RTC TrailBlog

It is always great when Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) can be involved in a project that goes way beyond building trails.

So we were very proud to be a part of the very cool Cal-Sag Cycles Pop-Up Bike Shop in Blue Island, Ill., earlier this month.

It was truly a community-wide effort that brought together youth advocates, Friends of the Calumet-Sag Trail, the Active Transportation Alliance, a local bike shop and other businesses, a temporary art space, and a bunch of great community energy and goodwill.

On June 11, 15 at-risk teenagers and their adult mentors opened a temporary ("Pop-Up") bike repair shop in a vacant building in a section of Blue Island that had fallen on hard times. The Pop-Up Bike Shop was housed in the same building as a Pop-Up Art Gallery, the latest in a creative effort to bring life back to Blue Island's historical central business district.

Under the expert instruction of staff from the local bike store, West Town Bikes, the kids learned the nuts and bolts of basic bike maintenance. Then, on June 11, they opened a one-day only, free-to-the-public bike garage, putting their newly acquired skills to work and helping local cyclists keep their machines running smoothly. 

The teen bike mechanics serviced 90 bikes in just four hours. But RTC has a little more work for them to do. This week, a shipment of brand-new bikes from our friends at Fuji Bikes will arrive in Blue Island, awaiting assembly. Once each young mechanic has put together a bike, it is theirs to keep, courtesy of RTC's Metropolitan Grants Program, funded by the the Coca-Cola Foundation. The teens will also receive a helmet, lock and light at the culmination of this exceptional program to encourage young people to tap into their pedal power, take advantage of their local rail-trail, and provide another bright spark of creativity, commerce and collaboration in their hometown.

Better yet, the blueprint has now been created to allow the program to be recreated anywhere in the region.

Congratulations to everyone who made it happen!

Photos courtesy of Cal-Sag Cycles. 

Though there are more than 1,700 rail-trails across America, covering all different shapes and sizes, a small handful stand out as true superstars of the rail-trail movement. Whether for the beauty of their surrounds, their length, or an indefinable charm and character, these rail-trails become beloved attractions drawing praise, and visitors, from near and far.

On this list are  trails such as the Route of the Hiawatha in Idaho, the Katy Trail State Park in Missouri, and Vermont's Island Line. Right now, plans are afoot for the conversion of former rail corridor that, when completed, will immediately force its way into that elite company.

Running through the scenic Tri-Lakes region of upper New York is the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor (right). Currently, the line carries a seasonal sightseeing train, which through limited ridership hasn't delivered significant commercial returns in a picturesque region bursting with recreational tourism potential.

Inspired by the ability of rail-trail projects elsewhere to boost recreational tourism, a group of locals last year formed the Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates (ARTA), with the goal of converting a 34-mile section of track between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake into a multi-use trail.

As they prepared to build a case to convince local residents and authorities of what such a rail-trail could bring to the area, ARTA turned to the experts. For the past year, Carl Knoch, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's manager of trail development in the Northeast, has been working closely with ARTA, evaluating the potential economic impact of an Adirondacks rail-trail, and studying ways and means to build it.

Knoch's message to the communities between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake is the same message that has sparked the development of similar projects in his native Pennsylvania: Trails are good business for small towns.

This is not just a gut feeling. Knoch's Northeast Regional Office is a national leader in compiling trail user data to assess the economic stimulus of trails to the towns and villages they pass through. This commercial impact--for hotels, campsites, food outlets and outdoor retailers--and the multiplier effect of an injection into the local economy--has helped promote the development of several renowned trails systems in Pennsylvania and secured the viability of towns once suffering the decline of industry.

Knoch says the Tri-Lakes is perfectly placed to reap the same rewards.

"The 60-mile Pine Creek Rail Trail has seen about $3.6 million annually in new spending since the trail was created, with 138,000 users on an annual basis," he says of a comparable trail in the neighboring state. "What could 138,000 new users do for Saranac Lake and Lake Placid and Tupper Lake? In talking to the folks that own businesses along the Pine Creek Rail Trail, they basically say the conversion of that railroad into a multi-season rail-trail is the salvation of the valley."

