Southern Plains TTAP

Tribal Technical Assistance Program

Oklahoma State University

Transportation News Update

Serving Tribes in Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma

September 19, 2013

TTP Safety Grant deadline TODAY

Applications directly to FHWA

The deadline for submitting an application for Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funding is

today, September 19.

You do not need to register with www.sam.gov or www.grants.gov. Please don't miss this important funding opportunity to develop strategic safety plans and address safety issues in Indian Country. Be sure to send your application directly to FHWA by email to ttpsf@dot.gov

FAQ's Click Here

Tribal Transportation Safety Website

Special OTTC meeting set in Stillwater

Tuesday, October 1, at Southern Plains TTAP Center

The next meeting of the Oklahoma Tribal Transportation Council will be set at the Southern Plains TTAP Center in Stillwater, OK, on Tuesday, October 1, at 10:30 a.m. Lunch will be served. OTTC will seek approval for nominations to the Transportation Tribal Advisory Board for both the Governor and the Senate Pro Tempore.

New Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), Mike Patterson, addressed OTTC 's Tuesday, September 10 meeting. Patterson expressed his desire to continue strong relationships between ODOT and the tribes of Oklahoma. OTTC President, Milton Sovo, and Vice President, Zac Hawkins, welcomed Patterson and thanked him for his comments.

Formerly, Patterson served as the Assistant Director of Finance and Administration and the Deputy Director of ODOT. Patterson succeeded Gary Ridley on April 1 of this year; Ridley retired after 44 years of service to ODOT.

Mike Patterson, Director, Oklahoma DOT

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Everyone is a pedestrian

Recent increase in fatalities

Everyone has different preferences when it comes to transportation, but there's one that all road users share-everyone is a pedestrian. Unfortunately, pedestrians were one of the few groups of road users to experience an increase in fatalities in the United States in 2011, totaling 4,432 deaths.

Safety is the top priority of the Department of Transportation. Our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

are working hard to raise awareness of the dangers to pedestrians, and to provide leadership, expertise, and resources to communities across America to combat these crashes.

"On average, a pedestrian was killed every two hours and injured every eight minutes in traffic crashes." (Traffic Safety Facts: Pedestrians, August, 2013)

Teresa Stephens, Crafton,Tull & Assoc.; Jim Self, TTAP; Ken Hess, ODOT; Karla Sisco, TTAP

"It's about saving lives and making a difference"

Transportation Specialist, Ken Hess, retires from ODOT

After a 34-year career at the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT),

Ken Hess, Transportation Specialist, celebrated his retirement on September 13. Over the past year, Hess has been instrumental in the crash data collection training process for tribes in Oklahoma, through his work with the Southern Plains TTAP. Teresa Stephens, formerly of ODOT, now with Crafton, Tull, & Associates, initiated the crash data collection process for the tribes through her efforts on several Tribal Safety Workshops, beginning in 2011.

"It's about saving lives and making a difference," said Hess.

Hess was in on the ground floor when the SAFE-T system, a tool used by ODOT to catalogue and analyze roadway collisions, was put in place. Reports generated by the system are used by government and tribal employees around the state to identify problem areas and plan roadway changes.

The reports include maps showing locations of collisions and an analysis of when and why collisions occurred. The system's ability to search for locations by number of collisions and the lists included in the reports have provided key information to the tribes as they prepare their transportation safety plans.

Attention: rural and tribal public transportation providers

Fall training retreat coming Sept. 24-26

Close to a quarter of the country's population, lives in a rural area, according to data from the American Community Survey (ACS). Oklahoma Rural and Tribal Public Transportation providers work hard to meet the transportation needs of this demographic.

This year's agenda includes pertinent transit topics designed for Oklahoma's Rural and Tribal Public Transportation providers and their staff. Topics will encompass, "The Future of Wheelchair Securement", "Financial Management for Transit", "Powerful Public Speaking" and of course, "Drug and Alcohol Updates"!

