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| Volume 16, Issue 2 | Summer 2004 |
Cutting Edge TransitThe Dakota Transporter will have a new column, Cutting Edge Transit, sponsored by SURTC in each issue. This column will focus on one or two research projects per newsletter that are applicable to rural and/or small urban transit. Many nationally sponsored research projects are geared toward large urban projects and rail. The rural and small urban projects that are reported on are usually conducted and viewed from a national perspective and not geared toward a specific region. Our work at SURTC is rather unique because it is geared specifically for those of us in the upper Midwest. The first report I will share in this issue is Integrating School Bus and Public Transportation Services in Non-Urban Communities. It is Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 56 published in 1999 by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration. The executive summary says this report explores the coordination of student transportation and public transportation services in non-urban areas. The study included a research component and a survey to determine the scope and breadth of this type of coordination across the country. Case studies were conducted to obtain detailed information about communities that have successfully coordinated or integrated some aspect of student and public transportation. An on-line copy of this report is available at http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=2562 and hard copies can be ordered. Of the 80 sites that coordinated services, the most popular type of coordination involved placing regular education students, Head Start, and/or agency clients on public transit vehicles. Only 30 communities used school buses in coordination services. Of these, 10 comingled and 20 did not comingle the public with students. The back of the publication also has an implementation guide. For some background, here are three research sources. Probably the oldest and most prominent transportation research organization is the TRB, based in Washington, D.C. TRB is a division of the National Research Council, which serves as an independent advisor to the federal government. The National Research Council is jointly administered by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to "promote innovation and progress in transportation through research." TRB's website, www4.trb.org/trb/homepage.nsf/web/about/, is a great source of information on transit, highways and transportation issues. The Transportation Research Forum (TRF) is another research organization. Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute is the current home for TRF. The Transportation Research Forum is an independent organization of transportation professionals. Their purpose is to provide an impartial meeting ground for all transportation workers, researchers and government officials and others seeking an exchange of information and ideas related to both passenger and freight transportation. Its website is www.trforum.org. TRF publishes a journal called Journal of the Transportation Research Forum and has annual conferences for sharing of research topics. The University Transportation Centers (UTC) program was established at institutions of higher learning in 1987 by the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act. One center was competitively chosen to operate in each of the 10 federal regions. North Dakota State University in Fargo is the university for region eight, which includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The U.S. Department of Transportation's UTC program was created to advance innovative education, research, technology transfer, and outreach at selected institutions of higher learning, throughout the United States. SURTC is a part of the UTC program and is geared to researching subjects focusing on small urban and rural transit environment. This column will include reports on research projects from both SURTC and other sources that include a national perspective, and are relevant to our environment - rural communities with populations of fewer than 50,000 and small urban communities with populations between 50,000 and 400,000. Elder CareRichard Sand passed away Monday, July 5, 2004 after battling cancer. Richard has been a driver for Elder Care for over 10 years. Services were held on Thursday, July 8 in Dickinson, ND. Richard was known for his compassionate, kind manner with his passengers, and will be missed by all. "Our sympathy and prayers go to Elder Care in mourning their loss."
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