When Knoch first began traveling to the Tri-Lakes to discuss a rail-trail conversion, he encountered a good deal of local opposition. But after a number of public meetings and a period of outreach and education, business owners, residents and town officials are now supportive of removing the train tracks to construct the optimal rail-trail.

However the state Department of Transportation (DOT), which has jurisdiction over the corridor, has indicated they plan to leave the little-used corridor, deteriorated in sections, as it is. Undeterred, local officials have begun petitioning the DOT to revisit its management plan for the corridor, which hasn't been reexamined in 17 years, despite the evaporation of rail service in that time. The locals' frustration is evident.

"...[T]he taxpayers are paying huge unanticipated sums each year to subsidize a money-losing operation while simultaneously blocking one of the best economic development options open to the North Country," Saranac Lake resident Lee Keet wrote to the editor of the Times Union recently.

Aware that hard data and the recorded experiences of similar communities tell the most compelling story, RTC recently published a study of the proposed 34-mile section, featuring estimated trail-user numbers and related economic impact based on data gathered from similar rail-trails in the Northeast. This study found that a rail-trail between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake would attract a midpoint estimate of 224,260 visitors annually, each spending between $63.86 and $99.30 per day--worth an estimated $19.8 million to local economies.

The cost of constructing the 34-mile segment would be approximately $2.2 million, which could be offset by $5.3 million of income from the salvage and sale of the tracks and ties. Knoch says the $3.1 million excess could be applied to construction of future sections of the trail, or maintenance.

To read and download the Adirondack Rail Trail study, and other RTC research publications, visit community.railstotrails.org/media

Photos of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor by Carl Knoch/RTC.

Crucial to the success of any new trail project is the formation of an energetic and motivated group of local advocates and volunteers.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is always eager to provide planning expertise, assist with securing state and local government support, and mobilize our national network of members and supporters. But unless a strong local organization is in place, it can often be very difficult to get a new project off the ground.

By that measure, the future looks pretty bright for the proposed Adirondack Recreational Trail.

In the Tri-Lakes region of upper New York State, the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor between Lake Placid and Tupper Lake currently carries a seasonal sightseeing excursion train, which many residents say has not delivered significant economic benefits to a picturesque region bursting with potential for recreational tourism.

The newly created Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates (ARTA) hope to see that track converted into a 34-mile recreational trail, following the lead of many communities like theirs which have converted their natural resources and historical rail lines into sustainable local economies. They are spreading word of their cause and hope to recruit 500 members in order to persuade local politicians and planners that this project is a development that residents and business people want.

In August, Carl Knoch, manager of trail development for RTC's Northeast Regional Office, met with area residents to present a message that has sparked the development of similar projects in his native Pennsylvania:  Trails are good business for small towns.

That's not just a gut feeling. Knoch's office is a national leader in compiling trail user data to assess the economic stimulus of trails to the towns and villages they pass through. This commercial impact--for hotels, campsites, food outlets and outdoor retailers, and the multiplier effect of an injection into the local economy--has helped promote the development of several renowned trail systems in Pennsylvania, and secured the viability of towns once dying with the decline of industry.

Knoch says the Tri-Lakes is perfectly placed to reap the same rewards.

"The 60-mile Pine Creek Rail Trail has seen about $3.6 million annually in new spending since the trail was created, with 138,000 users on an annual basis," he says of a comparable trail in the neighboring state. "What could 138,000 new users do for Saranac Lake and Lake Placid and Tupper Lake? In talking to the folks that own businesses along the Pine Creek Rail Trail, they basically say the conversion of that railroad into a multi-season rail-trail is the salvation of the valley."

Knoch will continue to work with ARTA to recruit new supporters, seek grant opportunities and develop plans for the trail from the concept stage to a more concrete reality.

