One of the great things about my job here at RTC is that I get to meet the local volunteers, advocates and creative businesspeople responsible for turning the pipe-iest of pipe dreams into reality. And it happens all the time. Exhibit A: Walkway Over the Hudson. This thing was just a crumbling railway bridge up … Continue reading
That a new trail will bring crime to an area and increase public safety concerns is an often-used objection to trail projects, particularly in communities without relevant examples close by. However, a mountain of experiential and recorded evidence in fact demonstrates the opposite - that public pathways bring activity, ownership and care to areas once abandoned and neglected, … Continue reading
Florida’s decision this week to set aside $50 million for the creation of a 275-mile cross-state trail is not only great news for those of us who love trails, biking, riding and hiking – it is also a tremendous shot in the arm for thousands of main street businesses and the state’s economy. Long gone are the … Continue reading
As you no doubt noticed, this beaut’ little blog has been offline for a couple of weeks. My apologies for the silence - Deb and I finally managed to take our long-awaited trip to Ecuador. And what an incredible mission it was. Beautiful country, great people, even managed to get by in Spanish most of the … Continue reading
I’m certainly no bigger botanist type than the next guy, but providing botanical information and signage along trails is just a downright good idea. The first time I ever saw it was along the Longleaf Trace, the wonderful,Hall of Fame rail-trail out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Provided by a local parks agency with the support of volunteer flora … Continue reading
The D & L Trail, a 165-mile rail-trail through eastern Pennsylvania, generates an annual economic impact of more than $19 million in the communities it passes through. That is the finding of our recently published D & L Trail user survey and economic impact analysis, authored by my colleague here at RTC, Pat Tomes. The D … Continue reading
