RTC TrailBlog : trail use

Potential Economic Impact a Driver for Rail-Trail Expansion in New Hampshire

Jake Lynch — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:00:00 GMT

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy is, pardon the pun, blazing the trail when it comes to evaluating and promoting the economic impact that rail-trails can have on the communities they connect to.

When it comes to making the case for continued investment in trails, nothing is as persuasive as the hard evidence that destination trails bring trail users who bring dollars and cents to small communities, many of which are often struggling for sustainable commercial markets.

RTC's Manager of Trail Development in the Northeast, Carl Knoch, is a pioneer in the field of trail user surveys and capturing information about spending and visitation patterns. In the late 1990s, his research on trails in York County, Pennsylvania, helped make the case for investments in the region's trail network, and he continues this critical work with similar studies of spending and user data on trails throughout the Northeast.

Now, as the residents and businesses of Laconia, New Hampshire, seek to further develop the Winnisquam, Opechee and Winnipesaukee (WOW) Trail, they have tapped into the experience of Knoch and RTC to generate crucial local and regional support.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, at Pitman's Freight Room in Laconia, Knoch will present 'Capturing the Economic Potential of Rail Trails,' to WOW organizers, the Laconia Main Street Initiative and interested locals.

The WOW Trail is a developing trail that runs within an active railroad corridor in scenic central New Hampshire. Today, only 1.3 miles of trail are open for public use. However additional development phases are planned to eventually bring the trail to nine miles in length, connecting it with an existing trail in nearby Belmont and greatly expanding the trail's utility and appeal.

For more information about RTC's promotion of trail development in the Northeast, visit: www.railstotrails.org

Trail Voices: Megan Odett

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:00:00 GMT

By Megan Odett

Before I had a kid, I used to be a cyclist of the "strong and fearless" variety. No road was too busy and no bike lane too narrow to stop me from getting to my destination by the most direct route. After I had my son Alex, though, it was as if I had become a newbie all over again. Suddenly I was hyperaware of every vehicle, every pothole, every pedestrian and every hazard on the road. I began to prioritize traffic calmness much more in choosing my routes.

Around the same time, I discovered the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

A little miracle in the heart of Washington, D.C., the Met Branch Trail enables Alex and me to bike from our Bloomingdale home to some of our favorite destinations while avoiding some of the city's most dangerous roads. From our house, it's an easy four-block ride to the trail's R Street access point. From there, we can head south to NoMa and Near Northeast, skipping the twin nightmares of New York and Florida avenues. Or we can pedal north to Brookland, gliding over the commuter artery of Rhode Island Avenue.

The Met Branch is a huge help during our several-times-a-week commute to daycare. For those trips, we bike north on the trail to Brookland, then zigzag on side streets over the Maryland border to Hyattsville. The trail helps us bypass the commuter traffic of Rhode Island Avenue and converts the exhausting ups-and-downs of Edgewood into a persistent but manageable uphill climb.

My favorite part of our daycare commute is the trip home, when the sweat from the morning's uphill climb pays off in a long downhill run and we fly past the trees and the railroad tracks, with the Capitol dome ahead of us and Alex waving his hands in the air to feel the wind.

The Met Branch is still a work in progress. The District Department of Transportation and numerous other partners are still working to complete the trail from Union Station to Silver Spring, Md. Even before the rest of the trail is completed, there are projects that will improve the trail's connection with neighborhoods and transit stops.

Since we live in Bloomingdale, we use the R Street NE entrance in Eckington to access the trail. For us and many others, R Street is not only a gateway to the Met Branch Trail, it's an important cross-town street for cyclists, stretching nearly three miles from the Met Branch Trail in Eckington to Rock Creek Park.

The only problem is that R Street is one-way for a single block in Eckington. In order to avoid illegally bicycling against traffic on our return trips, I hop up on the curb for that one block. Although a legal maneuver outside of downtown D.C., it's not the best solution. The sidewalk is narrow and residents store their trash cans there. I'm always worried that I'm going to run into a fellow sidewalk user or knock over someone's trash can--especially on days when we're using our bike trailer.