Support, spread the word, or keep tabs on this exciting rail-trail project, at www.thearta.org.

Photo of the Adirondack Scenic Railroad corridor by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

By Jake Lynch

It used to be that "bike friendly community" was a term you thought you could pigeonhole. Oh sure, Portland and Seattle, right? And dense, hip, urban metropolises, yes? New York, D.C...

Yes, and Fayetteville, Arkansas.

The third largest city in a state that was this year judged the least bike-friendly state in America, Fayetteville has for the past decade put an urban trails system, and bike and walkability, at the heart of its development plans.

And it's booming. Fayetteville's population has grown 27 percent in the last decade, and in the past few years has been ranked one of the best places to go to college, to do business, to retire, or to live, work and play. It is no coincidence that this acclaim has come as the city's long-range trails and greenways plan has started to come to fruition.

"The success of the Fayetteville trails system grew from the community's vision back in the 1990s for a viable alternative transportation system," says City of Fayetteville Trails Coordinator, Matt Mihalevich. "Over the past 10 years, we have worked toward providing a connected network of trails, and are currently up to 21 miles of 10- or 12-foot-wide paved trails within the city. The primary goal of the network is to provide an alternate form of transportation. And we are seeing this goal realized, with more than 2,000 people using some of the busier trails each day."

One of the key segments of that system is the Frisco Trail, which utilizes both active and inactive sections of rail corridor running north-south through the heart of the city. Although relatively short at 1.3 miles, the historic layout of the rail corridor, bisecting the downtown area, makes the Frisco Trail a natural "spine" for the broader trail system. It also connects locals and visitors with the vibrant entertainment center on Dickson Street with newer developments on the south side of Fayetteville. Like the best urban rail-trails, it provides users with human-powered access to a myriad of restaurants, arts centers, schools and libraries, neighborhoods and open spaces. And the Frisco Trail provides a seamless connection with the Scull Creek Trail, which itself connects with the Mud Creek Trail further north of downtown.

Mihalevich says the Frisco Trail and its connections have now become a focal point and catalyst in Fayetteville's development.

"In the last few years the city has experienced a steady increase in residential and commercial urban projects close to the trail, creating a positive and sustainable economic impact for the city," he says. "The trail system has been instrumental in advancing our planning goals of discouraging suburban sprawl, prioritizing urban infill development and growing a livable transportation system."

One of the developers drawn to the city by its trail system is the Specialized Real Estate Group, which is currently building an apartment complex for more than 600 residents close to the Frisco Trail. The Sterling Frisco development will target students and staff at the nearby University of Arkansas and young professionals.

Last month, Sterling executives partnered with Mihalevich and a local business school on a bike tour which featured discussion of the benefits of transit oriented development, and an exploration of opportunities for business development along the Frisco Trail corridor.

"The trail is such an integral part of the character of the site that we chose to name this project after the Frisco trail and historic rail corridor," says Specialized Real Estate Group President Seth Mims. "The people we serve love the connectivity and health benefits of the trail. There are obvious environmental benefits of choosing walking or biking over using a car, and these benefits give our developments an edge over conventional apartments built on the outskirts of town. In addition to our proximity to campus, we chose to build on the trail to give residents access to the entertainment district and greenspaces."

Mims says the company plans to offer a bike loan program to encourage residents to take advantage of the trail.

A natural offshoot of the popularity of Fayetteville's trails is the strong team of volunteers that has grown around it. In a great piece of community organizing, the local parks and recreation department created the Trail Trekkers program. The goal of Trail Trekkers - local people who use and appreciate their trails - is to serve as models of proper trail etiquette, help others with trail navigation, report hazards and maintenance needs and keep an eye out for potential safety concerns.

