FYI:From Nancy Kauffman, WalkBikeBerks
Source:http://www.philebrity.com/2009/09/24/more-good-news-for-people-who-li
ke-bikes-youre-gonna-be-seeing-trails-bro/

_More Good News For People Who Like Bikes:  You’re Gonna Be Seeing TRAILS, 
Bro!_ 
(http://www.philebrity.com/2009/09/24/more-good-news-for-people-who-like-bikes-youre-gonna-be-seeing-trails-bro/) 
 
Hot on the heels of _yesterday’s fabulous Spruce/Pine bike lanes being 
opened  up_ 
(http://www.philebrity.com/2009/09/23/let-the-games-begin-nutter-opens-bike-lanes-says-something-about-rules/)  comes even bigger bike lane 
news: Various counties in PA  and NJ, all surrounding the Philadelphia area, 
have collaborated on a $36M grant  proposal to form a “multi-use trail network”
 that would connect the  Schuylkill River Trail, East Coast Greenway and 
Camden  GreenWay all via bike trails. As you can imagine, it’s a massive  
undertaking, and in many ways, the kind of thing for which the Stimulus Bill was 
 tailor-made. By filling in gaps on the already existing Schuylkill River 
Trail,  the project would connect 128 miles of biking goodness in this part 
of the  country — oh, and create 1,400 jobs in the process. Pretty exciting, 
no?  Now here’s the part where you guys fight with each other in the 
comments below  about what on Earth could possibly be bad about this. For ammo, the 
press  release in full after the jump.  

Philadelphia and surrounding counties collaborate on $36 million grant  
proposal to fund multi-use trail network
Grant would connect Schuylkill River Trail, East Coast Greenway and  Camden 
GreenWay 
Philadelphia, PA – For the first time ever, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are 
 poised to create a regional network of bicycle and pedestrian trails. In 
an  unprecedented collaboration, six different counties and agencies in 
eastern  Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey submitted a joint proposal to build 
17  different trail segments to the U.S. Department of Transportation. On  
September 15th, the City of Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, Schuylkill,  
Camden counties and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural 
 Resources applied for $36 million of U.S. DOT Transportation Investment  
Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary grant funds to add 16.3  
miles of trails and bridge crossings to the “spines” of the region’s 
network:  The Schuylkill River Trail and the East Coast Greenway along the Delaware 
 River.  
The proposal, called Generating Recovery by Enhancing Active Transportation 
 in Pennsylvania and New Jersey (GREAT-PA/NJ), would significantly complete 
an  integrated, multi-county bicycle pedestrian network for the region. By 
filling  in 17 critical gaps along the Schuylkill River Trail and the East 
Coast  Greenway, it would help connect over 128 miles of bicycle trails in 
the  region, providing more active transportation options and more multi-modal 
 connections for the region’s 6 million residents. 
“We are thrilled that after years of planning and public outreach but  
little construction, this grant program offers the Greater Philadelphia region  
an opportunity to finally build new trails so it can transform itself into a 
 more connected, economically competitive and sustainable community,” said  
Spencer Finch, Director of Sustainable Communities at the Pennsylvania  
Environmental Council.  
The public benefits of filling out this network include the creation of  
1,400 jobs, the connection of residential neighborhoods to commercial  
corridors and places of work, the connection of residents to transit stops,  
economic development, enhancement of underserved neighborhoods access to green  
space and alternative modes of transportation, and improvements in public  
health. It will enhance the sustainability of the region by increasing the  
number of those who are able to (and enjoy!) walking and biking instead of  
driving for short trips, thus reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution. 
“If this application wins approval, the region will finally have what it  
needs to entice more people to switch from their car to more sustainable 
modes  of transportation for short trips: a connected trail network that can be 
used  by users of all ages and backgrounds throughout the region to commute, 
run  errands, exercise or go to a nearby park,” said Sarah Clark Stuart, 
Campaign  Director at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. 
The submitted proposal includes trail segments and bridge crossings in  
Schuylkill (1 segment), Montgomery (3 segments), Philadelphia (7), Delaware  
(1), Bucks (2) and Camden (3) counties. The sponsors of the projects include:  
Schuylkill River Heritage Association, Montgomery County Planning 
Commission,  Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, Schuylkill River 
Development  Corporation, Bartram’s Garden, Delaware River City Corporation, 
Pennsylvania  Environmental Council, Borough of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania 
Department of  Conservation and Natural Resources and the Cooper’s Ferry 
Development  Association. The proposal also received letters of support from over 52  
elected officials, institutions and non-profit organizations, including all  
four Senators and eight Members of Congress in the region. 
The proposal submission coincides time-wise with Philadelphia’s celebration 
 of a recent bicycle facility success, the Mayor’s inaugural ride of the 
new  Spruce and Pine Street bike lanes on September 23rd.
###
This entry was posted on Thursday, September  24th, 2009 at 11:42 am.