AGENDA

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National Tribal Transportation Conference

Mystic Lake Hotel & Conference Center in Prior Lake, MN

October 28 - Nov. 1

(Early Bird Registration through Sept. 27)

The 16th annual National Tribal Transportation Conference will be held in conjunction and cooperation with the Minnesota Tribes and Transportation Conference on October 28 - November 1, 2013 at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community's Mystic Lake Hotel and Conference Center, located in Prior Lake, Minnesota.

Sessions will involve topics relating to innovation, partnerships, planning, safety, technology, transit, tribal leaders, and legal updates.

The early bird registration deadline for the 16th Annual National Tribal Transportation Conference ends on September 27, 2013. Once the deadline passes, the registration rates for attendees will increase from $225 to $275.

More Information

REGISTER

Hotel Information

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Planning for Progress

Southern Plains TTAP to host Planning Forum

November 12-13 at Hard Rock Hotel Tulsa

Hotel Reservations

Click "Online Reservation"

Group Code: TRANSNOV2013

To call in your reservation, use the name, "OSU Tribal Transportation"
800-760-6700

Agenda coming soon!

Mark your calendar for the next EDC Exchange

Locally Administered Federal-Aid Projects: What's in it for you?

September 24, 1:00 pm Central Time in Stillwater, OK

As a key transportation stakeholder in the State of Oklahoma, the Federal Highway Administration's Oklahoma Division (FHWA) invites you to attend the "Locally Administered Federal-Aid Projects" Every Day Counts (EDC) Exchange. The Exchange takes place on Tuesday, September 24, 2013 from 1:00 to 3:30 pm Central Standard Time via a live nationwide interactive video conference at the Center for Local Government Technology in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

The second round of EDC introduced a three-pronged strategy to aid local public agencies (LPAs) through the complexities of delivering and administering Federal-aid projects.

The strategy focuses on: Stakeholder Partnering (ensuring effective communication), Certification Programs (ensuring technical capabilities to manage projects) and Consultant Services Flexibilities (improving the quality and performance of contracted services. The session will highlight examples that demonstrate the successful use of these LPA initiatives.

In order to ensure adequate accommodations, we ask that you RSVP by September 16th by email to Jim Stevenson at FHWA at James.R.Stevenson@dot.gov . Also, feel free to call Mr. Stevenson at 405-254-3300 with questions or to discuss this program.

Invitation

Federal Aid Essentials Website

MAP

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Defensive Driving course offered by TTAP

Train your staff

Safety never takes a break. Simple safety measures can prevent injuries and deaths on the road, whether you're driving for work or pleasure.

Defensive driving is driving to save lives, time and money, in spite of the conditions around you and the actions of others.

Karla Sisco, TTAP Specialist, has recently become a Defensive Driving instructor through the National Safety Council. If you're interested in scheduling a class for your drivers, contact her today. karla.sisco@okstate.edu

Upcoming Classes:

Comanche Nation: October 18, 2013

Chickasaw Nation: February 8, 2014

Choctaw Nation: February 21, 2014

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American Indian Tourism Conference coming to Oklahoma

September 22-26 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Conference Center in Tulsa, OK

The 15th Annual American Indian Tourism Conference is coming to the Hard Rock Hotel & Conference Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, September 22-26.

The conference is designed to share knowledge, experience and best practices from both tribal and non-tribal tourism programs around the United States. Each conference features mobile workshops, networking events and presentations from experts in the travel & tourism industry.

Registration

Agenda

Conference Website

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From: Dept. of Transportation (DOT) - Office of Drug & Alcohol Policy & Compliance
SAMHSA helpline

National Recovery Month

"Together on Pathways of Wellness

National Recovery Month (Recovery Month) is a national observance that educates Americans on the fact that addiction treatment and mental health services can enable those with a mental and/or substance use disorder to live a healthy and rewarding life. The observance's main focus is to laud the gains made by those in recovery from these conditions, just as we would those who are managing other health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.

National Recovery Month Website

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Jim Self, Director
jim.self@okstate.edu

Karla Sisco, Editor

karla.sisco@okstate.edu

405-744-6049

Southern Plains TTAP Advisory Committee

Training Schedule

This material is based upon work supported by the U. S. Department of Transportation under Agreement No. DTFH61-12-H-00004. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Highway Administration.

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