Federal Programs, Threats to Trail Building

Last month, we posted our analysis of the impact of sequestration on the nation's trails, and biking and walking infrastructure. On March 1, as scheduled, federal agencies were subject to mandatory funding cuts. As we expected, monies in the Highway Trust Fund were protected from cuts, and programs funded with these monies continue as normal.

What Sequestration May Mean for Trails, Biking and Walking

Posted 03/04/13 by Keith Laughlin in Policy | Tagged with State and Federal Programs, Threats to Trail Building

There has been a lot of news coverage and analysis recently of a federal government sequestration and its potential impacts. At Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, our experienced policy and research staff have been mining their sources and sorting through all available information to estimate what impact sequestration could have on our movement for better trails, biking and walking.

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