Active Transportation Needs Assessments with California Native American Tribes
SafeTREC in partnership with the National Indian Justice Center (NIJC) and the Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria conducted Active Transportation Needs Assessments for a limited number of California Native American Tribes.
To address the demand for active transportation options by all users of the transportation facilities within or providing access to the participating Tribes’ lands, the assessments documented:
- the current and projected needs and safety concerns of pedestrians and bicyclists (including connections with transit where applicable) in the participating tribal communities
- the existing conditions of roadway, pedestrian, bicycle, and infrastructure facilities
- recommended short-term and long-term improvements (infrastructure and non-infrastructure)
The data and information from the assessments may be used by the participating tribal communities in their long-range transportation plans and transportation improvement plans to develop multi-modal and transportation safety systems. Tribes may use the assessments to justify their needs and improve their ability to compete for Active Transportation Program funding and other funding to implement improvements. Data from the studies will be shared with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) so that it may be integrated into Caltrans’ decision-making for infrastructure investments.
Community input informed the project process through the guidance of representatives from the Tribal advisory committee, community scoping meetings and field surveys, and tribal review and feedback on draft assessment reports; as well as advisory committee review and feedback on data delivered to Caltrans.
For each assessment, we:
- Collected data and documented the tribe’s active transportation needs in a manner that is culturally relevant and will help them compete for Active Transportation Program grants and other funding to implement improvements.
- Conducted a 1-2 day site visit that included pedestrian and bicycle audits, and workshops and consultations with tribal leaders, designated tribal representatives, community members, and representatives from inter-jurisdictional as well as partner agencies.
- Developed and submitted a report to each of the respective tribes that summarizes the data and information gathered during the assessment process and provides recommendations for short and long-term improvements.
For more information about the program, visit the NIJC's Active Transportation Needs Assessments webpage or contact Joan Harper at joanharper@nijc.org.