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Sablan eyes bill to expand school zones, speed limits
A bill by Rep. Vison Sablan (Ind-Saipan) is seeking to expand school zones further and lower speed limits for CNMI schools.
The lawmaker said the bill seeks to amend the existing law on school zones and speed limits, particularly for schools that are located in the north side of Saipan.
The bill is now at the Legislative Assistant’s Office and will be published online on the Legislature’s website.
“We are seeing an increase in activity by tourist buses, and rent-a-car vehicles passing through these schools,” Sablan said.
The concern, he said, is that some designated bus stops are sometimes outside the school zones. “The bill will seek to push school zone limits to be in place with passing bus stops with children,” he said.
The danger is that vehicles often slow down within the school zone, only to speed up outside of it, where the bus stops are, Sablan said.
“The school zone speed limit is a law, but will not apply to bus stops outside the school zone,” he also noted.
Aside from the bill, the lawmaker also said he plans to write letters to tour operators, and inform them of the rules on school zones.
“These buses do not have ‘How’s my driving?’ signs or phone numbers. And often, operators use this ‘communications barrier’ as an excuse,” Sablan said. “We do not want to wait until an accident happens.”
Sablan also said he will reach out to the Department of Public Works to “rectify” broken school zone lights on some schools in the north side.
