Skip to content

Focus Term: Policy/Advocacy


Blog
Building Relationships With Elected Officials to Support Trail Advocacy
June 05, 2026

Explore how elected officials are vital in building relationships with communities to support local trails and active transportation.

Dequindre Cut segment of Michigan's Joe Louis Greenway | Photo by Joe Gall, courtesy Detroit Riverfront Conservancy (DRFC)
resource
Webinar – The Good, the Bad and the Unknown: What the House Reauthorization Bill Means for Connected Trail and Active Transportation Systems
June 04, 2026
In May, the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee took the first step towards passing a new federal transportation law when it announced a bipartisan agreement entitled the BUILD America 250 Act – Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America’s 250th Act. While the bill continues legacy active transportation programs, it fails to prioritize […]
Blog
Congress Takes First Step On New Transportation Law
May 19, 2026

BUILD America 250 Act, the new transportation law, preserves beneficial programs and policy, but it is not a victory lap for trails.

Active Transportation - California's Bay Trail | Photo by David Joel Lee
resource
Webinar – E-bikes, E-motos and Safety: What Belongs on Trails?
May 15, 2026
This webinar explains the growing challenges and policy responses surrounding micromobility, especially the confusion between e-bikes and faster, more powerful e-motos. Speakers emphasize that safety, clear definitions, and proper regulation are essential to maintaining accessible and inclusive multi-use trails. They outline federal, state, and local efforts—along with industry-led solutions—to clarify rules, improve enforcement, and educate […]
resource
Webinar – Federal Transportation Bill: What It Means for You and How You Can Make an Impact 
April 13, 2026
This webinar, “Federal Transportation Bill: What It Means for You and How You Can Make an Impact,” explained why the upcoming federal surface transportation reauthorization is a critical moment for trails, walking, and biking, and how it will shape transportation funding and policy nationwide for years. Speakers from Rails to Trails Conservancy outlined current political dynamics in […]
resource
Webinar – Leveraging Unobligated Funding: How to Fund Your Trail with Unspent Federal Funding
March 19, 2026
This webinar explains how communities can use unobligated federal transportation funds—especially through the August redistribution process—to advance trail projects. Speakers Stephanie Pollack and Derek Shooster highlight how formula funds work, what makes a project eligible for redistribution, and why timing and readiness matter. They emphasize building strong partnerships with MPOs and state DOTs to position […]
resource
WEBINAR – Celebrate Trails Day Training: How to Engage in a Day of Joy and Action | Changemaker Series
February 27, 2026
Join Rails to Trails’ Changemaker for Trails campaign for our February training, “Celebrate Trails Day: How to Engage in a Day of Joy and Action.” During this training, Changemakers learned how to use Celebrate Trails Day, taking place in April 2026, as a tool to advocate for trails and send a message to elected officials at […]
resource
Webinar – Looking Ahead in 2026: Trails, Transportation, and the Midterm Elections
February 27, 2026
Relationship building is at the heart of every successful engagement strategy and is most successful when you start early and often. This year’s mid-term elections offer an opportunity to get ahead of building relationships with potential new leaders and showcase the power of trails in your community. During this session, attendees heard from Wade Johnston, […]
resource
Webinar – Active Transportation Freeze: Where do Federal Active Transportation Grants Stand? 
December 09, 2025
Since early 2025, RTC has tracked and reported decisions made by the White House and the US Department of Transportation regarding active transportation and advised trails, walking and biking advocates as they have endured whiplash, grant cancellations, and ongoing uncertainties about frozen federal transportation grants. Congress rescinded $750 million in active transportation Neighborhood Access and Equity grants […]
Blog
America’s Trails Are Under Fire
November 26, 2025

Explore the future of America’s trails amidst challenges to bike and walking path funding in the new federal transportation bill.

Opened in the summer of 2024, this 147-foot-long pedestrian bridge on the W&OD Trail provides safe crossings for people over busy Wiehle Avenue in Reston, Virginia. | Photo by Albert Ting
Get Your Guide to Great Trails. Donate and get the new Great American Rail-Trail Guidebook