Transportation and Health

Five Ways Trails Make Us Healthier (and Happier)

Posted 03/06/17 by Ashley Ashworth in Health and Wellness | Tagged with Best Of, Encouraging Trail Use, Health and Active Living, Healthy Aging, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

If you are like most Americans, you probably exercise less during the winter. It is hard to keep those New Year’s resolutions when it’s snowing outside! Nevertheless, warm weather is just around the corner—and what better way to be active outdoors than on your favorite trail? Regardless of your age, fitness level or ability—trails are for everyone. Here are five ways getting out on the trail can improve your health.

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Photo Courtesy Adam Coppola Photography

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

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.

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.

San Francisco Bay Trail | Photo by Cindy Barks

Missing: Trails in the 2016 Debates

Posted 10/11/16 by Suzanne Matyas in Taking Action, Policy | Tagged with Health and Active Living, Products of Good Policy, RTC in Action, Transportation and Health

On the night of Sunday, Oct. 9, the third debate of the 2016 general election concluded. Since the first debate, the presidential and vice-presidential candidates have touched on important topics critical to trails, including the economy, the environment and national health. However, transportation infrastructure—which includes trails, biking and walking—was never mentioned.

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in Washington, D.C. | Photo by Milo Bateman

How Will Trails Change the Course of America by 2036?

Posted 09/16/16 by Keith Laughlin in Health and Wellness, Taking Action | Tagged with Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Featured Magazine Articles, Mode Shift, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

Imagine that we are celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2036. What do we want the world to look like? How will our lives be different? And—perhaps more importantly—what do we need to achieve over the next 20 years to make this vision a reality?

Boundary Bay Park in Tsawwassen, south of Vancouver, British Columbia | Photo courtesy Gord McKenna | CC by 2.0

CDC Says Few Older Adults Get Enough Physical Activity. Trails Can Help.

Posted 09/15/16 by Ashley Ashworth in Health and Wellness, Policy | Tagged with Facts and FIgures, Health and Active Living, Health Organizations, Healthy Aging, Transportation and Health, Why Use Trails?

In its report released today, Physical Activity Among Adults Aged 50 Years and Older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared some troubling news: more than one in four older Americans are physically inactivity and only 20 percent meet physical activity guidelines. But here’s the good news: Physical activity can help manage the most prevalent chronic conditions, and trails provide the perfect low-stress environments in which to be active.

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.

Commuter in the D.C. Metro Area | Photo courtesy Washington Area Bicyclist Association | CC by 2.0

Why “People Before Cars” Can Help Curb Traffic Congestion

Posted 08/26/16 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with District Of Columbia, Maryland, Overcoming Opposition, Products of Good Policy, RTC in Action, Threats to Trail Building, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Why Use Trails?

“The congestion in our region is real. Very real. Every-single-day real,” writes RTC Director of Government Relations and Mayor of College Park, Maryland, Patrick Wojahn, in an Aug. 26 Washington Post Op-Ed about traffic in the District and how people-powered mobility can do much to help alleviate it.

GHS Swamp Rabbit Trail in Greenville, South Carolina | Photo by Ian Curcio

Transportation for People or Cars? USDOT’s New Rule Focuses Only on Highways.

Posted 08/10/16 by Patrick Wojahn in Policy, Taking Action | Tagged with RTC in Action, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability

If a person uses a trail to get to work or school, and no one is around to measure the trip, do they count? That is the question RTC has asked in response to a new performance measure rule proposed by the United States Department of Transportation.

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.

RTC Youth Leaders Allen Williams, Paul Jewell and Jaymere Copeland at the 2016 Youth Bike Summit in St. Paul, Minnesota | Photo by RTC/Anya Saretzky

Impressions from the 2016 National Youth Bike Summit in Minnesota

Posted 06/14/16 by Anya Saretzky in Success Stories, Taking Action | Tagged with Biking, Ecology and Environment, Schools and Young People, Transportation and Health, Walkability and Bikeability, Young Champions

During Memorial Day weekend, RTC’s Youth Leaders in the Philadelphia/Camden area attended the Youth Bike Summit at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. Jaymere Copeland, Paul Jewell and Allen Williams joined young people from across the country to learn and share ideas focused on using cycling as a tool to improve communities.