June 27, 2007 Tribal Transportation Assessment Shows Funding VoidCHICAGO — The first extensive best practice analysis of existing tribal transportation programs has been completed by the American Planning Association (APA) in conjunction with the Transportation Research Board (TRB). The report "Tribal Transportation Programs" profiles 30 tribes around the country to provide an assessment of existing tribal transportation programs, examine the challenges of tribal transportation planning, and to assist tribes in performing transportation-related functions. The report includes the first in-depth set of profiles on individual tribal transportation programs, affirming that transportation program needs are influenced by both demographics and geography. The profiles catalog characteristics of tribal transportation programs, including transportation responsibilities, planning, coordination with outside agencies, funding, unmet needs, and desired program changes. The study reinforced that securing sufficient funding for existing and future transportation programs was a significant challenge shared among all of the profiled tribes. The tribes continue to seek additional revenue through innovative methods such as capital assistance grants, tribal fuel taxes, and casino revenues, to advance their transportation planning needs. The report also identifies the need for continued research. Specific areas include public transportation programs beyond dial-a-ride services, staffing public transportation programs, financing, and building relationships to further tribal transportation goals. "This report fills an existing information void about tribal transportation programs," said Jim Schwab, AICP, co-author of the report and APA senior research associate. "Our hope is this report will establish a baseline about tribal transportation programs and will help tribes build and expand their transportation programs." The 30 profiled tribes currently compose about 80 percent of the IRR (Indian Reservation Roads program, the primary vehicle for federal aid to tribal transportation) road mileage or budget, or both. The selected tribes represent a variety of geographic locations, population sizes, and the level of funding received for transportation. Information for the report was compiled from reviewing existing resources and a survey questionnaire. Report authors are Jim Schwab; Stuart Meck, FAICP, Rutgers University; and Rebecca Retzlaff, AICP, Auburn University. The work was guided by a panel of experts on Native American transportation, which also identified the 30 tribes participating in the study. The synthesis was funded by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, supported by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Standing Committee on Research, and managed by TRB through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. Profiled TribesAlabama-Coushatta Tribe; Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians; Boise Forte Band of Chippewa; Cherokee Nation; Coeur d'Alene Tribe; Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Tribe of Oregon; Craig Community Association; Eastern band of Cherokee Indians; Easter Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe Tribes; Native Village of Eyak; Fort Belknap Indian Community; Ho-Chunk Nation; Hoopa Valley Tribe; Kawerak, Inc.; Makah Tribe; Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation; Navajo Nation; Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation; Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe; Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians; Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa; Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; Seminole Nation of Oklahoma; Shoshone-Bannock Tribes; Southern Ute Indian Tribe; Standing Rock Sioux Tribe; Tohono O'Odham; Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska; and Pueblo of Zuni. About the Transportation Research BoardTRB is a division of the National Academies, which include the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council. The mission of TRB is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisciplinary, and multimodal. Contacts Roberta Rewers, APA Public Affairs, 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org | ||