For that reason, I've been following the recent debate over proposed changes to R Street with interest. I support the proposed addition of a contraflow bike lane to the one-way block and sharrows to the rest of R Street NE from North Capitol Street to the trail entrance. It will make this section of R Street safer for cyclists, drivers and pedestrians by slowing down traffic in this residential neighborhood--without eliminating any on-street parking spaces.

This connection may face debate and delay, but it is critical to making our neighborhoods better places to walk and bike--not to mention raise a family. The Met Branch Trail has made it easier and even more fun to bike around town with my son. I'm so grateful to have this resource, and I look forward to many more miles on the trail with him.

Megan Odett is the organizer of Kidical Mass DC, which promotes safe, fun family biking in the Greater Washington area.

Crossposted at Kidical Mass DC.

Watch: Do You Count? Our Webinar on Measuring Trail Use

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:32:00 GMT

A few weeks back, we held a webinar with experts from around the country discussing various methods of measuring trail use.

As the adage goes, "You can't manage what you don't measure." This rule is especially true for trails, which host a wide variety of transportation and recreation users. Learn how nonprofits, governments and the private sector are using trail counts to better understand bicycle and pedestrian behavior, and how these resources can assist your pathway. We discuss counter technology, volunteer management, using trail counts to conduct economic impact studies and the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project.

Presenters:

Jennifer Donlon, Alta Planning + Design
Mel Huie, Oregon Metro Regional Government
Eric Oberg, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
David Patton, Arlington County, Va.

Read biographies of the webinar presenters (PDF). For more information on RTC's trail user surveys, please visit the Trail-Building Toolbox. Special thanks to Greg Billing of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association for editing assistance.

Did you watch the webinar? Let us know how we did by completing this survey. Thank you!

Do You Count? Join Our Webinar Next Week

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:43:00 GMT

Do You Count? Using Trail Counts Effectively
Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EST
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now!

As the adage goes, "You can't manage what you don't measure." This rule is especially true for trails, which host a wide variety of transportation and recreation users. Learn how nonprofits, governments and the private sector are using trail counts to better understand bicycle and pedestrian behavior, and how these resources can assist your pathway. We will discuss counter technology, volunteer management, using trail counts to conduct economic impact studies and the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project.

See which types of options are available for your trail and ask questions of the panel. We look forward to your participation!

Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now!

Presenters:

Jennifer Donlon, Alta Planning + Design
Mel Huie, Oregon Metro Regional Government
Eric Oberg, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
David Patton, Arlington County, Virginia

Read biographies of the webinar presenters (PDF).

Trail Voices: Michael Henderson

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:35:00 GMT

Rail lines and six-lane commuter arteries slice across the Edgewood and Eckington neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. Just to the south, across a dangerous intersection, sits the NoMa business district. This formerly industrial area has received $1.5 billion of investment, including a new Metro station, offices, retail and a supermarket. At the southern edge of NoMa is Union Station.

Michael Henderson has lived in Edgewood for nine years. To travel the two miles between his home and Union Station--a trip that can be made in 12 minutes by bike--Henderson would drive his car because he didn't have a safe, convenient way to get there.

That trip is now a little easier after the opening of the Metropolitan Branch Trail. Named for the rail corridor it parallels, the pathway soars over busy avenues and connects to neighborhood streets, offering a quick route for people to walk and bike between downtown and neighborhoods in Northeast D.C.

Since the path opened, Henderson has taken his bike more often, sometimes four times a week, down the trail to Union Station. "I've never ridden my bike more," he says, "because there's never been a trail."

In some ways, riding the trail is a return to childhood for Henderson. Growing up in Denver, Colo., he remembers biking three or four miles to school with his friends. Since moving to Washington, Henderson has tried to keep physical activity integrated with his daily routine. "I'm not someone who likes to go to the weight room," he says, "but I can get on my bike and ride." He adds with a laugh: "I coast a lot."

But Henderson is worried that some of his neighbors aren't using the trail as much as they could. "There are tons of folks like me who understand the value of a trail...but there's certainly a significant number of people in Edgewood who have never used a trail," he says. "Inertia is our biggest obstacle here."

The solution is reaching out to neighbors, through community celebrations, tree plantings, 5K races and good old face-to-face contact. "One by one, people will say, 'I guess that trail is real,'" Henderson says. Once they're out on the trail, "they love it...It will eventually meld into the culture of Edgewood."

