State and Federal Programs Page 3

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

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

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).

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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.

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.

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.

Capital Crescent Trail | Photo by Barbara Richey

Potential New Funding for Trails in 2016 Budget Bill

Posted 12/23/15 by Leeann Sinpatanasakul in Policy | Tagged with District Of Columbia, Federal, Funding, State and Federal Programs, Walkability and Bikeability

Last Friday, President Obama signed the omnibus budget bill into law, which lays out funding for the remainder of the 2016 fiscal year. The bill funds two programs that offer potential resources for trails: the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

Photo by Adam Coppola Photography

New Bill Maintains Federal Funding; Creates New Opportunities to Connect Trails

Posted 12/02/15 by Kevin Mills in Policy | Tagged with Funding, State and Federal Programs, Transportation and Health

On Dec. 1, Congress released the text of what is expected to be the final version of a five-year transportation bill, the FAST (Fixing America’s Surface Transportation) Act. The verdict is in: Trails, walking and biking are here to stay as part of America’s transportation system.

Photo by Katie Harris/RTC

House Committee Passes Multiyear Transportation Bill

Posted 11/03/15 by Kevin Mills in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with Funding, State and Federal Programs

On Oct. 22, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives approved a new transportation funding bill, H.R. 3763, the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2015 (STRRA). UPDATE (11/3/15): Unfortunately, as anticipated, amendments have been filed in advance of this week’s floor debate in an attempt to eliminate a critical trails program and limit funding for safe places to walk and bike.

Tidelands Park along the Bayshore Bikeway in San Diego, Calif. | Photo courtesy SANDAG

Round 2 of Calif. Statewide Active Trans. Program Yields $60 Million for Trails

Posted 09/21/15 by Laura Cohen in Building Trails, Policy | Tagged with BATC, California, Funding, State and Federal Programs

Twenty-nine trail projects in California have been recommended for funding in the second round of California’s 2015 Active Transportation Program (ATP), the largest single funding source for biking, walking and trails in the state.