Plenty of blame to go around for our unsafe streets
It was one of my scariest moments behind the wheel.
I was making a left turn at a signaled but dark intersection in central Las Vegas. There were pedestrians in the crosswalk going opposite my direction nearly halfway across the street. I kept my eye on them, knowing that they needed to clear the intersection before I could make my turn.
There were no other pedestrians walking either direction, and I began my turning maneuver.
Suddenly, Mrs. Warrior, sitting in the passenger seat, yelled, “Watch it!” just as a bicyclist without a light, wearing dark clothing, zoomed in front of my path.
It was a near-miss that probably would have killed the bicyclist had we collided. In my effort to be aware of the most vulnerable people sharing the road I had lost track of the second-most vulnerable user, and it almost cost him his life. My fault for nearly hitting him; his fault for assuming I saw him without a light, in dark clothing in a dark intersection.
I remembered the incident last week as the death toll climbed for pedestrians killed in car accidents here. There were five alone in Southern Nevada in the past week, and our state ranked third in the nation for pedestrian deaths per capita in 2013, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Every new headline for another car-pedestrian tragedy is almost always a result of a circumstance that could have been avoided.
What can be done to end the carnage? Plenty. And there’s plenty of blame to spread around for why our streets have become so dangerous.
So let’s assign some blame.
First, the pedestrians.
You’re kidding yourselves if you think people in a car can see you at all times. They can’t. They get distracted and may momentarily take their minds off watching out for you. So you have to be extra vigilant.
Don’t assume you’re safe within a crosswalk, and remember you will never win a collision with a 2-ton vehicle.
So don’t jaywalk. Sure, it’s an extra few steps to get to the intersection or the crosswalk. I see jaywalking all the time near bus stops. Use the crosswalk. That’s what it’s there for.
That also means don’t cross and meander between cars stopped at a traffic light. That last lane you cross might be the one with a motorist who can’t see that you’re playing real-life Frogger.
Within that category are the “fundraisers” and panhandlers seeking a handout. I’m always tempted to roll down my window and say, “I have something that’s even more valuable than money. It’s advice. And that advice is to stay out of the street because what you’re doing is very dangerous.”
If you’re walking at night, carry a flashlight and wear something light-colored. The experts recommend reflective clothing, but I would be happy if it were anything that isn’t black, brown or dark blue.
I also implore pedestrians to pay attention. Remove the headphones. Get off the phone. There are things going on that you need to be aware of, and if you’re zoned in on your playlist, you’re in danger.
This seems obvious, but please walk on the sidewalk. And if there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic. You’re more likely to be hit if you’re walking — or skateboarding — on the road.
One more pet peeve — and this is something that some of my disabled friends have gotten on my case about for being too harsh — when you’re walking across a street in the crosswalk and there are motorists looking to make a turn at the cross street, don’t lollygag in the street. Put a little hustle in your step. We’re all in this traffic thing together, so if you’re a courteous pedestrian who doesn’t saunter, you will get courteous respect from most motorists.
Now, something for all you bad drivers out there, and that includes most of us.
First, slow down. Las Vegans, in general, drive too fast. There’s a reason we call it rush hour, and the simple solution to solve rush-hour frustration is to leave a few minutes early.
For those aggravated with the speed limit or the poor timing of traffic lights that impede your progress, don’t tailgate. I get it that you’re angry I’m in front of you and driving the speed limit, but you’re endangering yourself, me and any pedestrian I might slow down for by driving that way.
Flashing your headlights or high beams is only going to make some motorists slow down even more.
Obey the laws. No crashing through red lights. No rolling stops at stop signs. Signal. Don’t cut off another motorist with your lane change.
That suggestion about paying attention? It goes double for motorists. Your primary responsibility as a motorist is to be safe and that means minimizing distractions. Don’t text, use a phone, eat, apply makeup or read, even if it’s the Road Warrior column. Keep your sound system low enough so that you can hear emergency vehicle sirens or car horns.
For motorists and pedestrians, don’t go out drunk. I was stunned to learn that 50 percent of all pedestrians killed in accidents in 2013 were legally drunk. Call a friend. Call a cab. Hail a Lyft, Curb or Uber. And the same applies to motorists.
We can also serve up some blame to our municipalities and elected officials. You really can do more to make streets safer. Please revisit the traffic ordinances and the danger zones on our streets more frequently. Consider more flashing-light crosswalks on streets commonly used by pedestrians.
With the rash of recent deaths on our streets, some experts believe the recent change back to standard time from daylight saving time is partially to blame because it gets darker much earlier in the day. That goofy proposal to go to year-round daylight saving time is looking better and better — goofy, of course, because we’ll always have the same amount of daylight as we did the year before. It’s just that we would get it later in the day, and that means kids walking to school in the morning are more likely to be in the dark if it’s adopted.
