Federal rules dictate stop sign needs

Back from vacation, where he spent much of his downtime as the Couch Warrior, your humble Road Warrior opens this week’s question-and-answer installment with an impassioned plea from a reader:

Pat wants a four-way stop at Alexander and Bradley roads in the northwest valley.

She says northbound and southbound Bradley have stop signs at the intersection, but there are none on eastbound or westbound Alexander.

She notes there are “insignificant” advisories attached to the stop signs on Bradley that warn “Cross traffic does not stop.”

But that’s not good enough, Pat says. She points to a curve east of Alexander in advance of the intersection and notes a fatal crash – albeit, one that was the result of speeding on the 25 mph stretch of Alexander – that occurred at the crossroads in March.

“That intersection needs to be a four-way stop! Is this something you can make happen?” Pat begs.

Unfortunately, the Road Warrior has no power and only slightly more influence. But he can inquire.

This is what Jace Radke, a spokesman for the city of Las Vegas, tells us: A relative of the man who was killed in the March accident asked the city to conduct a traffic study at the intersection to determine if a four-way stop was warranted. That study found a four-way stop would not meet federal safety guidelines.

The first criteria is traffic volume. The federal Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) requires an average volume of 300 vehicles an hour, for at least eight hours a day, through the intersection. The city’s traffic count showed the intersection did not have 300 cars pass through in eight hours, let alone in one hour.

The second criteria is the number of accidents that could have been prevented by a four-way-stop. The MUTCD requires five or more accidents within a 12-month period that would have been prevented by a four-way stop. Records showed there had been only one accident at the intersection in the past three years.

“That said, the city determined some improvements can be made to the intersection,” Radke explained.

“In addition to moving the existing two-way stop signs closer to the intersection, the city will look at constructing a concrete raised median to better guide traffic through. The plan also calls for a ‘porkchop’ island on the northeast corner and a curb extension on the southeast corner.”

Following up on a recent story about the double solid white lines that separate express lane traffic from commuter traffic along the Interstate 15 resort corridor, Chicago transplant Ron wonders why the lines as well as freeway gores – those wedge-shaped markings at onramps that compel drivers to slowly merge into traffic – are not painted yellow: “In most states that I’ve been in, such lines are yellow. More people probably understand and respect the basic rule that one does not cross yellow lines. So what’s the excuse for the white lines?”

Well, Ron, we haven’t been where you’ve been, so we can’t argue with your contention about other states using yellow lines.

What we can do is turn to our resident expert, Damon Hodge, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, who says the state follows the aforementioned federal MUTCD, and those guidelines reference using double solid white lines to prohibit crossing into lanes:

“The MUTCD is put out by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration. Its guidelines also note that yellow lines indicate traffic moving in opposing directions.”

Larry is a little cross about a crosswalk on Flamingo Road east of the pedestrian bridge on the Strip that is controlled by a signal: “One person wanting to cross Flamingo can hold up traffic that backs up to Koval Lane. This light was put in before the pedestrian bridges and is no longer needed. The county should remove it and allow the (Flamingo) traffic to flow freely.”

Ah, not so fast, says Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin, who explains there is a method to the madness:

“The crosswalk provides alternative accessibility, per the Americans with Disabilities Act, in the event the elevators at the bridge are not operational. Also, the signal is set up to operate in a coordinated fashion with the traffic flow along Flamingo, both eastbound and westbound.”

Observant Don was driving through the intersection of Pecos and Pebble roads in Henderson recently when he noticed the pedestrian push button on a signal pole was much lower than it had been: “It was down to the level of small children and people in wheelchairs. Just wondering if this is the newest change in signal upgrades for pedestrians?

While small children also may benefit, the purpose of the lower buttons, says Kathleen Richards, spokeswoman for the city of Henderson, is to be ADA-compliant: “Pedestrian signal push buttons are not to be located more than 44 inches from the surface of the walkway. This height makes the buttons accessible by wheelchair-bound pedestrians. The vast majority of Henderson’s pedestrian signal push buttons meet this standard, and the city is changing the remaining ones as funds become available.”

If you have traffic questions or gripes, email them to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please be specific, and include your phone number. Not all questions can be answered in print. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter: @RJroadwarrior.