Walkability and Bikeability Page 6

Capital Trails Coalition Begins Creation of World-Class Trail Network in DC

Posted 10/13/16 by Amy Kapp, Katie Harris in Building Trails, America's Trails | Tagged with Capital Trails Coalition, Connected Systems, District Of Columbia, Walkability and Bikeability

Mount Vernon Trail in Washington, D.C. | Photo by Brandi Horton

On the morning of Oct. 13, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) joined the Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA), the National Park Service, REI and a crowd of more than 40 people along the Mount Vernon Trail in Washington, D.C. to formally announce the creation of the Capital Trails Coalition.—which is working to complete a world-class multi-use trail network in the D.C. metro region.

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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?

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.

Otago Central Rail Trail in New Zealand | Photo courtesy OCRT Charitable Trust

Kiwi Connections: A Snapshot of New Zealand’s Bike/Ped Policy Scene

Posted 06/30/16 by Andrew Dupuy in Policy | Tagged with Tourism and Economic Development, Trails of the World, Walkability and Bikeability

Earlier this month, RTC Policy staff had the opportunity to sit down with an elected official at the forefront of active-transportation policy and funding: New Zealand Member of Parliament (MP) Julie Anne Genter! Genter stopped by RTC’s Washington office for a casual conversation about the successes and challenges faced by biking and walking advocates in both countries.

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.

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.

On the Jones Falls Trail in Druid Hill Park in Baltimore, Maryland | Photo by Side A Photography

112 Years Later: Baltimore’s Trail Network Vision Is Coming of Age

Posted 05/10/16 by Katie Harris, Amy Kapp in Building Trails | Tagged with Baltimore Greenway Trails Coalition, Celebrating 30 Years, Connected Systems, Demand for Trails, Ecology and Environment, Maryland, TrailNation, TrailsTransform, Walkability and Bikeability

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. painted a visionary picture for Baltimore in his comprehensive 1904 Report Upon the Development of Public Grounds for Greater Baltimore. His blueprints for Baltimore’s park system, which focused attention on the three stream valleys, are a shining example of effective urban planning. More than a century later, these stream valleys remain among the city’s greatest assets—and now, they are pieces of a new vision for a connected and more equitable Baltimore.

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.

Live music was a highlight of Washington, D.C.'s 2016 Opening Day for Trails celebration on Kingman Island | Photo by Milo Bateman

Opening Day 2016 Recap: DC Celebrates Future Northeast Trail Connection

Posted 04/20/16 by Katie Harris in Building Trails, Trail Use | Tagged with Biking, Community Events, District Of Columbia, Maintenance and Volunteers, Walkability and Bikeability

This year, RTC’s National Office teamed up with Living Classrooms, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and REI to celebrate Opening Day for Trails 2016 on Kingman Island. As a special highlight—WABA led a bike ride on the Anacostia River Trail, which is welcoming in a new 4-mile Kenilworth segment that will have a huge impact on connectivity in the area.