What the Frisco Trail, and Fayetteville's network, has done for Fayetteville has not been lost on the other cities in Northwest Arkansas. The Fayetteville system is now the anchor of the planned Razorback Regional Greenway, 36 miles of active transportation pathways connecting Fayetteville to the cities of Springdale, Lowell, Rogers and Bentonville. When complete, the Razorback Regional Greenway will link six downtown areas, three major hospitals, 23 schools, the University of Arkansas, the corporate headquarters of WalMart, JB Hunt Transportation Services and Tyson Foods, shopping areas, parks and residential communities. Having witnessed firsthand the connection of active transportation infrastructure to Fayetteville's residential and commercial growth, regional planners and politicians know a good thing when they see one.

But the development of the Frisco Trail suffered the same opposition as many rail-with-trail projects. Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, which owns and operates the active (though lightly-used) line, were worried that putting a trail close to active train tracks would be a public safety hazard and liability concern.

"But what we have seen from the real-life operation of rail-with-trail pathways is typically the opposite," says Kelly Pack, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) director of trail development and one of the authors of an upcoming RTC study on rail-with-trails. "Creating a designated, safe pathway reduces the inclination of people to make their own way along or across the tracks. And through good design, such as a fence or natural landscaped barrier, for example, the users can be kept very separate and exist without incident."

Such was the case in Fayetteville. Prior to the creation of the trail, the rail corridor was often used as a makeshift pathway in and out of the popular entertainment district, and there had been several accidents involving trains and late night revelers.  

"The trail and fencing provided a safe alternative, and people no longer walk the tracks like they had in the past," Mihalevich says. "The railroad is pleased."

Photos: Top, a local coffee shop beside the section of Frisco Trail along active rail line
Middle, trail construction in Fayetteville
Bottom, the Frisco Trail.
All photos courtesy City of Fayetteville

"Can't wait for them to finish this!" writes a recent TrailLink.com reviewer of the Saucon Rail Trail (right). Serving a number of small communities in eastern Pennsylvania's Lehigh County, the Saucon Rail Trail is very much a work in progress. Since the pioneering section between Hellertown and Upper Saucon Township was opened in 2011, its immediate popularity raised hopes that the trail would continue to develop to the south, extending from its current five miles to its full potential of more than double that, into the Borough of Quakertown.

 And there was some promising news on that front this week, with Coopersburg Borough Council voicing its support for developing their section of the former Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority corridor, an important connection in the trail's extension to Quakertown.

"We could send a message to other townships that we're doing our part," councilman Steve Lundy was quoted as saying in the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Patch. "It could encourage the other townships to follow."

According to Patch, the Coopersburg Borough Council raised the possibility of the rail-trail extension as part of a brainstorming session for stimulating economic activity in the borough. In Pennsylvania, they need not look far for dozens of examples of rail-trails energizing local tourism and real estate markets, and providing a hub for local businesses.

"This is the kind of thinking I'm trying to encourage," said council president John Felch. "(Rails to Trails) is part of our vision that won't happen tomorrow, but it will happen."

Photo courtesy of www.lehighvalleystyle.com

In Norfolk County, Mass., momentum is growing behind plans to construct a seven-mile rail-trail linking the towns of Medfield, Dover and Needham, about 12 miles southwest of Boston.

Organizers this week announced they were seeking interested residents to form a study committee to advance plans for the Bay Colony Rail Trail, to be developed along an inactive section of the Bay Colony Railroad.

In a story in the Boston Globe, Christian Donner, a member of the nonprofit Bay Colony Rail Trail organization (BCRT), said the study committee would generate recommendations before a town vote next year on whether to support such a project.

The idea of reusing the out-of-service rail line was first raised in 2008, when Tad Staley started Needham Bikes, a bike advocacy and information sharing group, and began soliciting ideas for promoting cycling in the county.

Support for the rail-trail has grown quickly since then. In the summer of 2009, the Bay Colony Rail Trail plan was discussed at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation's Trails and Greenways meeting. A few weeks later, the inaugural BCRT meeting brought together key officials, experts and interested parties.

