Installation of new traffic lights is worth long wait
If only solving our troubles were as easy as plugging in a new traffic signal, or posting a stop sign, and then watching everything work out according to plan. …
You know where I’m going with this, don’t you?
Controlling traffic is complicated. Stuff breaks, or it’s harder to install than just plugging it in, or maybe simply getting new stuff isn’t such a good idea when you give it a little more thought.
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Dan’s question got me thinking about this. It’s similar to a question I answered last week about a new traffic light at Charleston Boulevard and Apple Drive.
Here’s Dan’s question: “The traffic light on northbound Durango at Gowan is short timing for the left turn lane and the flashing yellow (indicated by a sign) does NOT come on.”
Well, it’s not really a question, but you get the point.
I checked with the city of Las Vegas, as well as with the Regional Transportation Commission’s FAST, the traffic signal timing department.
Guess what? That’s one of those fancy new flashing yellow left turn arrow signals. But the installation isn’t all the way done yet.
Diana Paul, a city spokeswoman, said a couple of parts still need to be installed. It might take a few weeks.
But like hundreds of other signals around town, it’ll soon be a whole lot better than it used to be. The flashing yellow turn signals, in case you haven’t noticed, allow drivers to turn left when no one’s coming, whereas the old lights made you wait forever for a green signal.
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Speaking of waiting forever, my son’s preschool teacher, Ms. C.C., told me about a problem heading north on Buffalo Drive and turning left onto Vegas Drive.
The left turn light lets only one car through during the morning rush hour before it turns red, she said. Lots of preschool teachers were complaining about it.
I checked in with the RTC. Brian Hoeft, the director of FAST, said they took a look and adjusted the timing.
Sometimes, the people who fix things need to be told they’re broken.
But sometimes, what’s broken depends on your definition.
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Phyllis wrote in with a long complaint about the intersection of Grand Canyon Drive and Elkhorn Road, which happens to be a few blocks from my house in the northwest part of town. I drive through the intersection almost every day.
Phyllis’ complaint amounted to this, in a nutshell: It’s really hard to see when you’re on Elkhorn and you want to turn onto Grand Canyon.
This is true.
And she pointed out that Elkhorn was recently paved on the west side of Grand Canyon, which will make traffic worse. This is also true.
Phyllis wants a four-way stop there, but I don’t like the idea. Grand Canyon, as far as I can tell, is far busier than Elkhorn.
The west side of that intersection is in Clark County’s jurisdiction, while the east side is in the city of Las Vegas. Paul, the city spokeswoman, said they’re going to do a traffic study there after school starts. They’ll wait until school starts, because that’s when traffic is heaviest.
In the meantime, she said, they’ll take a look at the intersection and see if there’s anything they can do.
This got me wondering: What, exactly, are they looking for when they decide whether an intersection deserves a four-way stop?
Paul said they follow the guidelines in the Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which I’ve called the bible for traffic engineers.
The guidelines say traffic studies must take into account speeds, traffic volumes and crash history.
The manual, which you can look up online, notes that “multi-way stops” are used when traffic volumes on the two roads are roughly equal.
It’s really complicated, by the way. But the basics are this: If a whole bunch of cars use the intersection, and if it causes delays, or if it’s too hard to see to make a left turn (we hear you, Phyllis), you can put up a four-way stop sign.
The city does studies like this for several reasons, such as a complaint like this one, or maybe a traffic officer will alert them to a problem, or someone in the traffic department will notice an increase in traffic.
Development affects traffic, too, so they often will look at an intersection near new developments. Sometimes, they’ll require the developer to put in traffic control devices.
So anyway. Simple it ain’t.
Got a transportation question, comment or gripe? Ship it off to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter @RJroadwarrior.
■ Alta Drive between Rancho Road and Valley View Boulevard will have alternating lane closures through mid-August for repaving.
■ Interstate 15 between Lake Mead Boulevard and the Spaghetti Bowl will have lane reductions and closures today through spring 2014 for construction of the F Street overpass.
■ The D Street off-ramp from northbound Interstate 15 will be closed Monday through the fall for work on the F Street overpass.
■ The right lane on southbound Las Vegas Boulevard from Rue de Monte Carlo to Tropicana Avenue will be closed from Monday through March 2014 for construction at the New York-New York hotel-casino.
■ Martin Luther King Boulevard will be closed at Oakey Boulevard through Aug. 16 for water main work related to Project Neon, the reconstruction of Interstate 15. Parts of Oakey will also be restricted.
■ Maryland Parkway from St. Rose Parkway to Pebble Road will have lane closures through the end of the year for repaving and other work.
■ Interstate 15 near Cactus Avenue will have disruptions through the end of the year for bridge work.
■ One westbound inside left turn lane on Flamingo Road to Arville Street will be closed through Aug. 30 for sewer work.
■ Coke Street, Racel Street, Tenaya Way and Farm Road in northwest Las Vegas will be under construction weekdays through mid-August.
■ Mello Lane between Bradley Road and Jones Boulevard will be closed through Aug. 13 for bridge work.
■ Decatur Boulevard from Harmon Avenue to just north of Flamingo Road will have daytime lane restrictions through July 31 for sewer rehabilitation.
■ The intersection of Desert Foothills Drive and Alta Drive will be closed through August 2014 for rebuilding.
■ Vegas Drive between Rancho Drive and Jones Boulevard will have lane restrictions through January for street improvements.
■ Bonneville and Clark avenues between Las Vegas Boulevard and Maryland Parkway will have lane restrictions through January for street improvements.
GASOLINE PRICES
The average gas price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $3.60 per gallon; the state average was $3.64. The national average of $3.58 is up eight cents from a week ago, down six cents from a month ago and up 16 cents from a year ago.
Las Vegas Review-Journal
