Commerce wants public transport plan included

The Department of Commerce is calling for the inclusion of its draft public transportation program in a related bill that recently passed the Legislature.

Commerce economic development officer Glen Manglona said yesterday that the department has submitted a position paper to the Governor’s Office, appealing that the draft program be considered when passing the measure.

“We support the enactment of the bill into law but we’d like the department plan to be integrated into the bill. Our plan is comprehensive,” said Manglona yesterday.

The Legislature recently passed House Bill 14-318 that aims to create a transport office that would develop a mass transportation system in the CNMI.

Authored by Rep. Clyde Norita, the bill proposes a CNMI Office of Transit Authority within the Office of the Governor.

Through the proposed office, the government can apply for grants from the Federal Transit Administration and use it to assess the Commonwealth’s transportation needs and develop a viable public transportation system.

The Department of Commerce had drafted its own mass transport plan, which is projected to be implemented beginning next year.

Based on the department’s 2005-2010 Public Transportation Development Plan, a task force shall be created and a recommendation report on the proposed program shall be submitted to the governor and the Legislature within this year. By February 2006, it shall apply for a grant with the FDA. A gradual implementation of the program shall begin in August 2006.

The department said the goal “is to establish a public transportation system that provides for improved mobility for our citizens and the transportation of goods and services.”

The agency said it came up with the idea in view of the Commonwealth’s anticipated population growth and economic opportunities.

The public transport system shall include varied transportation options such as buses, carpools, vanpools, curb-to-curb paratransit service, and rain train or a monorail system.

With the high cost of fuel, Manglona said that it is most practical for the CNMI to consider the plan.

He said the operation can be jointly handled by the government and the private sector. “It can be quasi-public. It can be government-sponsored like Guam, or it can operated by the private sector,” he said.