CPTAB committee designates 131 temporary bus stops

The ad hoc committee on bus stop designation under the Commonwealth Public Transportation Advisory Board has completed bus stop designation field work and so far designated a total of 131 temporary bus stops both north and south of Saipan.
The committee met at the American Memorial Park last Feb. 13 to discuss and carry out the agenda on bus stop sites, which also involved identifying “potential” sites based on the feasibility study for the Saipan Fixed-Flex Route and Paratransit System.

Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority administrator Tom Camacho, who created committee, said that these are only temporary bus stops.

“The final count of bus stops for the routes is pending on the committee’s and my office’s approval but we are estimating to reach a total of 150 bus stops for the Saipan Fixed-Flex Route and Paratransit System,” Camacho said.

“These bus stops are temporary and are selected by the committee based on ‘points of interest’ and the number of business establishments and residences in the area,” he added.

According to Camacho, points of interest are places where people visit due to employment, shopping, health services, and government agencies.

The committee was successful in identifying possible bus stop locations at all points of interests listed, which included one-third of Route 1 (from Garapan to south of Saipan).

Camacho said that not all of the 131 bus stops that have been identified so far would stay once the transit system goes into action.

“They are only temporary for now. The bus stops that will stay will be based on the number of people using those bus stops,” he said.

According to Camacho, the committee will dissolve as soon as the designation of bus stops is done.

The routes that have been identified for bus stop designation range from As Matuis all the way to Koblerville and as far as Kagman.

The bus stop designation ad hoc committee members are Saipan Mayor Donald Flores (Henry Hofschneider, designee); Department of Public Safety Commissioner James C. Deleon Guerrero; Department of Public Works Secretary Martin C. Sablan (Noberto Mendiola, designee); Pam C. Sablan, executive director (Ray Diaz, designee), CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities; Joaquin B. Songsong, director, Land Registration and Survey, Department of Land and Natural Resources (Paul Camacho, designee); Gary Camacho, Power Division manager, Commonwealth Utilities Corp.; and Emetario Fitial, Center for Living Independently, Call-a-Ride customer.