SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Chris Cherrybon said the stencil of two blue buses book ending the words "bus stop" at East Main and St. Peter streets is a good idea.
"They'll know where it is. People have already stopped and asked me," Cherrybon, 50, said about Schuylkill Transportation System bus stops in Schuylkill Haven.
On Monday, a Schuylkill Haven highway department worker spray painted a section of the curb in front of Santander Bank in the borough. The stenciling was approved by the borough council in December.
In all, 19 of the 21 stops in the borough will be designated by the stencil. The remaining two stops will be done at a later date due to the Route 61 widening project, Joan Breslin, marketing and service support coordinator with STS, said Friday. Breslin serves on the Schuylkill Haven Economic Restructuring Committee of the Our Haven Foundation and suggested the idea in March 2013.
The intention of the stenciling is for more people to recognize where they can catch the bus, Breslin said. The color - gloss true blue - is actually used for the borough seal, she said.
Brian Murray, highway department foreman for the borough, said the designated areas will be stenciled by the end of the month.
The next area targeted for paint is in front of the Stone House Bed & Breakfast, 16 Dock St. A white painted dot on the road marked the location.
Last year, 22,110 passengers rode the STS bus to and from Schuylkill Haven, Breslin said.
The borough has the third highest ridership in the county, behind Shenandoah and Minersville.
The stops in the county were selected by STS in 1982, Breslin said.
Only three stops in Schuylkill Haven have signs marking them as bus stops: First and Columbia streets near Turkey Hill, West Union at St. John Street and Columbia at St. James Street.
Jimmy Carter, 76, of North Manheim Township, said Monday the idea has merit. He does not take the bus, but he said he did not know where the bus stops were located.
Carl Berger, economic development coordinator for the borough, said the new identification will benefit the community.
"We are very happy and proud to be chosen to be the first in the county," Berger said, adding the stencils are the latest improvement to the downtown to attract people.
B.J. Folk, recreation director for the borough, said the idea is a good one.
"We have bus stops that people don't even know about," he said.