You are viewing 12 posts in the category Circuit Campaign
2014 Highlights of the Circuit
2014 Milestones
- 12 miles of new trails were added, including the Boardwalk on Schuylkill Banks
- Manayunk Bridge and four other trails broke ground
- $13.2 million in federal, state and local grants were made in 2014 for Circuit projects.
- The Willilam Penn Foundation awarded $8.6 million for Circuit trails and a communications plan
- 8 counters were installed on Chester Valley Trail, Cynwyd, SRT at Kelly Drive, SRT at Pawlings Road, Lawrence Hopewell Trail, US 202 Parkway Trail, Wissahickon Trail.
- The Pennsylvania FY 2015-2018 Transportation Improvement Program committed an additional $1 million for Circuit projects in the next round of Transportation Alternatives awards and the five PA counties agreed to prioritize their Circuit trails for future funding.
- Coverage in 47 outlets that reached 89 million viewers
300 miles are now complete
The Circuit grew in 2014 through the opening of the following trails:
Eleven Ribbon Cuttings/Trail Openings
- Neshaminy Creek Trail - Doylestown & New Britain
- Pennypack North/South Extension
- Chester Valley Trail 2 & Trail 3
- Schuylkill River Trail-Boardwalk
- Kinkora Trail
- Lawrence Hopewell Pennington Connection
- Schuylkill River Trail-Leesport
- Baldwin Run Trail
- Poquessing Creek Trail (not an official Circuit Trail)
- Yellow Springs Trail (Valley Forge) (not an official Circuit Trail)
- Destination Peace Valley Trail (not an official Circuit Trail)
Five Groundbreakings
- Manayunk Bridge
- ECG- Baxter Trail
- Pennypack N/S Extension
- Sullivan's Bridge
- Schuylkill River Trail West (not an official Circuit trail)
Media Impressions
Number of Viewers/Readers Reached:
89,776,236
**Huffington Post Viewership: 54,657,952**
Estimated Advertising Value:
$349,257.10
**Does not include Huffington Post advertising value**
*All readership, unique viewers and advertising equivalency numbers are estimates based on the best available data
Major Messages
- As the trail network grows, small businesses are benefitting
- Key assets in the Circuit are being completed
- Collaboration leads to progress in trail development
- Philadelphia is one of the most accessible cities for cyclists
- The Circuit will make Philadelphia a world-class city for trail access
- Funding is key for further trail development
Media Placements:
- Since June, 47 different outlets covered stories
- More than 16 TV segments
- An impressive 8 Inquirer stories
- All 4 Major Philly news channels covered events
50 Miles in Progress
Circuit Trails in the 9 county region were awarded $13.2 million in federal, state and local funding.
400 Miles to Go
We expect the following trails in the coming years to open:
2015:
- Manayunk Bridge
- Bartram’s Mile
- SRT in Phoenixville and along the tow path in Mont Clare
- Baxter Trail
- Pennypack between Welsh Road and Byberry Road (Bryn Athyn)
2016:
- Ben Franklin Bridge ramp,
- Chester Valley Trail in Montgomery County
- new bridge over the Schuylkill River at Valley Forge
Take Action to Encourage Future Funding of the Circuit
Periodically, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) issues a four year capital transportation budget (Transportation Improvement Program or TIP) for the five Pennsylvania counties. It provides detail on which transportation projects will be funded using a combination of federal, state and local dollars.
The Circuit Coalition has been urging the DVRPC to dedicate more funding to Circuit projects. In February 2014, the Circuit Coalition delivered 2000 postcards and petition signators who called for more funding of the Circuit.
The Draft Pennsylvania TIP does contain funding for nine Circuit trail projects. But, the amount of funding dedicated to those projects over a four year period is only 0.9% of the total TIP budget. DVRPC did commit an additional $1M toward the Circuit in Year 2018.
