Support for bike greenways/trails in the D.C.-Richmond High-Speed Rail corridor plan

[PotomacCyclist]

From the East Coast Greenway Alliance and the League of American Bicyclists:

We’re sharing the following action alert from the East Coast Greenway Alliance — please consider taking action by December 5!

We are asking all East Coast Greenway supporters to submit comments requesting that the D.C. to Richmond Southeast High Speed Rail corridor include greenway trails in its plan. This is a one-time opportunity to secure a critical corridor for regional trails!

We have provided a sample email that you may choose to use when submitting your comments.

Comments can be sent via email to: info@dc2rvarail.com or using the online form here: http://www.dc2rvarail.com/contact-us/

Sample comment text:

“I want to express my concern that no consideration has been given for the inclusion of a greenway in the proposed High Speed Rail from Richmond to Washington, DC and ask that a parallel greenway be included in the Tier II EIS Study.

A greenway was included in the Richmond to Raleigh EIS and a northern extension is a logical addition to that facility.

A greenway in the corridor offers many benefits including:

Attracts tourism and jobs;

Reduces CO2 & NOx emissions and other air pollutants;

Promotes multi-modal connections to the train stations;

Reduces parking needs at the train stations;

Reduces traffic congestion in the impacted communities.

A greenway in this corridor would be a key link in the East Coast Greenway which will connect Florida to Maine.

Once this corridor is upgraded, citizens will live with it for the next century. Let’s get it right.”

Please submit your comments by December 5. Thank you!

Topic

[PotomacCyclist]

In case people aren’t aware of the East Coast Greenway campaign, it is a long-term project to help develop a bike trail system that connects cities and regions all along the East Coast of the U.S./Canada, from Canada to Florida. They aren’t building the trail network themselves, but they do try to advocate for the inclusion of bike trails in larger infrastructure projects, and they help to build support for stand-alone trails along the East Coast. Less than 30 percent of the proposed system has been built, so there is plenty of work to do.

No one is under the impression that such a network will be built overnight, if ever. But if they can help improve infrastructure, then that will still be good for cycling, both long-distance bike touring and regional bike travel.

In the D.C. area, the Mt. Vernon Trail, the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the National Mall are part of the Greenway route. The National Mall is the midway point of the Greenway. The campaign for a bike trail component in the D.C.-Richmond HSR plan could lead to improved cycling routes between Mt. Vernon and Richmond.

http://www.greenway.org/

[scoot]

@PotomacCyclist 100344 wrote:

Sample comment text:

“I want to express my concern that no consideration has been given for the inclusion of a greenway in the proposed High Speed Rail from Richmond to Washington, DC and ask that a parallel greenway be included in the Tier II EIS Study.

A greenway was included in the Richmond to Raleigh EIS and a northern extension is a logical addition to that facility.

I’m confused. My understanding is as follows: The Tier I studies are too high-level to include any details such as greenway feasibility. So that doesn’t happen until Tier II anyway. The only reason that a greenway has been considered for Richmond-Raleigh and not Washington-Richmond is that the Tier II study has been completed for Richmond-Raleigh but not for Washington-Richmond. Is that right? Do you have additional intel that the greenway will not be considered for the northern segment in Tier II, in spite of its inclusion in the southern study? That’s what the sample comment implies…

I haven’t read the studies. Do they consider potential future trails along these rail ROWs, or are they only concerned with impacts to existing trails? If the latter, then ECG effectively would be ignored because so little of it exists presently.

The rail corridors do offer the best hope for long-distance commuter or touring cycling infrastructure.

[PotomacCyclist]

I don’t know any of the details. I received the email and copied and pasted the notice here.

[mattotoole]

scoot,

I went to the Greenway meeting in Charleston SC a couple of weeks ago. Sorry to be so late with a report but I’ve been busy since. I hope to post on our blog as soon as work quiets down for the holiday.

Anyway:

Do you have additional intel that the greenway will not be considered for the northern segment in Tier II, in spite of its inclusion in the southern study? That’s what the sample comment implies…

Absolutely not. It could certainly be included, especially if there’s enough clamoring for it. This is why we’re asking for support.

I haven’t read the studies. Do they consider potential future trails along these rail ROWs, or are they only concerned with impacts to existing trails? If the latter, then ECG effectively would be ignored because so little of it exists presently.

This is about incorporating future trails, or anything else for that matter, into the new SEHSR corridor. We’re in the early steps in the planning process. It’s up to us to keep the pressure on at each step, so the things we want are included.

So please, everyone, send a note to info@dc2rvarail.com or use the online form at http://www.dc2rvarail.com/contact-us/

Did you see the recent Rails to Trails magazine?

“How Rail-with-Trail Is Transforming America” (PDF)

More soon!

@PotomacCyclist — thanks for posting.

[mattotoole]

Thanks Greg & WABA, for today’s last minute email blast!

Everyone – if you haven’t sent in your comment, please do before tomorrow:

http://org.salsalabs.com/o/451/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16829

“Once this corridor is upgraded, citizens will live with it for the next century. Let’s get it right.”

[Author]

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