Federal rule leaves fans with long walk to speedway

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When I spoke to Keith Robinson on Nov. 7, he was quite irate.

His anger focused on why there was no charter bus service to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Aviation Nation event.

Robinson told me he did not have a car and had no way of getting to the speedway.

In the past, the Regional Transportation Commission, which runs the valley’s public transit system, had set up charter bus service that went from downtown to the speedway. (Once at the speedway, Aviation Nation goers are transported by bus to Nellis Air Force Base.)

The closest public bus route would have dropped Robinson off at the intersection of Craig Road and Las Vegas Boulevard North. A three-mile hike would still be required to get to the speedway. It’s a hike Robinson told me he couldn’t make because of a disability.

So, for the first time in years, Robinson said he wasn’t going to Aviation Nation.

In the past, getting charter bus service for special events in the valley hasn’t been a problem. The Transportation Commission has worked with private entities such as the speedway to provide charter bus service to special events.

That all changed earlier this year, thanks to the Federal Transit Administration, which in April handed down new regulations that prevent public transit agencies from providing charter service to special events, such as Aviation Nation or a NASCAR race.

The Code of Federal Regulations, under title 49, volume 6, states that a transit group that receives local, state or federal subsidies cannot be hired to provide charter service for special events, "if there are any private charter operators willing and able to provide the charter service."

The regulation is meant to help private charter service companies compete for business.

But mostly it seems to have caused an uproar across the nation, from folks commuting to major sporting events to students on college and university campuses.

Due to the federal regulations, Washington Redskins fans have lost shuttle bus service to home games and have been advised to take a train that stops a mile from the stadium.

Some universities, including the University of Wisconsin, at Madison, also lost on-campus public transit that brought students to football games.

Locally, the void seen at Aviation Nation has caused a great deal of concern as we close in on the largest sporting event in the West.

Starting Feb. 27, the speedway will host the Shelby 427 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, along with the Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide series race and other events.

Earlier this year, the races drew about 300,000 people over the three-day weekend.

Chris Powell, speedway president and general manager, is concerned about how the regulations will impede NASCAR weekend.

Powell believes there’s a possibility that buses will be sitting in a parking lot "playing no role in the largest sporting event west of Fort Worth, Texas," because the regulations won’t allow CAT to operate charter service to the races and events.

Fewer buses transporting race fans could mean more vehicles on Interstate 15, which, by the way, is reduced to two lanes north of the Spaghetti Bowl for a widening construction project.

Powell is also concerned that because "there are only so many buses in the valley, a private entity would likely have to rent buses, and all that cost will be passed on to race fans. Our concern is that in the end the only purpose served (by the federal regulation) is the race fan pays more money. And we don’t want that."

It’s a nightmare scenario for race planners.

"The worst-case scenario is that maybe people don’t come. And that’s not good for the speedway. It’s not good for Las Vegas or for Southern Nevada," Powell said.

In case you’re wondering, the estimated economic impact on the valley for a NASCAR event earlier this year was $198 million.

These regulations seem to have only served to hinder what Powell called an "excellent" relationship between the speedway and the Transportation Commission.

Transportation Commission General Manager Jacob Snow shared Powell’s frustration.

"This (regulation) is a disservice to the community," Snow said. "We’re not happy. We share the frustration."

Snow is also baffled by the regulation because it hurts private-public partnerships, something the federal administration has encouraged.

Snow said public transportation plays an intricate role in reducing congestion at large events like NASCAR weekend. "We want to make sure public transportation is a benefit to the community," he said.

The good news I learned Friday is that both the offices of Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., have stepped in to help resolve the issue with the Federal Transit Administration.

In the meantime, the Transportation Commission will have to crawl through federal red tape to try and overcome the regulations.

Powell said all the regulations have done was "create a hurdle in order to provide the same service to the race fans that we’ve provided in the past."

"All we want is to get people to the speedway and back to the resort corridor as safely and with as little cost to the race fan and the taxpayer as possible," he said.

This seems like one case where Washington should stay out of Nevada.

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