Challenges and Opportunities
On June 23rd, more than 200 people from around the region came to Philadelphia to support the growth of the Regional Trail Network. We asked the participants two big questions:
- What are the greatest challenges facing the development of a regional trail network?
- What solutions best address these challenges?
Participants identified challenges and solutions in three different ways including cue cards to fill out after every panel presentation, a small group session at the close of the Summit, and a follow-up e-mail survey. Respondents listed many challenges, and almost all of them fit into these eight categories:
|
Challenge |
Definition |
|
Funding |
Money is the greatest obstacle to completing the network. |
Political Leadership |
This category includes many hurdles:
|
|
Communication |
Developing cohesive marketing and branding of the trail network is difficult, as is communicating the benefits of trails (health, economic, transportation, environmental) to a broad audience. |
|
Neighborhood Engagement |
This covers two types of reactions to trail development, both of which are challenging: strong negative reactions from neighbors, or a complete lack of civic engagement around active transportation issues. |
|
Trail Connections |
Connecting the physical infrastructure. Trails often lack connection to other trails, to business, to other modes of transportation, etc. This also includes direct hurdles to implementation such as land acquisition or engineering feasibility. |
|
Education |
Lack of institutional programs to educate children and adults about using the trail system for transportation as well as recreation, and bicycle and pedestrian safety. |
|
Trail Equity |
Many common challenges can be made more difficult in poor or underserved areas, resulting in an imbalance of trail infrastructure, as well as communication and education abut trails. |
|
Building New Partnerships |
Difficulties in attracting new partners including the healthcare community, large corporations, and residential and commercial developers. |
Based on the feedback from the cue cards, survey, and small group sessions, the top three challenges ATS participants face in building the regional trail network are Funding, Communication, and Political Leadership.
The good news about these challenges is that the respondents are already thinking of solutions. When asked what steps trail developers should take in the future, most people provided solutions to the top three challenges: Funding, Communication and Political Leadership. Here is a look at different suggestions posed by respondents:
Funding
- Formalize granting on a regional level.
- Consider "out of the box" funding solutions such as taking a percentage of the soda tax (if it passes) to fund public health improvements like trails.
- Other funding mechanisms could include TIF Financing, or a Regional Trail Tax, like the model used in St. Louis.
- Link trail projects to other projects funded through the Philadelphia Water Department and Parks and Recreation or link projects with open space funding.
- Stream line the local, state, and federal regulatory processes so a greater percentage of the funding can go towards construction.
- Form a Community Development Finance Agency using the model of TRF for Trail Towns along the Great Allegheny Passage
Neighborhood Engagement
- Identify trail “mentors” to serve as advocates or tell a story of success and change to other neighborhood residents.
- Emphasize community engagement before and after the construction of facilities.
Political Leadership
- Get the DOTs involved! Bring NJ DOT and PennDOT to the table, or go to them. Generate funding for a full-time bike and pedestrian coordinator at PennDOT. Re-institute the Bike Task Force in District 6.
- Institute a Regional Authority (but not bureaucracy).
- Ideas for changing municipal codes:
- Provide incentive for developers to include a trail or change the code to require trail/sidewalk/path much like wetland mitigation is required.
- Require a certain degree of walkability in new designs or renovations.
- Form a greenway/OS authority like stormwater districts (Michigan Metro Parks as model).
- Use the structure of the Metropolitan Caucus to encourage regional trail planning.
- Use the EAC structure for multi-municipal collaboration.
Communication
- Use the “Bike Shed” concept to market trails to neighborhood communities.
- Develop a website that serves as a clearing house for information about the regional trail network. It should include: links to web pages, FAQs, myth busters, proof of economic pay-off of trails.
- Design unified signage for the regional trail network.
- Identify popular figures who could advocate trails to the general public as a trail champion.
- Build on existing marketing tools such as Get Outdoors PA.
Trail Connections
- Partner with the Bicycle Coalition to coordinate a city-wide bikesharing program.
- Approach CSX, Amtrak and Norfolk Southern as a region instead of as separate municipalities for individual trail projects when looking to use their ROW.
- Focus on complete street programs and intermodal access.
- Prioritize construction of facilities where there is popular support and a strong user-base.
Education
- Work towards developing a national bike and pedestrian safety education program
- Emphasize bike and pedestrian safety at DMVs (Department of Motor Vehicles) by making the driver’s license test more comprehensive.
- Consider the impact of a national educational campaign, similar to the recent (extremely provocative) anti-tobacco ads
Trail Equity
- Collect data through the Safe Routes to School program, and through surveys to make the case for equitable trail development.
- Expand school programs that provide children with bikes and teach them how to ride safely.
Building Partnerships
- Communicate health data on active transportation (CDC data) to hospitals and insurance companies to engage them as partners and financers of trail development.
- Engage local businesses along trails through a community development finance agency.