Gwynne's Falls Trail

Gwynne's Falls Trail is officially open.

Secretary Flanagan, May O'Malley, the head of Rails to Trails were all there--and Congressman Ben Cardin (our next Senator?) took his bike for the 10-mile ride before the ceremony.

Take a spare inner tube and pump just in case there have been reports of lots og glass on the trail.

The official site is at http://www.gwynnsfallstrail.org/

The Northern Chesapeake trail

The Northern Chesapeake trail from Easton-Lewes is getting started. Easton already has five miles. The state is giving AA the go-ahead to get started planning a trail along the light rail line from BWI to Harbor Hospital, i.e., connect with Gwynne\'s Falls trail

Google

Not all trails are created equal. Here’s how to tell the gold standard from the imitators


By Bryan Barnett-Woods, Greater Greater Washington

[B' Spokes: Just headlines (and my comments.)]

Be separate from automobiles
Be wide [B' Spokes: Too many local trails are 8' wide and not the 10' wide as recommended here.]
Have paved or hard surfaces
Connect to other trails or destinations
Accommodate both transportation and recreation
Be a project that’s realistic to build now or sometime soon
Follow uniform design standards [B' Spokes: And I'll add getting on or off a trail should not require that you pull out into traffic and make two sharp 90° turns. i.e. Falls Road to Jones Falls Trail going south.]

https://ggwash.org/view/63011/not-all-trails-are-created-equal.-heres-how-to-tell-the-gold-standard-from-
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SEARCHABLE TRAILS BENEFITS STUDIES LIBRARY


-> Headwaters Economics offers its online Trails Benefits Library (http://bit.ly/2ch9raR): a collection of 120 studies on the positive impacts of trails, especially in small or medium-sized towns and rural areas. The library is searchable by type of benefit (business impacts, property values, public health, trail use estimates, etc.), type of use (cycling, walking, hiking, mountain biking, etc.), year, and region. Related Research and Methods. The library can help local leaders find existing research–conducted in communities similar to theirs—so that they have credible information and answers to questions regarding potential benefits from nearby trails and whether a project meets community priorities. See the other trails-related resources at http://bit.ly/2cB3Z5Y.

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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We're getting closer to having a bike trail from DC to Baltimore


by David Cranor , Greater Greater Washington

Last month, a 1.7 mile section of the WB&A Trail opened, bringing the separate parts in Anne Arundel and Prince George's County as close to one another as they've ever been.
...

http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/31060/were-getting-closer-to-having-bike-trail-from-dc-to-baltimore/
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DNR Trail News March 2016 – May 2016


Link to the newsletter: http://dnr2.maryland.gov/mdtrails/Pages/DNR-Trail-News.aspx

Highlight:
Free Apps Allow Visitors More Opportunities with Online Trail Guides
Newly released applications (apps) for both IOS and Android devices allow visitors the opportunity to enjoy interactive features using the new online trail guides.

Apps like “PDF Maps” released by Avenza Systems Inc. allow visitors to easily download, browse, navigate and interact with the new geo-referenced PDF trail guides in both an online and offline environment. This means that visitors can utilize this application and trail guide even when not connected to the internet.

For more information on installing and using this application visit: www.avenza.com/pdf-Maps
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REPORT: EXTENDING THE WB&A TRAIL


Via WABA

"The Washington Baltimore & Annapolis trail (WB&A) is a paved multi-use trail that runs from Maryland Route 450 in Prince George’s County to the Patuxent River at the border of Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties. Efforts are underway to extend the WB&A trail north-eastward over the Patuxent River and toward the Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington International Airport."

http://www.waba.org/blog/2016/03/report-extending-the-wba-trail/
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Trails bring the world, business to Cumberland


By Heather B. Wolford, Times News

The Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal bring nearly 100,000 tourists to Allegany County each year, contributing more than $2.5 million to the local economy.
...

http://www.times-news.com/news/local_news/trails-bring-the-world-business-to-cumberland/article_7647b9c9-1204-55b3-be62-4a17d3bd23a5.html
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Six New Trail Projects for the Next 10 Years: Making Baltimore Competitive to other Northeast Metros


Via Comeback City

"Right now, Baltimore has a handful of average to good trails, but mostly they are one-offs, with little relation to one another. Imagine if I-95 didn’t connect to the 695 Beltway and 695 didn’t connect to I-83 or 795. These highways by themselves would be useful, but the connected network is exponentially more beneficial. Over the next decade, the Baltimore region should connect its primary trails. It should also develop a few marquis trails that show off the beauty of our city, watershed, and region. Here are six projects that would create the backbone of a connected regional trail network reflective of our affluent region."

http://comebackcity.us/2015/12/15/six-new-trail-projects-for-the-next-10-years-making-baltimore-competitive-to-other-northeast-metros/
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SURVEY TIME for the Amtrak Bicycle Task Force


Via Adventure Cycling Newsletter

Speaking of the C&O Canal and the GAP, the Allegheny Trail Alliance is currently soliciting ideas and feedback on the launch of roll-on bicycle service on Amtrak's Capitol Limited route. The train runs between Chicago and Washington, D.C., joining in alongside the GAP and the C&O as it goes. According to a representative of the Alliance, which serves on the Amtrak Bicycle Task Force, "We are looking to see how the service can improve, while also asking the public: Where should roll-on service go next?" You can begin the survey by clicking on this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QL787TF
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RTC: TAKE THE NATIONAL TRAIL USER SURVEY


-> Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has begun the first-ever nationwide survey of trail use to help to create analytical models that can accurately
* Measure how effectively trail systems have connected and could further connect urban areas
* Factor and forecast the demand for, and potential use of, new trail connections
* Assess the impact of trail use on regional tourism and economic development, as well as dollars saved in relation to transportation and health care.

Take the survey online: http://bit.ly/1JoEZ57

from CenterLines, the e-newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking.
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Improve the Jones Falls Trai


[B' Spokes: I'm concerned because the funding process does not allow for cheep but needed improvements. In a way the whole system is stacked against this, as really expensive projects seem to be preferred over the more economical ones, it would not be a Capital Improvement if it was cheep right? So where is the budget and planing process for things like this? I have no idea.]

...
1) The Jones Falls Trail starts right out front of the Visitors Center, but how would you know? Make it easy to find information about the Jones Falls Trail at the Baltimore Visitors Center.
...
2) Help separate pedestrians and bicyclists where the trail follows the harbor.
...
3) Don’t allow parking in the trail.
...
4) When the trail doesn’t look like a trail, more and better wayfinding is needed.
...
5) Keep the trail on the east side of the Fallsway.
...
6) Combat the ugliness and improve the crosswalks.
...
7) Combat the ugliness and improve the crosswalks.
...
8) The blazes are great, but….
...
9) Add signage at Penn Station.
...

[More in parts two and three.]
http://jonesfallstrail.us/2015/09/03/jones-falls-trail-part-one-improvements/
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