Trail-Oriented Development Tour on the Metropolitan Branch Trail

First convened in 2016 by WABA, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, REI, and a host of other regional stakeholders, The Capital Trails Coalition is a collaboration of public and private organizations, agencies, and volunteers working to advance completion of an interconnected network of multi-use trails for metropolitan Washington, DC.  The Coalition convenes and coordinates among the public and private stakeholders who are critical to accomplishing the vision of an interconnected network.

Check out the CTC's website here, and explore the interactive map of existing and planned regional trails here.

Bike lanes are most effective when they connects to other bike lanes, protected bike lanes, even more so.

WABA works with teams of grassroots volunteers across the District to demand a network of low-stress places to bike. A network where you, your kids, nephews, nieces, or grandkids, can all get where you need to go safely, easily, happily on bikes.

Connecting neighborhoods between Silver Spring, Maryland and Union Station in DC, and paralleling the Metrorail Red Line, the Met Branch Trail is busy corridor for recreation and active transportation.

First conceived by WABA and others in the early 1990's, the trail is a showcase of both innovative urban trail design, and the challenges of multi-jurisdiction trail development.  The trail broke ground in 1998, and major sections have opened in 2010, 2015, and 2021, but it remains incomplete. An interim, on-street route bridges a gap between Fort Totten and the DC/Maryland border.

Trails are the best. They are low-stress bike infrastructure,  access to nature, parks, landmarks, and community gathering spaces all rolled into one.

WABA's trail advocacy is focused on connecting gaps in our region's trail network; ensuring existing trails are maintained and upgraded to meet current design standards; and expanding the network into underserved parts of the region.

Complete Streets are streets designed to accommodate all users, and that prioritize historically underinvested modes of transportation like transit, walking, and biking. An incomplete street might lack adequate sidewalks, low-stress bike infrastructure, or safe and comfortable access to transit.

Effective Complete Streets policies change the way a jurisdiction plans and builds transportation infrastructure—sidewalks, low stress bike infrastructure, and transit should be included in any new or rebuilt street by default, rather than as an add-on when there's space or demand.

While most regional jurisdictions have a Complete Streets policy of some sort, they lack teeth and permit transportation departments to continue to build streets that put cars first and squeeze other modes into the margins.

• Maryland Complete Streets Policy
• Montgomery County Complete Streets Design Guide
• Prince George's County Complete Streets Program
• DC Complete Streets Policy
• Arlington County Complete Streets Program
• Alexandria Complete Streets Program
• Fairfax County Complete Streets 
• Virginia Complete Streets 

WABA fights for a region where biking, walking and transit are the best ways to get around.

We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.