This checklist for starting your trail project will help you gather information to create a vision for your trail or greenway project. The questions help you identify what type of trail you can create and how you can build support for it.

The need for this report arose from a discussion between CSX Railroad and the City of Philadelphia over safety and liability concerns regarding street-level access to the Schuylkill River Park Trail in Philadelphia.This paper reviews surveys performed by RTC and the U.S. Department of Transportation which found no crashes between trains and trail users on […]

The purpose of this manual is to help you implement a trail user survey and determine the economic impact that your trail has on your community. Four sample survey forms are included in the appendix of this manual.

Development of Transportation Enhancement (TE) projects always entails a basic level of environmental review. In some cases, the environmental review and remediation process can be complicated by the presence of toxic substances. The rehabilitation of a historic building could require removal of lead paint or asbestos; creation of a new park on a former industrial […]

This report is one in a three part series looking at linear recreation corridors, or trails, in Virginia. The intent of the series is to quantify a number of issues related to recreational trail use across different types of trails in the State. These issues broadly include: (1) trail use, (2) user demographics and preferences, […]

Trails and greenways create health and wellness benefits for people of all ages with attractive, safe, accessible places to bike, walk, hike, jog, skate or ski. In doing so, they make it easier for people to engage in physical activity. With more health-focused initiatives in progress and more trails on the ground than ever before, the evidence is beginning to accumulate […]

This report serves as a national resource guide to assist communities in utilizing new and existing brownfield programs to understand and address environmental clean-up issues that may inhibit the conversion of unused rail rights-of-way (ROW) into multi-use trails. RTC’s objective was to address brownfield concerns by researching appropriate legal, funding and construction issues related to […]

The Florida Power and Light Greenway Assessment is an initiative of the Collier County Traffic Operations and Alternative Transportation Modes Department in partnership with Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC). This team was further supported by the firms of Borrelli and Associates and Vanassee Hangen Brustlin, Inc., which each provided pro-bono services to further advance this project. The […]

This document summarizes Best Management Practices (“BMPs”) that should be considered before, during, and after former railroad lines are converted to recreation trails. These BMPs have been developed to eliminate or minimize potential exposures to residual oil or hazardous materials commonly found along railroad rights-of-way being converted to rail trails. This document also identifies locations and conditions […]

This document is an example of an agreement between a landowner and the County, allowing public access to their property for the construction and use of a non-motorized bicycle and pedestrian trail. Author: Collier County