Bob Coffin
Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Coffin is calling for pedestrian safety improvements, particularly along Charleston Boulevard, where sidewalks are often blocked by streetlight and utility poles.
His comments came during a presentation of the citywide mobility master plan at this morning’s City Council meeting. The 20-year plan outlines more than 180 transportation-related projects that, if completed, would cost roughly $3.2 billion.
One aspect of the plan, which Coffin characterized as the most important, concerns street upgrades that would improve safety for people walking, using wheelchairs or biking.
“Right now, Charleston (Boulevard) is probably the most unsafe street in Las Vegas, and it’s our fault. It’s the city’s fault,” he said.
Coffin said streetlight and utility poles dot the sidewalks, making them dangerous for pedestrians to navigate. He said he recently saw a man fall out of his wheelchair while trying to avoid a sidewalk obstruction near Las Vegas and Charleston boulevards.
“We really are in trouble here,” he said, noting the problem should be fixed as quickly as possible. “I’m worried about people dying now.”
Coffin suggested the city buy enough property along that road to widen the sidewalks.
City Manager Betsy Fretwell said the city has set aside $5 million in the fiscal 2017 budget to address pedestrian safety. More than half the money is from the city’s general fund, with federal funds making up the rest, she said.
The city has a replacement and repair plan to address the highest-need areas, as well as a plan to make safety and accessibility upgrades at city facilities, she said.
Fretwell said she would direct city staff to gather the latest information about pedestrian-related fatalities along Charleston Boulevard, near Main Street and Las Vegas Boulevard, to present to City Council.
“We hear ya,” Fretwell said. “I just don’t want this to sound like this has fallen on deaf ears and nothing is happening. We are doing what we can within the resources that are available to us to hit the highest-priority areas as quickly as we can.”
A few other key projects listed in the mobility master plan:
• Building light rail along Charleston Boulevard to connect with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada’s proposed plans for light rail down Las Vegas Boulevard and Maryland Parkway.
The city also proposes developing light rail or bus rapid transit lines to the northwest valley on Rancho Drive. City officials estimate light rail along Charleston Boulevard could serve more than 41,000 riders on weekdays — significantly more than the 11,000 riders RTC buses transport each day on that route.
The city’s transportation manager, Mike Janssen, said the proposed light rail lines on Las Vegas Boulevard and Maryland Parkway essentially would be the spine of a high-order mass transit system in Southern Nevada. “If we can connect the next lines to that, we’ll have a really strong transportation system,” he said.
• Creating a “downtown circulator” to transport people along a 4.7-mile route in the city’s urban core. Circulator vehicles would pass destinations such as the Las Vegas Medical District, Las Vegas Premium Outlets, Symphony Park, Fremont Street Experience and Regional Justice Center.
The city wants to create a pilot program and is evaluating proposals submitted by three vendors, Janssen said. “It’s a complement to the existing transit system,” he said.
• Adding 47 miles of bike lanes, improving 89 miles of existing bike lanes and adding 23 miles of off-street bike trails. A corridor on Stewart Avenue would receive a protected bike lane, separated from vehicle traffic by landscaping.
Jeremy Aguero, principal of Applied Analysis, said a variety of funding sources — such as the motor vehicle fuel tax and fuel revenue indexing — would pay for the projects as they’re phased in over the next two decades.
“I can’t think of anything that is going to be more significant to improving the quality of life for residents of Las Vegas than these projects,” he said.
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