Tackling pothole rage and confounding road markings

Road markings are shown at Village View Drive at Serene Avenue in Henderson. All of the markings and words on the street are facing the same way, whether you’re driving north or south. (Photo courtesy of Claire DeJesus)

Sometimes, things just make us mad, especially when they’re out of our control.

Too-slow drivers. Too-fast drivers. Traffic lights that change too quickly. Mopeds.

This week, Marsha had some road rage about potholes.

“Will you please respond??!! What is it going to take to receive a response??? I can only imagine how long it would take to actually get some ACTION to have these potholes repaired!”

She’s talking about how her question didn’t get answered until the second week it was in the queue. She’s also talking about a slew of potholes on the Las Vegas Beltway southbound between the Town Center onramp and the Flamingo Road offramp.

Clark County’s Dan Kulin says this one is quick and easy. If you have a pothole problem, you can email it to intheworks@clarkcountynv.gov and they’ll send a crew to patch it. By the time you’re reading this, Marsha, the ones you’re referring to should be fixed.

Now that we’ve got that out of our system, we’ll address something a little less aggressive.

Well, it’s actually more aggressive, because it might involve explosives. But Terry didn’t know that when sending this question:

“There is a sign at East Sahara Avenue by Sloan Lane that they are closing Sahara down for the bridge starting March 8. But what it doesn’t say is how long it would be closed. Could we have some help on that please?”

Sure, Terry. That closure is part of the Las Vegas Wash project, which we’ve mentioned before in this column. Clark County has adjusted the start date of that portion — the road should close March 15.

Then demolition starts.

The county is getting rid of the Sahara Avenue bridge over Desert Rose Golf Course so it can build a new one. The project should take about six months, Kulin said. And while the county will build a temporary pedestrian bridge in the meantime, you won’t be able to access that section of the road by car.

There are detours, but not convenient ones. You’ll want to take Vegas Valley Drive or Charleston Boulevard, which are the parallel streets on either side of Sahara. Unfortunately for drivers, Sloan — and many other cross streets — doesn’t even connect to Vegas Valley. So if you go that route, you have to take a detour on top of a detour.

You might want to consult Google Maps on this one, Terry. Or www.lvwashproject.com.

This next one is like charades, because instead of a question, Claire sent us a photo.

Check it out:

Now, imagine a divided road with a big median. Now imagine making a right-on-red turn onto this road, only to see that all the road markings, including the giant word “STOP” laid onto the street in crosswalk film, are backward.

This is the case at Village View Drive and Serene Avenue in Henderson. All of the markings and words on the street are facing the same way, whether you’re driving north or south.

It appears as if you’re on the wrong side of the street when your vehicle is northbound. But in fact, you are on the right side of the street and all that stuff is what remains from before the road was widened and the median added.

We can only really speculate though, Henderson spokesman Keith Paul said. That side of the intersection is private property, so the owners can leave the confusing lane markings if they want. Attempts to contact the owners were futile.

Speaking of lanes, Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Loy Hixson joins us for the Road Warrior’s Reminder with another rule that sounds like common sense, but all too often ends in fatalities and accidents.

Nevada Revised Statute 484B.607: Duties of driver when approaching authorized emergency vehicle which is stopped and using flashing lights or tow car which is stopped and using flashing amber warning lights.

Three easy steps:

■ Slow down to a reasonable speed below the limit.

■ Be ready to stop.

■ Move over to the left.

Emphasis on move over to the left.

When those vehicles are on the shoulder or lanes in the freeway responding to an accident, let’s have some common courtesy for them and get out of their way. Way out of their way.

There have been multiple accidents involving police officers and Highway Patrol troopers responding to accidents. A trooper was hit by a car while working an accident in May 2013. A trooper’s car was hit while on the freeway shoulder in December. Also in December, a sergeant with a New Mexico sheriff’s office died after being hit on the freeway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

First-responders to accidents put themselves in harm’s way enough as it is as part of their jobs. Let’s help them out and give them plenty of room while they work. It’s courtesy, and it’s the law.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, send an email to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter @RJroadwarrior.