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The Transportation Alternatives (TA) program (formerly called Transportation Enhancements), is the one of the primary funding sources for trails and other active transportation projects. As Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's network of local advocates and supporters can attest to, projects funded by TA often have a transformative impact on communities large and small. Now, there is an opportunity for your community's TA project to be recognized for its promotion of healthy, sustainable and efficient active...

Growing support for active transportation has been manifesting itself into calls for more and safer opportunities for bicycling and walking all across the country. In some instances, this booming trend is the catalyst that pushes municipal planners to provide more bike paths, trails and pathways--a response to the demands of the population. But how prepared are the planners, designers, engineers and work crews of our state departments of transportation to deliver this active transportation infrastructure...

"There is no question that conditions for bicycling and walking need to be improved in every community in the United States." "Every transportation agency has the responsibility and the opportunity to make a difference to the bicycle-friendliness and walkability of our communities." "Public support and advocacy for improved conditions for bicycling and walking has created a widespread acceptance that more should be done to enhance the safety, comfort, and convenience of the nonmotorized traveler...

Central to Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's (RTC) mission is the idea that when it comes to getting from A to B, it is important to give people more options than a motor vehicle, and that powering ourselves, by foot or by wheel, has better outcomes for our health, our environment and our economy. We have long known that Americans are eager to get out of their cars and travel other ways whenever they can, and now the data supporting that continues to pile up. A new report by the U.S. Public Interest...

When Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) released its research report earlier this year on the prevalence of walking and biking in small towns and rural communities , we provided a groundbreaking examination of a long-neglected area of study--what active transportation really means to people living outside the metropolitan centers. And the results certainly raised some eyebrows. Active Transportation Beyond Urban Centers: Walking and Biking in Small Towns and Rural America for the first time illuminated...

Portland, home to one third of the population of Maine and enjoying a steady growth of both residents and visitors, is taking steps to ensure biking and walking are key components of its bright future. The city's Comprehensive Plan released early this year recognizes that "over the next ten years, bicycling and walking will play an integral role in Portland becoming a more livable and sustainable city." However, the city also recognizes that its own transportation planning models are based primarily...

The recent political focus on the reauthorization of the multi-year surface transportation bill provided some nervous moments for Americans hoping to see more options for getting around that don't involve driving an automobile. With a shrinking pot of money available for transportation projects, there were a number of, eventually unsuccessful, attempts to reduce or eliminate dedicated funding for bike paths, trails and sidewalks. The thought was that, with money tight, investing in such things was...