Now, when he bikes past a group of people walking on the trail, he often knows someone in that group, who introduces him to the rest of the party. "Turns out, it's a neighbor that lives a block away," he says. As his neighbors begin to use the trail more, Henderson wants them to take ownership and become stewards of the trail. "You've got to invest in it."

Even as the trail has improved access for residents, there is still more to do. The only route to the Metro station at Rhode Island Avenue follows a narrow sidewalk underneath a dark railroad overpass, with six lanes of commuter traffic speeding past. Before the trail was built and fences were installed, many residents used a shortcut that crossed an active freight rail corridor.

A pedestrian bridge between the trail and the station is being designed that will provide a direct, safe route for Edgewood residents connecting to transit. It will also introduce new people to the trail. "They will use that to access the Metro," Henderson says, "then they'll see where the trail continues...and they'll say, 'Oh! That's the way to get there.'"

Me, an Athelete? Yes, YOU!

Steve Schweigerdt (RTC) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 18:45:00 GMT

Bringing new users out to trails requires overcoming personal barriers many people have, such as lack of self confidence, fear of failure or concern over potential injury. We recently came across Forever Athletes, a group that is working to inspire everyone to unlock the athlete within.

"Forever Athletes believes everyone is an athlete, as we've redefined the term to be highly inclusive: a person who regularly participates in physical activities, exercises, sports or games requiring physical strength, agility or stamina, regardless of age, gender, skill or ability level," says Managing Director Jessica Seyfert. The logic is: If you believe and know that you are an athlete, you live your life accordingly. For people to change their actions and habits, they must change their minds.

Toward this end, Forever Athletes has interviewed and surveyed various master athletes, and through sharing their "secrets" and habits, Forever Athletes aims to inspire others to make this shift, as well. Since the vision is grand, the site relies on the aid of those who are already aware of their physical gifts to inspire those closest to them who are unaware of the athlete within.

Forever Athletes is also showcasing everyday people who have stories to tell. For example, you can read the story of Dan and Ash's 9-day, 550-mile bike trip in the site's first eBook. You can also participate by completing a quick survey and connect with the group to look for events in your area.

From the Beltway to the Bikeway: Local News Radio Rides with Trail Patrol

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:16:00 GMT

In the Washington, D.C., area, WTOP radio is known as the station with updates on Beltway traffic every 10 minutes. But reporter Kate Ryan switched her minivan for a bicycle and has been taking listeners along for the ride. From ladies nights at local bike shops to free bike clinics, Ryan has been covering the local bike scene for a mainstream audience. As part of her coverage, she's paid significant attention to trails. Recently, she took a spin with Officer Donald Brew, who patrols the Capital Crescent Trail for the Maryland-National Capital Park Police.

Brew discusses the training that a bike-mounted police officer must go through, including instruction on riding down stairs and handling a gun while on a bicycle. He also notes that proper trail etiquette is a major issue on a busy trail like the Capital Crescent. Dogs on long leashes and children wandering around the trail can create hazards for other trail users, and higher-speed trail users must give an audible warning before passing a slower trail user.

"Brew says the key to keeping the trail safe for the cyclists, the joggers and the dog walkers isn’t enforcement," Ryan writes. "It’s courtesy."

Watch: Michigan's Southern Links Trailway Opens

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:14:00 GMT

From Michigan comes news of a trail opening for the Southern Links Trailway. A dream of trail advocate Lonnie Kester since 1998, the latest section of trail creates a continuous 10-mile paved link between Millington and Columbiaville. "It brings tears of joy to my eyes," Kester told WJRT-TV, which features some nice footage of trail users enjoying this new community asset.

The Trail Down the Street: San Jose Plans for Trails Within Three Miles of All Residents

Steve Schweigerdt (RTC) — Fri, 21 May 2010 14:01:00 GMT

By Yves Zsutty, City of San Jose Trail Program

I recently learned of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's goal to have 90 percent of Americans live within three miles of a trail or connecting corridor by 2020. With this metric in mind, I thought that San Jose might be a good model to showcase how an urban area is served by and functions with distributed trails. We have nearly 54 miles of off-street trails within the city's urban boundaries. Several of the 24 trail systems are not yet interconnected but are found throughout the city. Our ambitious Green Vision supports completion of a 100-mile trail network by 2022.

