Don’t ride your bike on the sidewalk, even on Las Vegas Strip
Pedaling down the Strip can sometimes feel like an obstacle course for bicyclists trying to dodge the throngs of vehicles and pedestrians.
Given the precarious conditions, Dan from Las Vegas wanted to know whether it is legal to ride his bike on the sidewalks lining Las Vegas Boulevard.
“Some of the police officers I’ve come across say it’s illegal, but some of the bicycle cops told me that it’s completely legal,” said Dan, who gets around on a bicycle after his truck was totaled by a red-light runner.
“I never get a clear answer,” Dan said. “I think this would be fixed simply by adding an actual bike lane that people could actually use.”
To be clear, Officer Larry Hadfield from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said it’s illegal to ride bicycles on all sidewalks — even on the Strip. Cyclists could be cited for riding on a sidewalk.
“The same rules apply everywhere,” Hadfield said. “Bicyclists need to obey all traffic laws and stay to the right when riding.”
Currently, bicyclists don’t have a designated lane on Las Vegas Boulevard — and there are no plans to add one, Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin said.
You might find it easier to ride in downtown Las Vegas, where several main streets are equipped with protected “green lane” bicycle paths. Bicycles can also be rented for a pretty reasonable price at more than 20 stations scattered across downtown and operated by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
Boulder signal
Tara lives in the east valley and wanted to know if a traffic light could be installed on a heavily traveled section of Boulder Highway, between Russell and Gibson roads.
“In that area, there is a turn-around with no street light or pedestrian crossing,” Tara wrote in an email to the Road Warrior. “Over the past nine years I have lived here, there have been multiple accidents and even a death.”
Construction is expected to start by summer on a $2 million project aimed at improving eight intersections along Boulder Highway, said Tony Illia, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
However, that specific section of Boulder Highway is not on a list provided by NDOT. The nearest upgrades slated for that area of Boulder Highway are at Hamilton Avenue to the north, and at Foster Avenue to the south.
Clark County saw a record high of 78 pedestrians who were fatally struck on public roads in 2017 — nine of whom were killed while walking along Boulder Highway. NDOT and the RTC are expected to release a study this summer that will outline several short-term and long-term improvements for the state highway.
Right rules
Ben from Las Vegas wanted to know how to deal with right turns on wide, single-lane streets that are common in several parts of the valley.
“Should drivers move toward the wide shoulder to turn right, or should a vehicle slow down within the flow of traffic to make the right turn?” Ben asked.
Trooper Jason Buratczuk of the Nevada Highway Patrol said that if there is a solid white line marking a right shoulder, then you cannot pull into that shoulder to make your turn.
“Most white lines either disappear or become broken white lines within 100 feet from a corner so motorists can exit the flow of traffic to make the turn,” Buratczuk said. “So if there is a line marking a shoulder, then stay in the flow until the line breaks or disappears, slow down, merge right and make your turn.”
Blocked pocket
Kaki from northwest Las Vegas noted construction had recently wrapped up at Durango Drive and Farm Road, but orange cones are now blocking a left-turn pocket leading into a shopping center anchored by Albertsons.
Las Vegas city spokeswoman Margaret Kurtz said the newly built left-turn lane must remain closed because the westbound pavement width is not sufficient for most vehicles to make a safe U-turn.
The private developer who worked on that project is expected to build a new driveway into the shopping center sometime soon, Kurtz said. Meanwhile, NDOT officials are figuring out some temporary improvements to get a new signal activated at Farm Road.
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Road work ahead
Downtown
— The right lane on northbound Interstate 15 at Flamingo Road is closed until 6 a.m. April 6. Crews are restriping the road and installing signs.
— The ramp linking northbound U.S. Highway 95 to southbound Interstate 15 is closed through mid-April. Crews are widening the interchange.
— The outside lane of southbound Interstate 15 is closed between Sahara Avenue and Flamingo Road through late April. Crews are erecting traffic management signs.
— The outside lane of northbound Interstate 15 is closed between Flamingo and Desert Inn roads through late April. Crews are erecting traffic management signs.
— Main Street is restricted between Bonneville Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard through May. Crews are working on a storm drain.
— The D Street onramp to southbound Interstate 15 is closed through mid-July. Crews are working on Project Neon.
— Sections of Bonneville Avenue, Charleston Boulevard, Grand Central Parkway and Martin Luther King Boulevard will have closed or disrupted lanes surrounding the Spaghetti Bowl as crews work on Project Neon through July.
— The Charleston Boulevard onramps to southbound Interstate 15 are closed until mid-October. Crews are rebuilding the intersection.
— Interstate 15 will be narrowed in both directions between Sahara Avenue and D Street until Nov. 20. Crews are widening the freeway.
— The ramp connecting southbound U.S. Highway 95 to southbound I-15 will be reduced to one lane and detoured through Nov. 20. Crews are widening I-15.
— The ramp linking southbound U.S. 95 to northbound I-15 is closed through Nov. 20. Crews are widening I-15.
— The Martin Luther King Boulevard onramp to southbound U.S. Highway 95 is closed until early 2019. Crews are building a high-occupancy flyover ramp.
— Gass Avenue will be restricted between Las Vegas and Charleston Boulevards through March 2019. Crews are making pedestrians and bicycle improvements.
Northwest
— Both directions of U.S. Highway 95 are narrowed to a single lane between Skye Canyon Park and Paiute drives through July 12. Crews are building a new interchange bridge.
— Both directions of U.S. Highway 95 will be narrowed to two lanes at Elkhorn Road through December. Crews are building a new carpool ramp.
Henderson
— Center Street is restricted between Burkholder Boulevard and Lake Mead Parkway through June. Crews are making various road improvements.
North Las Vegas
— Las Vegas Boulevard will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Nellis Boulevard and Range Road through March 30. Crews are installing a sewer pipeline.
— U.S. Highway 93 is restricted between Interstate 15 and Apex Power Parkway through June. Crews are widening the highway and upgrading an interchange.
— Nellis Boulevard is restricted between Cheyenne Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays through July. Crews are installing sewer pipes.
Gasoline prices
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $2.79 per gallon. It was $2.82 in Nevada. The national average of $2.54 is up 1 cent from a week ago, up 1 cent from a month ago and up 25 cents from a year ago.
