Road Warrior has last word and it’s not good

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And now the end is here. This is my last column as your Road Warrior.

Don’t panic, this space will be in capable hands by next Sunday.

I am moving over to the court beat. I figure reporting about murderers and other derelicts of society will be a step up from dealing with some valley motorists.

In this final column, I originally planned to take on those transportation issues that most draw my ire. You know, drivers who don’t use their turn signals, who text while driving, who don’t put their children in safety seats or wear seat belts, who tailgate, who speed up in the next lane when you’re trying to get over, or who roll through stop signs. And there’s that never-ending construction on the Las Vegas Beltway, the Las Vegas Strip, Flamingo Road and Tropicana Avenue. And how much of Interstate 15 can be under construction at one time?

I could vent about watching paved roads being torn up just so new paving can be put down, or where the police are when lone motorists drive in the HOV lanes, or how long it takes to replace sewer pipes on the east side of town.

And why, I wonder, don’t they just build a subway system down Las Vegas Boulevard? And why are Californians such awful drivers? And why do cabbies drive through Boulder City to get to Red Rock Resort from McCarran International Airport? And why … ?

But who wants to read that.

Really, I have enjoyed my experience working with our transportation officials and answering your questions.

I’ve learned quite a bit about how our transportation system works and sometimes doesn’t work. And, you know, it’s not half bad; it’s all bad! (I’m kidding, but I couldn’t resist a Muppets reference.)

Not to worry. There’s a good chance, with continued dry weather, that road construction in Las Vegas will be done in 70 or 80 years, just about the time teleporting slot machines become reality.

In the meantime, I will recall with fondness when you readers pushed the Clark County Commission to open the newly constructed Lake Mead Boulevard interchange with the Las Vegas Beltway, the engaging debate I had with readers and politicians over the state’s seat belt law, and the fight with the Department of Motor Vehicles on whether “CANE” was appropriate for a personalized license plate.

I’ll miss the calls from irate readers who blamed me for construction on St. Rose Parkway, or indignant e-mailers who scoffed at the idea of a train connecting Las Vegas to Los Angeles.

I’ll remember with affection standing on the edge of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge and looking down 1,100 feet to the Colorado River, reader calls and e-mails about which casino has the worst parking lot (almost everyone agrees it’s The Venetian), and seeing Regional Transportation Commission general manager Jacob Snow wearing black spandex while touting bicycle safety.

OK, maybe I won’t remember that last part with affection.

I will take with me patience, a much needed component of driving today. With a little patience, you’ll find construction won’t bother you as much and driving won’t be as intense.

I leave you with one final tip: Avoid over the next two weeks, if you can, the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and U.S. Highway 95.

You see, in one of the more disgraceful instances of noncommunication I’ve seen on this beat, the Nevada Department of Transportation and the city of Las Vegas Public Works Department plan on closing nearly every street and freeway interchange in the area.

Beginning Monday through Aug. 15, the onramps and offramps from Martin Luther King to U.S. 95 and Interstate 15 will be closed. During that time, there will also be closures on Bonanza Road at I-15, D Street at I-15 and interchange closures at Washington Avenue and I-15.

With tens of thousands of drivers using Martin Luther King as a connection to the valley freeway system, these simultaneous closures are not the best way to make friends and influence people.

You may be asking yourself who will be the next Road Warrior? I’ll let her introduce herself next Sunday.

Yes, I said her. After three male Road Warriors it’s time for a woman to take the wheel.

Godspeed or slow down, depending on your point of view.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call the Road Warrior at 702-387-2904, or e-mail him at roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number.