We prepared this map to show neighborhoods served within three miles of existing trails. Even with just more than 50 percent of our network in place, we offer accessibility to 99 percent of all residents. The work underway through 2022 will make trails even more viable for commuting and recreation by extending trails, closing gaps and interconnecting the trails. The Trail Network is and will be an important element within the transportation system of the nation's 10th largest city. It will be possible for Silicon Valley residents to journey to work, or take care of errands with little or no interaction with automotive traffic.

With well-distributed trails in place, let me offer a few facts about existing trail usage. First, San Jose has a little more 1 million residents and is the largest city in Northern California. The city's mild climate, with 300 days of sunshine, a level valley-floor topography, and casual Silicon Valley style make biking a viable and desirable recreational and commute mode that is always a few short miles from home. The network's core regional trail systems are easily accessible from the roadway system. Until fully developed, 200 miles of on-street bike lanes provide defined bicycle access, and that system will grow to 400 miles by 2022.

Our annual Trail Count tells us the following:

Usage has increased by double-digits for each of the past three years.
More than 50 percent of trail users are commuting to and from work.
Trail users report a desire to bike more with further trail development.

Other data-collection efforts in recent years show a dramatic growth in bicycling: a 200-percent increase (0.4 percent to 1.2 percent of work trips) from 2006 to 2008, and 2008 work trips by bike are about two-and-a-half times the national average (1.2 versus 0.5 percent).

Trails play an important commuting role because of their proximity to employment:

High tech jobs within the North San Jose area are within three-quarters a mile of a trail.
Approximately 50,000 residents reside downtown and are within three-quarters a mile of a trail.

So, from our local perspective, I can say that Rails to Trails Conservancy's mission is highly achievable and will offer big dividends in terms of greater levels of recreation and bicycle commuting.

Photos courtesy City of San Jose Trails Program

Rail-Trail Commuter Convoy Uses Real-Time Arrival Information

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:45:00 GMT

Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day, and commuter convoys will be happening in many cities to encourage novice bicycle commuters to hop on two wheels. While many of these convoys will have timed pit stops along the route, a convoy leader following Rhode Island's East Bay Bicycle Path to downtown Providence has come up with a way to let riders know when to head out the door and meet him on the trail. Using InstaMapper, the leader's phone will provide continuous location updates via GPS, which will be displayed on a real-time online map. The convoy begins in Bristol at 6:05 a.m. and ends in Providence around 7:15 a.m. With a convoy so early in the morning, this new tool might help some riders catch a few more minutes in bed!

RTC Teams with Google for Biking Directions

Todd Christopher (RTC) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:37:00 GMT

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) is proud to announce its partnership with Google™ as an official content provider for Google Maps’ brand-new biking directions functionality.

The release of this long-awaited feature allows Google Maps users to type in their destination and receive directions for the best bicycling route. Previously, Google was able to provide walking, driving or transit directions. Now, RTC is providing its extensive trail-map data to Google Maps for the seamless integration of safe, accessible and fun bicycling routes into daily travel.

See for yourself. This Google Gadget, below, demonstrates a cycling route from Arlington, Va., to RTC’s National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.—via the Custis Trail and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Trail. Just click “Go.”

For months, the blogosphere was buzzing with speculation about the release, which has cyclists and active transportation advocates rejoicing.

This morning’s announcement is already receiving national media attention. Earlier today, it was picked up by NPR’s Morning Edition, including a nice mention of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Check it out: Google Unveils Newest Map for Cyclists : NPR

Happy Trails!

Walking Challenges as a Tool to Encourage Trail Use

Steve Schweigerdt (RTC) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:23:00 GMT

Walking challenges are a great way to raise the awareness of trails in the community and inspire regular use. A challenge motivates people to join groups and aim for a target number of steps, miles or minutes walking. As participants report their miles, their team can trace progress toward a goal that they couldn't do alone. Hopefully after the challenge is over walking will be a routine for the participants.

