Jan 16 2012

Recreational Trail Funding in Danger

Below is a letter from the Council for Recreational Trails. Once again, funding for trails is being threatened. We all need to contact our state

trail through the trees

support trails

senators to request the continuation of recreational trail funding. Remember, all trails are more than just recreational; they are useful for physical fitness, commuting, recreation, the environment, and more. Each trail that is constructed provides incredible bang for the buck.

Dear Members of the CRT Council of Advisors:

The Recreational Trails Program is in very deep trouble.  The U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has approved transportation reauthorization legislation known as MAP-21 that would effectively eliminate the RTP by stripping the program of its dedicated funding.

But all hope is not lost.

CRT and its member organizations have been working to identify key Champions in the Senate with the aim of having an amendment to restore dedicated funding for the RTP added to the bill before it is considered by the full Senate.

Reaching this goal will not be possible without your help.

Now is the time for all organizations and individuals who support RTP to tell their Senators to protect dedicated funding for this absolutely essential program.

The key messages are simple:

  • Unless the bill is changed, MAP-21 will effectively eliminate the Recreational Trails Program; and
  • Please amend MAP-21 to include dedicated funding for RTP.

Other helpful messages include:

  •       For the last two decades, RTP has received a portion of the gas taxes paid by users of off-highway motorized vehicles to fund trail building, maintenance and other trail-related projects.  More than 13,000 projects have been funded across the country for all kinds of trail uses.  This is a very successful program.
  • At its current level of annual funding – $85 million – RTP receives less than 42% of the Federal Highway Administration’s conservative estimate of the federal gas taxes paid by America’s nonhighway recreationists.  The Senate bill would reduce that percentage to zero and represents a substantial new tax on motorized recreation enthusiasts.
  • The return of gas taxes to trail users through the RTP is in keeping with the user-pay, user-benefit philosophy of the Highway Trust Fund.  Ending dedicated funding for RTP takes these gas taxes away from the people who pay them.  Ending dedicated funding for RTP is bad public policy and just plain wrong.
  • The RTP is the foundation of state trail programs.  If the RTP loses its dedicated funding, organized trail planning and development will simply vanish in many areas of the country.

Now is the time to act.  Write, email or call your two Senators.  Here’s a link if you need it:  http://www.senate.gov/.   Make sure your entire grassroots organization is engaged as well.

We need to show the United States Senate just how many Americans are committed to the Recreational Trails Program.  If we don’t act, the very backbone of trails in America may be forever lost.

Please be sure to send us a copy of your message.  Thank you for your help.

Marianne Fowler, Co-Chair, Coalition for Recreational Trails

Derrick Crandall, Co-Chair, Coalition for Recreational Trails

1225 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 450

Washington, D.C.   20005

(202) 682-9530  Fax (202) 682-9529

cahern@funoutdoors.com

 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/01/16/recreational-trail-funding-in-danger/

Jan 11 2012

…I biked out to the abandoned rail corridor…

The other day, I reposted a blog that sounded like it was straight out of  the Onion. So today, I have a funny, rail-trail related article that actually came out of the Onion. It was from the section with the short, fake interviews. The interview question had to do with a possible proposed blackout day for Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc. So the theoretical members of the public were asked what they thought of such an internet blackout/boycott. One phony-balone guy replied:

“… It would be hard to imagine a day without Google or Facebook. I guess it would be like that time when my girlfriend and I biked out to the abandoned rail corridor and we had a picnic and we saw a couple wild turkeys.”

girl talks on cell phone while riding bicycle

the best of both worlds (-:

What makes the Onion so funny is that it often hits so close to home. For me, it’s hard to imagine anyone who would prefer to sit in front of a television or computer rather than riding a bicycle on a rail-trail. Unfortunately, there are people just like the bogus Onion interviewee who don’t see it the same way. They view rail-trails as boring. That is too bad… for them. I’ll take the rail-trail anytime.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/01/11/i-biked-out-to-the-abandoned-rail-corridor/

Jan 05 2012

Darned Cyclists Getting a Free Ride…

Check out this hilarious Onionish type of sarcasm found on the Cycle Lifestyle blog:

Rail passengers and car drivers were today outraged by the unfairness of the transport system, as it was annouced that cycling fares would rise by a paltry 0% in 2012, remaining at £0.00. Rail fares are to rise by 5.9% in January, while petrol prices remain as high as drivers’ stress levels.

M. Iserable, a spokesperson for People Who Don’t Cycle, told Cycle Lifestyle magazine: “I don’t see why cyclists should get such a good deal. Cycling already costs nothing, and now prices have been frozen at nothing…

Read the rest on CycleLifestyle.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/01/05/darned-cyclists-getting-a-free-ride/

Jan 03 2012

Meet Trail Buddies on MeetUp.com

Bike trails are fun; Hiking trails are awesome; snowshoe trails are great exercise.

But not everyone has discovered that yet. So it’s not always easy to find cycling partners, hiking buddies, or snowshoeing pals… until MeetUp came along. If you haven’t discovered it yet, MeetUp is a social networking site that does more than just connect you on the internet. Oh, it starts on the internet, but then it goes the next big step and helps you organize events where you can join like-minded individuals in real life.

You will find Meetup groups for nearly every possible human interest; and if you don’t find a group for your interest, you can start one. You’ll be amazed how many people are out there who share similar interests with you. So if you’re into riding your bike on trails, you could sign up for a group like West Denver Trails or Denver Bicycle Touring Club or Buffalo hikers or Miami Trikkers or New Orleans Trail Runners or Spokane Snowshoers or …

Here’s a little YouTube clip of what MeetUp is all about. This clip is vintage since it was made in 2008, but it is one of the better introductory clips out there. A more recent video montage can be found here and is a good followup to the clip below:

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/01/03/meet-trail-buddies-on-meetup-com/

Jan 02 2012

Inflatable Bicycle Helmet

Okay, if I still haven’t convinced you to ride on trails instead of roads, at least prepare for the inevitable by wearing a helmet. And if you don’t like wearing a helmet, it looks like we’ll soon have an alternative (or even an addition) for keeping your cranium safe.

So here is the world’s first inflatable helmet. It’s like an air-bag for cyclists. Take a look and remember, you saw it on trailsnet first:

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2012/01/02/inflatable-bicycle-helmet/

Dec 30 2011

WingFlyer Looks Like a Fun Trail Vehicle

Trails and Personal Transportation Vehicles (PVT) are two of my passions. I love sharing both with the readers of the trailsnet blog.

I recently discovered a PVT that looks like it would be a blast to try on a paved or concrete trail. As with most trail vehicles, it seems like it would provide exercise, transportation, and lots of fun. It’s called a WingFlyer and has a lot in common with elliptical trainers. I hope to get a chance to try one out soon, but it looks like it would provide a great workout for your calves in particular and your whole body in general.

Here’s a YouTube video of the WingFlyer in action. Enjoy:

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/12/30/wingflyer-looks-like-a-fun-trail-vehicle/