Clark County roads mean a speed-bump-free ride

Residents who live on streets that connect major arterials can feel our first reader’s pain. So many thoroughfares are under construction that some residential streets have become unofficial yet popular detours. It wouldn’t be so bad except that those who use them couldn’t care less about their speed because the lives of their kids and pets aren’t at stake.

Derek seeks bumps in the road: I and some of my neighbors with children would like to have speed bumps installed in our neighborhood due to excessive speeding at times. I was then told by Clark County public works that I was not allowed either humps or bumps. The neighborhood directly behind ours has speed bumps but, come to find out, it is a private neighborhood. Any suggestions on making our neighborhood safer, especially with all of the pedestrian accidents plaguing our valley? Or are we out of luck?

Unfortunately, Derek, you are out of luck because you live in Clark County’s jurisdiction, and speed bumps or humps are not allowed. Different cities have different rules, but the common guidelines on residential streets eligible for humps or bumps include: 800 or more vehicles travel the street daily; the two-lane street is mainly residential or has a park or school; it can’t be part of a public transit route; the street can’t be a designated emergency response route; the speed limit must be 25 miles per hour. In the city of Las Vegas, you need 10 or more households to sign a petition that can be sent to the traffic engineer.

Ann is running Kathy raggedy: Do you have information regarding the construction project on Ann Road between Rainbow and Jones boulevards? How long will the project last?

The city of Las Vegas has been working on 12 median islands along that stretch of Ann Road, Kathy. The idea is to make the street more aesthetically pleasing by adding desert landscaping and metal sculptures of flora and fauna native to Southern Nevada. It’s kind of a cool project because it doesn’t cost a lot of money, and there is little maintenance or water needed to keep it up. Plus, city employees make the sculpture, which can also be seen on Charleston Boulevard between Rancho Drive and Valley View Boulevard. Also along Ann Road, Richman American Homes is developing a 32-lot subdivision, which is adding to the construction woes in the northwest. The project has several utility permits associated with it, and they too are working off Ann Road. The good news, Kathy, is the road should be completed by early June. Hang in there.

Michael has had it with Blue Diamond: Do you know why there is currently a paving project under way on Blue Diamond Road between Rainbow Boulevard and Durango Drive? They have narrowed that stretch to one lane in both directions and they have torn up the center of the roadway. It seemed that prior to this activity there was nothing wrong with that road.

Plenty of residents in that area have grown frustrated with the work on Blue Diamond, so you are not alone Michael. The Nevada Department of Transportation widened the road from two lanes to four and included medians along the way, which most residents are irritated about. The medians have blocked left-turn access to streets such as Quarterhorse Lane. First, the department is finished with the widening project and did some open-grade work to smoothen the surface, but it has to wait until temperatures warm up a bit to put down the final layer of asphalt. While it is warm during the day, it is the nighttime temperatures that matter most to allow the asphalt to set properly.

While medians are a concern to residents, transportation division engineers say they will make the road safer in the long run. Drivers will grow accustomed to the configuration, and traffic will flow more smoothly, officials said. The project should wrap up in early June.

In light of Sunday’s column on traffic safety, a handful of readers have asked: At what point are drivers allowed to travel through crosswalks if a pedestrian is walking on a street that is divided with a median?

The law here is that a median is considered a safety zone for pedestrians. So if you are traveling south and the pedestrian has reached the median and is preparing to cross the northbound lanes, you are permitted to continue. When there is no median in the road, motorists must wait until the pedestrian reaches the other side of the street and is on the sidewalk.

Cindy is astonished: Why does no one know how to do a four-way stop? It’s Driving School 101!

I had to laugh when I read this one, but perhaps it’s true that motorists don’t know how to handle four-way stops, so what the heck. Consider this a refresher course. Obviously, the first vehicle to arrive at the intersection gets to go first. If two vehicles arrive at the same time, it’s the vehicle to the immediate right that gets to go first, according to Kathy Kelly with the Safeway Driving School.

The odds of four vehicles arriving at the exact same time are about the same as hitting the lottery, Kelly joked, so there aren’t written rules for that. Hopefully, courtesy sets in and one vehicle is allowed to go and then the next-to-the-right rule falls into place.

If you have a question, tip or tirade, call Adrienne Packer at 702-387-2904, or send an email to roadwarrior@review journal.com. Include your phone number.