While DVRPC deserves to be commended for committing an additional funding toward the Circuit, we also need to encourage the region to make a larger investment in future years. There are 61 Circuit projects in the five Southeastern PA counties that need design and construction funding and many of them will need to be placed onto the TIP in the coming years. If the Circuit is going to be fully built out over the next 25 years, more funding needs to be dedicated for trail segments.
DVRPC is accepting public comments on the draft Pennsylvania TIP by June 30th. Please take a moment to submit a comment to DVRPC calling for additional funding in the future in order to successfully build out the Circuit by 2040.
2013 Highlights of the Circuit
Since May of 2012, 33 MILES OF TRAIL WERE CONSTRUCTED.
In 2013, the following trail segments were celebrated with ribbon cuttings:
- Delaware River Trail in Port Richmond (Philly)
- Central Delaware Riverfront - Penn Street Trail (Philly)
- 58th Street Greenway (Philly)
- Route 13 Passageway (Bucks)
- SRT at Shawmont Avenue (Philly)
- SRT in Bern Township (Berks)
- Darby Creek Trail (Delaware County)
- Lawrence Hopewell Trail (Mercer County)
- Delaware River Heritage Trail (Burlington County)
- Black Diamond Trail (Luzerne and Carbon Counties)
- Camden Tiger Trails (Camden County)
There are at least 60 MILES OF TRAIL ARE IN PROGRESS. In 2013, over $7.5 million in new funding was announced for Circuit trails.
- $4.0 million from DVRPC Phase 3 grants
- $3.5 million from Pennsylvania DCNR and Commonwealth Financing Authority
- $40,000 from New Jersey’s Recreational Trails Program
There are 407 MILES LEFT TO GO. In June, the Circuit Coalition launched the Circuit Commitment campaign to secure $10 Million (to be spent over a three year period) to replenish DVRPC’s regional trail fund.
The Circuit Coalition held two Circuit Caucuses in June that were attended by over 100 trail enthusiasts. Since then, the Coalition has garnered:
- Resolutions of support from: Pitman and Wenonah New Jersey, and Phoenixville, East Bradford, Haverford and Chltenham Pennsylvania.
- Letters of support from: O’Neill Properties, Neducsin Properties, Cadre Design, Brandywine Realty Trust, YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties, Delaware County Transportation Management Agency.
- 2000 + Circuit Supporters who either filled out postcards or signed the online petition.
2013 CIRCUIT MILESTONES
- Manayunk Bridge construction project was advertised and construction should start in 2014
- Philadelphia adopted its first ever trail master plan
- DVRPC’s Regional Trail Fund ($10 million) leveraged $12 million in additional funding.
LOOKING TOWARDS 2014
- Schuylkill River Wins River of the Year (ONLY IF YOU VOTE FOR IT before December 27th!!!)
- Opening of the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk and Manayunk Bridge, Chester Valley Trail
- Design of the Ben Franklin Bridge Ramp
- Progress made on numerous trails throughout the nine county region
- A dedicated investment in trails by the nine counties
The Connectthecircuit.org’s blog and event pages have more detail on all of these highlights.
PA Transportation Bill Key for the Circuit
PA Voting on Transportation Today - Speak Up For Biking, Walking, and Transit!
It will be all too easy to strip bicycling and walking out of the bill as "frivolous expenditures nobody wants."House Assembly members need to hear from you that safe walking and biking are important. Tell your Representative to vote YES on Rep. Micozzie's amendment.
In the 21st century, transportation does not begin and end with highways. We need a comprehensive transportation bill that makes bicycling and walking in Pennsylvania safer and more accessible. Funding does that, and this is our best chance to get bicycling and walking respected and acknowledged in our state's transportation funding. The House may vote on Rep. Micozzie's amendment to HB106 as soon as this afternoon; e-mail or call your House Representative today and tell them to vote for the amendment!