In the world of rail-trail development, that timetable equates to rapid progress. Typically, such projects take anywhere from five to 25 years to bring to fruition. According to Donner, similar trail study committees have already been established in Dover and Needham-a critical point for support in Medfield as one of the keys to the project's success will be ensuring the three towns are on the same page. As one Medfield Selectman said recently, a trail built in one town that doesn't continue at the next would be "a path that goes nowhere."

One of the remarkable aspects of the plan to create a rail-trail is the apparent support of the company that owns the line, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). While the corridor has not been officially abandoned, the Bay Colony Rail Trail group reports that MBTA has indicated it would be willing to lease the land to the towns for 85 years, at no cost.

Staley, now BCRT president says that following the Medfield Board of Selectman's vote to form a study committee, the project is at a critical juncture. "We're expecting a big promotional push in the coming months, as the three towns along the corridor look closely at the prospect of a trail," he says, adding that his group was in the process of producing informational brochures and a promotional video on the trail.

A town vote on the trail will likely be held in May of next year.

If you are interested in supporting the Bay Colony Rail Trail project, visit baycolonyrailtrail.org for contact information.

Photos courtesy of Bay Colony Rail Trail

Perhaps it will come as no surprise that plans are in the works to add an additional 65 miles to the East Coast Greenway just this year alone. The proposed greenway itself is quite ambitious: a trail stretching nearly 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida.

Currently, more than a quarter of the greenway (791 miles) is on non-motorized, traffic-free trails, passing through 15 states along the coast, plus Washington, D.C. Rail-trails, such as the spectacular Down East Sunrise Trail along the northeastern coast of Maine, play a prominent role in these off-road sections. (The remainder of the greenway is comprised of temporary on-road connections between trails.)

"We want to make it virtually 100 percent trail and are going for that as quickly as possible," says Dennis Markatos-Soriano, executive director of the East Coast Greenway Alliance, the nonprofit group providing leadership and vision for the trail's creation. "We feel the urgency to move people from their cars to their bikes: the health urgency, the environmental urgency and the economic urgency."

A few dozen miles north of the greenway's gateway in Calais, Maine, lies the equally impressive Trans Canada Trail, which the Alliance is working to connect to in the coming years. From Fredericton, New Brunswick, the Trans Canada Trail stretches 9,900 miles across our northern neighbor all the way to the Pacific Ocean and on up to the Arctic Ocean. (Read more about this remarkable trail--scheduled for completion in 2017--in the Winter 2012 issue of Rails to Trails magazine.)

Markatos-Soriano doesn't have to go far for a visual reminder of the East Coast Greenway's development in recent years. Construction of a new section of the American Tobacco Trail (ATT), a designated component of the greenway, can be seen from the Alliance's headquarters in Durham, N.C. Slated for completion in summer of 2013, the 22-mile ATT, pictured above, will then serve as the backbone in a critical trail network across the Triangle region of Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill.

Although there are too many sites of note along such an extensive route to list them here, Markatos-Soriano says, "the greenway provides a way to experience many of the cultural wonders that the East Coast has to offer, from the Smithsonian museums in D.C. to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and the skyline of Manhattan, as well as the natural wonders of rivers and mountains."

This variation--the greenway is composed of more than 100 different trails--makes it almost impossible to describe.

"The riding experience on the East Coast Greenway is 'local'," says Carl Knoch, manager of trail development at RTC's Northeast Regional Office. "It goes through major metropolitan areas as well as wilderness areas, like the wonderful sections in Maine."

This local component is perhaps the key to the greenway's success, as the route goes beyond being merely a tourist attraction.

"City to city and community to community, we're creating a corridor that's useful for local citizens," says Markatos-Soriano. "There are many visionary long-distance trails, but there aren't a lot that are used as vital links to schools, work and other daily routines."

The East Coast Greenway Alliance has forged a strong partnership with the local communities along the route, and according to Markatos-Soriano this is a key to its continued success.

"We can't achieve our dreams on a national level without the people at the local level achieving their dreams as well," he says. "We move forward together."

Photo of the American Tobacco Trail courtesy of Jerry Markatos.