3 mini roundabouts added to Vegas road following crashes, speeding concerns

Las Vegas city officials have added multiple mini-roundabouts and speed cushions to a local road, hoping to increase traffic safety in the area.

Traffic engineers added three mini-roundabouts to Cimarron Road between Sahara Avenue and Oakey Boulevard as part of a pilot program, after studies showed they can reduce fatal crashes by nearly 33 percent, the city announced via a post on social media network X.

Residents living along the stretch of Cimarron had been voicing concerns about speeding in the area to city officials. Despite the posted speed limit of 25 mph, drivers were clocked driving 40 mph, 15 miles over the speed limit, according traffic data collected by the city.

“This was particularly concerning given the road’s design, featuring only one lane in each direction, a center turn lane, bike lanes, and homes with driveways directly adjacent to the street,” city spokesman Jace Radke said in a email.

Following the additions of the roundabouts and speed cushions, speeds between intersections on the stretch of Cimarron have decreased from 40 mph to 26 mph, Radke said.

“This significant reduction in speed is a major step towards improving safety along with bringing attention to the different nature of this roadway with homes that front the road,” he said.

The mini-roundabout is a feature that causes drivers to naturally slow down, by them having to navigate the scaled-down version of a standard roundabout, the city noted.

Speed cushions are a traffic safety feature used in neighborhoods to reduce drivers’ speed and to allow emergency vehicles to easily pass motorists. The cushions are similar to a typical speed bump, but they feature gaps for vehicles with wider wheelbases.

The city went with two traffic safety measures instead of lowering the speed limit on the road, as they claim decreasing the speed limit does not tend to reduce driver speed.

Officials also highlighted that speeding doesn’t offer significant time savings for drivers, as studies have shown only a two- to six-minute faster increase in arrival time, while also vastly increasing the potential for a severe crash.

The city chose to go with the mini-roundabouts, instead of the larger, more-traditional versions, because of the available road space and traffic volume on the narrow portion of Cimarron. No matter the version, roundabouts encourage motorists to drive slower, Radke said.

The price to install and upkeep the three mini-roundabouts is estimated to cost around $100,000.

“The project was completed using existing materials and was self-performed by city crews, keeping costs low,” Radke said.

A future storm drain project on the stretch of Cimarron will result in the road being trenched, with the potential — if the project’s data suggest they’re useful — to add more permanent versions of the roundabouts, Radke said.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.