Thank you for speaking up for biking and walking!
p.s If you want to call your legislator - use this handy site to find his/her contact information
"The Circuit Coalition’ Asks For Funding To Continue Building Regional Trail Network (CBS3)
By Steve Tawa
November 10, 2013 4:00 AM
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)–The William Penn Foundation’s $10-million grant to design and construct trails in the Philadelphia region has run its course. Now, advocates are looking to tap other resources to continue building out the network.
Dozens of non-profit groups that form ‘The Circuit Coalition’ are trying to make the case that the regional trail network is a worthy investment. The just expired Penn Foundation grant funded 40 different projects.
The Circuit is their grand plan for a 750-mile regional trail network in the five county Philadelphia area and four more in South Jersey.
Sarah Clark Stuart is policy director at the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia.
She says, “we would like the board of the Delaware Valley regional planning commission to consider putting a very, very small portion – .2 percent – of their capital funds into this dedicated trail fund.”
The coalition is asking decision makers at the DVRPC to set aside about $3 million a year for regional trail development out of the $1.4-billion the Philadelphia region spends annually on highways and mass transit.
October Events #onthecircuit
Circuit Ribbon Cutting Events
Lawrence Hopewell Trail - October 1st
Port Richmond Trail – October 29th
Circuit Trail Meetings
East-West Park Community Vision Meeting – October 2
Circuit Presentations
Tedx Phoenixville - October 5th
Kayak, Riverboat Tours & Movie Nights
Secrets of the Schuylkill Riverboat Tour (one hour) – October 5, 17, 19, 24
Schuylkill Riverboat Tour to Bartram's Garden (three hours) – October 6, 20
Rides & Runs & Walks
Cobbs Creek 5 K – October 12th
Historic Bristol Day & Bike Tour – October 19th
Get Your Tail on the Trail - October 26th
Workshops
Safe Crossings for Eastern Pennsylvania – October 2nd
Trail Tuesdays on Cynwyd Trail – October 22nd
Circuit Supporters Fanning Out Over The Weekend
Haven't yet signed a postcard or lent your voice to trail advocacy? Here's where you can find Circuit materials this weekend.
Saturday
- Rich Kerr & Peter Puglionesi of Friends of Haverford Trails will be at the Haverford Music Festival.
- Tom Hibbs of the Penn-Tammany Greenway Coalition will be at Tamanend Park Day in Upper Southhampton.
- Jim Fries of Delaware River City Corporation will be at Coast Day in the Independence Seaport Museum
- SRDC staff will have cards at the Philly Fun Fishing Fest on Schuylkill Banks
- Bicycle Coalition staff will be at the Camden County Boathouse on the Cooper River Trail Saturday afternoon.
- Tom Hibbs will be at Northhampton Days in Richboro. There is a parade at 12 noon and Tom would welcome more people to join him and other cyclists in the parade.
- David Bennett and BCGP staff will be theScenic Schuylkill Century.
- Bicycle Coalition staff will be atGreenfestPhilly in Headhouse Square in Philadelphia.
- BCGP staff will also be at the Delaware River Heritage Trail Ribbon Cutting in Bordentown
Volunteers Needed for Circuit Commitment Campaign Trail Days
As part of the Circuit Coalition's campaign to secure $10 million for trail planning and construction, we are going out to different trails around the region over the next few weekends to ask people to fill out a postcard with a brief comment about why they support building the Circuit.
We will be collecting postcards throughout September and then will deliver them to County Commissioners and Freeholders in each of the nine counties in the Delaware Valley region in October and November when we ask for their support to make an allocation of $10 million to a regional trail fund through the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.
We could use your help! If you are available to volunteer and work with us to collect postcards on any of these days, please !
Cooper River Trail - September 7th (Camden County Boathouse - - time TBD)
Scenic Schuylkill Century (Lloyd Hall) - September 8th
Chester Valley Trail (East Whiteland Township) - September 21st (time TBD)
Route 202 - (September 28th time TBD)
If you want to collect postcards on your own through an organization you belong to or by going out to a trail on your own, and we will mail materials to you.
