For valley drivers, there’s finally some good news

This column is filled with so much good news this week, it’s a darn shame it’s not on the front page.

Construction is almost over on one road, a new traffic light will be going up at a busy intersection, your neighbor probably isn’t cheating the system, and yes, those special lanes are for you, too, because around here, everyone’s special.

Let’s go.

Robin wrote: Valley View Boulevard has been under construction for over a year now. When are we going to get Valley View finished and open from U.S. 95 to Sahara?

Diana Paul over at the city of Las Vegas said this project should be wrapped up by mid-November. That will be just in time for Thanksgiving shopping at the Meadows mall, which sits right there at Valley View and U.S. Highway 95.

This project included widening the road, adding bus turnouts, constructing a new right-turn lane and some tweaking of the intersections, as well as some other routine stuff – water and sewer lines, that sort of thing.

Paving should start in mid-October.

Bob from North Las Vegas called to ask if the city has any plans to install traffic signals at the intersection of North 5th Street and Centennial Parkway. He classified the intersection as a very busy one that is controlled by a four-way stop, while less busy intersections in town have traffic lights.

Juliet Casey, a city spokeswoman, said there are plans to install a light there, but no time frame has been set.

Hope that helps, Bob.

Ralph asked: Would you please be so kind as to find out why there is no traffic light when leaving the Outlet Center South, for those wishing to go south on Las Vegas Boulevard? It seems at times to take forever to get a break in traffic, and this will cause a bad crash. Thanks.

Dan Kulin, a spokesman for Clark County, said Ralph’s “please” made all the difference (he didn’t really say that).

Kulin did say that the county is going to consider Ralph’s question a formal request to study the issue, though. These sorts of things are studied all the time. That’s how the authorities figure out where and when to install new signals or stop signs, or maybe to chop down a tree that is blocking your view. They get complaints and requests from regular folks.

If the traffic engineers agree with Ralph on this one, you might see a light there one day.

C.H. has a question that’s come up before, but it’s an important one, so I don’t mind repeating the answer. C.H. wrote: I was wondering what Nevada law says about “loan” plates on vehicles, specifically how long they can be used. I have someone near me, and both of their cars have had “loan” plates on them ever since they moved in several months ago. I thought these plates were to be used on cars a dealer loans out when a person’s car is in the shop. Can a dealer or someone who works at a dealership use these on their own vehicle? Seems like this may be the case.

Kevin Malone from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles fielded this one for me. He said that most of the time, those loaner plates are used while a customer’s car is getting repaired.

But the law makes several exceptions.

“They can be used on vehicles loaned to officers of the state, school districts, city, county, town or a nonprofit organization in the furtherance of the business of the entity,” he said in an email.

State higher education officials can use them for anything they want, and up to six sets can be used by the dealer or the dealer’s immediate family.

“In all cases,” Malone said, “the vehicles must be part of the dealer’s inventory held for sale. Loaner plates may not be used on personally owned vehicles or the dealer’s company vehicles.”

If a reader believes plates are being used improperly, he or she can file a complaint, and the DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division will look into it. Call (702) 486-8626, or the complaint form is on the DMV’s website at www.dmvnv.com.

So there you go. There doesn’t appear to be any chicanery here, C.H.

Diana wrote in with one that isn’t as obvious as it seems. She wrote: When driving the Summerlin Parkway east, the sign for the HOV lane says two plus per car (during peak hours). Does that mean that a single car can drive the HOV flyover in the off hours?

Yes it does, Diane.

The lanes are supposed to be for carpooling from 6 to 10 a.m. and 2 to 7 p.m.

But any other time?

Feel free to ditch the life-sized blowup doll in your front passenger seat and drive in whichever lane you would like.

Send your questions to roadwarrior@
reviewjournal.com.