Here are a few examples of Walking Challenges on the west coast:

With the completion of the Whittier Greenway Trail in Los Angeles County, Activate Whittier is challenging groups to take the Hollywood Walk to Fame by traversing the country from New York City to Hollywood with star-studded stops along the way to the Oscars. The website has suggested routes with mileage that include 4.2 miles along this rail-trail.
Walk the California Coast with San Francisco's Shape UP Walking Challenge. Challengers join teams and walk 1,016 miles, the equivalent of the length of the California coast, in 10 weeks. If they complete that level, participants can continue their virtual tour across the country or even around the world. The San Francisco Department of Public Health reports that the program has gone viral and gained momentum since inception.
With the Itida-Walk you can track your progress across Alaska as you follow the sled dogs in the Itidarod. Instead of tracking miles, this program tracks minutes of walking, encouraging participants to walk 30 minutes a day for 35 days for a total of 1,049 minutes.

Photo from Shape UP San Francisco.

Hit the Trail for Better ZZZs

Karl Wirsing (RTC) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:26:00 GMT

Wear yourself out during the day, sleep better at night, right? Most people have probably long assumed this connection, but a new study has made the extent of the correlation between exercise and sleep clearer than ever. Just published in The New York Times, the study found extensive evidence that increased physical activity during the day improves both how quickly you'll fall asleep at night and how long you'll sleep. So if you're shooting for a sound night of rest, you can't go wrong adding more trail time into your daily routine! Find a great pathway near you at TrailLink.com, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy's free trail-finder website and the most robust source of online maps, descriptions, photos, user reviews and more.

Understanding Trail-Use Patterns on Cleveland's Morgana Run Trail

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:24:00 GMT

Photo and story by Eric Oberg/Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

As part of our Urban Pathways Initiative, RTC is working with project partner Slavic Village Development Corporation (SVD) to encourage trail use on the Morgana Run Trail in Cleveland, Ohio. RTC and SVD decided that the effort would be greatly enhanced if we were able to gain some baseline information about the trail. We were able to use three Trafx infrared trail counters from the National Park Service Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) office in Cuyahoga National Park. On September 1, SVD's Jacob VanSickle joined Eric Oberg, manager of trail development in RTC’s Midwest Regional Office, for a day building secure boxes for the counters and then deployed them at strategic points along the trail. We are now seeing more than 40 days of comprehensive data from all three counters.

Along with the trail counters, a community survey was developed to both determine existing trail use patterns and gain insight into why some members of the community are not using the trail. These surveys were distributed along the trail by SVD staff and local youth service crews, and 250 copies were also sent out with the Friends of Morgana Run Trail mailing in September. With the ability to quantify existing trail use with the automated counters and understand barriers to use identified in survey responses, RTC and SVD are laying a solid foundation upon which we can build programs and improvements that engage more community members and improve physical activity rates in the neighborhood.

Top 10 Facts About Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.

Stephen Miller (RTC) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:04:00 GMT

RTC partner America Bikes recently came out with a list of the top ten facts about bicycling and walking in the United States. These intriguing facts may get the gears turning - on your bike and in your head. Some of these facts come from Active Transportation for America, a report released by RTC in October 2008. The full fact sheet, which includes citations, is listed in our Library.

Bicycling and walking make up 10% of all trips made in the United States, but receive less than two percent of federal transportation funding.
Bicyclists and pedestrians account for 13% of traffic fatalities, but receive less than one percent of federal safety funding.
40% of all trips in America are two miles or less, 74% of which are traveled by car.
Americans spend, on average, 18% of their annual income for transportation. The average annual operating cost of a bicycle is 3.75% ($308) of an average car ($8,220).
A small reduction in driving causes a large drop in traffic. In 2008, the number of vehicle miles travelled dropped 3%, translating to a nearly 30% reduction in peak hour congestion.
Transportation sources account for 70% of our nation's oil consumption and for 30% of total U.S. GHG emissions.
Simply increasing bicycling and walking from 10% of trips to 13% could lead to fuel savings of around 3.8 billion gallons a year. This is equivalent to having 19 million more hybrid cars on the road.
89% of Americans believe that transportation investments should support the goals of reducing energy use.
71% of Americans report that they would like to bicycle more. 53% favor increasing federal spending on bicycle lanes and paths.
For the price of one mile of four‐lane urban highway, around $50 million, hundreds of miles of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure can be built, an investment that could complete an entire network of active transportation facilities for a mid-sized city.

Photo by richardmasoner on Flickr.