The Circuit Revolutionizes DVRPC's Long-Range Plan
A new plan adopted by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has big impliations for connecting The Circuit.
On July 30th the DVRPC Board adopted Connections 2040 Plan for Greater Philadelphia. Connections 2040 is the long-range plan for the future growth and development of the DVRPC region. The plan includes land use, environmental, economic competitiveness, and transportation strategies, and puts forth a vision for investing in our transportation system.
The DVRPC plan looks ahead 25 years, and by law it must update that plan every 5 years. A key component of these plans is the list of major regional projects, which are the plan's largest and most significant set of identified projects. To accommodate The Circuit DVRPC created a new sub-category called "major regional bicycle and pedestrian projects." According to the plan there is enough funding available (based on current projections) to pay for about 75% of The Circuit by 2040 ($128M for PA and $99M for NJ).
The inclusion of The Circuit in this group of projects is a big win; the long-range plan has in effect set a target for investment. This makes the goals for the Circuit Committment campaign ($10M over the next 3 years) seem quite modest. But in reality most of the "shovel ready" trail projects are already in the pipeline for development. What is needed now is a big project design push to accellerate trail development over the next decade.
Federal Trail Funding in Jeopardy
WE MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY IN THE HOUSE.
On the Trail with the Circuit Commitment Campaign
Using some "Burma Shave" signs to help lure trail users over to our table, volunteer Glenn Davis and I got 40+ postcards signed last night at the Schuylkill Banks movie night! Thanks to Josh Nims, Zoe Axelrod, Danielle Gray and Joe Syrnick for their assistance and support. Glenn was a super volunteer; thank you Glenn! And a special thanks to Russell Meddin of Bike Share Philadelphia for helping me put the Burma Shave signs together. It was a great evening and a lot of fun to talk to people about the Circuit Commitment campaign. Anyone willing to volunteer to get postcards filled out or borrow the Burma Shave signs to use themselves some weekend on their favorite trail, please ! To see the images of the set up, check out this little gif animation.
Circuit Commitment Campaign Is Launched!
In late June, two Circuit Caucus meetings were held in Harverford and Pennsawken to launch the Circuit Commitment Campaign. Over 70 people attended the caucus meeting in the beautiful Haverford Recreation and Environmental Center and over 40 attended the meeting at the Camden County Boathouse.
The purpose of this new campaign is to secure more funding for the Circuit. The Circuit Coalition is collecting signatures and letters of support, and distributing postcards, in preparation for meetings with county commissioners (PA) and county freeholders (NJ). In those meetings, The Circuit Coalition will ask for support in its request that the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) allocate $10 million to new Circuit trail projects.
This DVRPC funding is especially important because the $10 million allotted by the William Penn Foundation in 2011 for trails is running out this year. That allocation provided critical funding for over 30 trail projects in the region – trail projects most every regular trail user has enjoyed at some point in the past 3 years.
The beauty of The Circuit is that it goes everywhere, connecting what once was a fractured series of trails into a network. Local trail advocates and trail groups can help trails in their region by taking these actions to help The Circuit Commitment Campaign:
1. Ask people to fill out postcards at events ( if you need blank postcards mailed to you)
2. Place a web button or link on websites, Facebook pages, and in newsletters encouraging people to sign the petition online;
3. Secure a letter of support from a local business or a resolution from a municipality. We have sample letters of support drafted for each county and a sample resolution.
4. Publish this 400 word story about the campaign in your newsletter;
5. Listen to a narrated powerpoint online or download a powerpoint to make your own presentation.
6. Keep current on The Circuit by subscribing to The Circuit’s official blog and joining the Biking the Suburbs Facebook group.
Diverse and demonstrated support from trail groups and users in many communities will be critical in securing the funding necessary to build more sections of The Circuit.
Contact us at to obtain postcards, web buttons, sample letters, information, or to ask questions.
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