SPTTAP Center holds second Tribal Safety Champions workshop

Thursday, February 4, 2016

(STILLWATER, Okla., February 4, 2016) The Southern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program (SPTTAP) Center held its second Tribal Safety Champions workshop, on November 17-18, 2015 at Aloft Hotel in Oklahoma City for more than 100 attendees.

“We are very pleased that we could offer this event to Southern Plains TTAP region Native American tribes in 2015,” said Karla Sisco, TTAP program manager. “The workshop was a great opportunity for the tribes and various safety stakeholders to come together and learn about the latest safety technologies, while they networked and shared ideas and successes.”

Funding from FHWA’s Accelerated Safety Activities Program made it possible for SPTTAP to convene a regional workshop for the second year in a row, according to Sisco.

In the opening session, Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director, Mike Patterson, touted ODOT’s latest safety improvement projects, including cable barrier, smart work zones and centerline rumble strips. In other opening remarks, Gary Corino, Oklahoma Division, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrator, provided information on the Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) grant, which allowed for two key High Friction Surface Treatment projects in Oklahoma City. Corino also noted the advances made through the Every Day Counts (EDC) initiatives, which allow transportation officials to speed up the delivery of highway projects and to address the challenges presented by limited budgets

Michael Lynn, president of the Oklahoma Tribal Transportation Council and roads director for the Cherokee Nation noted the importance of considering the safety of your own family and friends when designing roads and completing transportation projects. Finally, Ed Kirtley, assistant dean of outreach and extension in the College of Engineering, Technology and Architecture (CEAT) at Oklahoma State University (OSU), offered words of welcome from OSU and words of support for the safety training efforts of the SPTTAP and the LTAP (Local Technical Assistance Program).

The workshop continued with a variety of sessions, including engineering topics, such as Smarter Work Zones, Collecting Crash Data for Road Improvement Projects, Data Driven Analysis for Bridge Safety, MUTCD, High Friction Surface Treatment and Centerline Rumble Strips, as well as a selection of education sessions, including A Public Health Approach to Motor Vehicle Injury Prevention, Defensive Driving for Youth, DUI Prevention and Education and Tribal Safety Education Initiatives.

Tuesday’s lunch session featured the introduction of SPTTAP’s new safety awards. The Tribal Safety Circuit Rider Program created the seven safety awards that are to be given annually to highlight the safety efforts throughout the SPTTAP service area. The nomination process included an application, a letter of recommendation, pictures of nominees and examples of work in the safety field.

Lawrence Robertson, director, Indian Highway Safety Program, a function of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the National Highway Safety Administration, presented the awards, along with Tabatha Harris, SPTTAP Tribal Safety circuit rider.

The Southern Plains Transportation Center featured a poster session highlighting transportation research projects by students from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. Topics covered in the posters included Motorcycle Crash Causation Study, Incident and Weather Management System, Police Automated Reporting and Information Systems, Intent Communication Between Autonomous Vehicles and Pedestrians, Smart Post Earthquake Bridge Inspection Protocol and Vehicular Networking for Increased Driver Safety. Oklahoma University professors Joseph Havlicek and Ronald Barnes also held a podium session which discussed the significant impact that the OU Center for Intelligent Transportation Systems has had on transportation safety in Oklahoma.

Several tribes had the opportunity to discuss tribal safety initiatives and successes. Richard McCulley, Seminole Nation transportation director, talked about the driver safety presentations being provided to area schools, as well as the road safety assessment they conducted with SPTTAP in early June.

Chris McCray, Pawnee Nation transportation director, shared how the Pawnee Nation used Tribal Transportation Safety Program Funding to purchase emergency management equipment and strengthen their emergency communications plan. The integrated system now provides quick, reliable notification; interoperability between emergency responders; increased emergency responder safety; increased accuracy and response to incidents; and it meets the National Incident Management System (NIMS) standards.

Angela Blind, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes transportation director, spoke about coordinating with various agencies and groups to reinforce safety messages on bicycles, pedestrians and seatbelts. The tribe recently recorded a video to publicize their outreach efforts and broadcasted it on their local TV network.

Tom Edwards, Cross Timbers Consulting and Charley LaSarge, Muscogee Creek Nation, focused on three tribal safety projects: one that has been constructed and two that are in the design phase. The Okemah Pedestrian Bridge is already being utilized as a safety passageway for children to walk to school.

“The Tribal Safety Champions Workshop allows us to hear and see the safety efforts of our peers,” noted Chris McCray, Pawnee Nation transportation manager, “which then helps inspire us to increase and enhance our own safety initiatives.”

To view the presentations from the workshop, go to: http://ttap.okstate.edu/events/tribal-safety-champions-workshop-presentations-posted-hereTSC

CONTACT: Karla Sisco | Southern Plains TTAP Center | 405-744-4764 | karla.sisco@okstate.edu