There are all kinds of ways to be safer and last week has proved to us all that we have to do something to get back to paying closer attention to what we’re doing when on the streets.
Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter: @RJroadwarrior
Road Work Ahead
■ The westbound right lane will be closed along East Craig Road between the southbound Interstate 15 offramp and Berg Street from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday for concrete repairs around a storm-water manhole. The three other westbound lanes will remain open.
■ Lane shifts have occurred along the northern 215 Beltway between North Fifth Street and Aliante Parkway for the construction of permanent roadway, a concrete barrier and streetlights. Speed limits have been reduced to 45 mph, and the shift will be in effect through mid-December.
■ The intersection of Wigwam Avenue and Bermuda Road will be closed and north- and southbound traffic on Bermuda restricted to one lane in each direction for a sewer line project scheduled through Dec. 18. Wigwam traffic will be detoured to Fairfield Avenue. In the second phase of the project, Wigwam and Fairfield will be closed and traffic will be detoured to Bermuda.
■ Lane restrictions are planned through Dec. 18 for field survey work in various locations on a major water reclamation project. Lane restrictions are planned on the westbound center lane of Windmill Lane at Rainbow Boulevard; the westbound left lane and two-way left turn lane on Windmill between Seven Valley Street and Torrey Pines Drive; the westbound left lane and two-way left turn lane on Windmill between Torrey Pines and El Camino Road; the westbound left lane of Windmill at Jones Boulevard; the central portion of the westbound left lane of Windmill at Decatur Boulevard; the westbound right lane of Windmill at Cameron Street; two-way left turn lane on Windmill at Arville Street; the northbound right lane of Windmill between Arville and Blue Diamond Road; the edge of northbound Blue Diamond at Arville; the edge of eastbound Wigwam Avenue from Arville to Hinson Street; and the edge of eastbound Wigwam from Hinson to Valley View Boulevard. Work is planned Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
■ Work on the Regional Transportation Commission’s Flamingo Road Corridor Improvement Project will move to between Eastern Avenue and Jimmy Durante Boulevard through the end of December. Daytime and overnight construction is scheduled. Construction will continue on the west side of Flamingo from Rainbow Boulevard to Hotel Rio Drive through fall 2016. Work will not take place on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day.
■ Interstate 15 traffic has been shifted to southbound lanes at Milepost 16 in the Virgin River Gorge in Arizona for the demolition of a bridge that is being replaced. There will be a single lane of traffic in each direction of I-15, but state officials say motorists should expect traffic delays of up to 15 minutes through December.
■ Main Street traffic has been shifted to the west side of the roadway to the new pavement on the east side of the street to allow workers to begin sidewalk removal between Bridger and Bonneville avenues. Work will continue between Bonneville and the U.S. Highway 95 overpass through the end of 2015.
■ Lane restrictions are planned in both directions of West Charleston Boulevard between Montclair Street and Decatur Boulevard Mondays through Thursdays from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Access to businesses might be temporarily altered and travel lanes reduced through the construction zone. Left-turn lanes at the intersection of Charleston and Decatur will be reduced to single lanes. Montclair will remain open, but there will be no access to or from westbound Charleston. Montclair will be restricted to right turns only onto Charleston and motorists turning from Montclair onto eastbound Charleston will only be able to turn right at Decatur. The project is scheduled to be completed in late December.
■ The westbound travel lanes of Patrick Lane will be restricted from Pearl Street to Pecos Road, Mondays through Fridays, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., through Dec. 30, for a water reclamation line project. Traffic will be shifted to the right lane during construction.
■ A major sewer line project continues at Durango Drive-Rampart Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue. The project will add 1.1 miles of 30- and 36-inch sewer pipe from that intersection to the Durango Hills Water Resource Center and eastward along Cheyenne past Cimarron Road. Tunneling along the route will continue through December. Two travel lanes are expected to be maintained through the duration of the project, but Lake Mead Boulevard is recommended as an east-west alternative route and Buffalo Drive is recommended for north-south traffic.
■ Travel lanes will be restricted and a flagger present on a 21-mile upgrade of state Route 160, the highway between Las Vegas and Pahrump, between Mileposts 22 and 43. The project includes the addition of 14 paved median crossovers. Work is scheduled through early January, Mondays through Fridays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Travel lanes will be open when construction isn’t occurring.
■ Northbound and southbound Decatur Boulevard will be pushed to the east half of the street between Via de Palma Drive and Sahara Avenue, Mondays through Fridays through Jan. 15 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a sewer line project.
■ Geotechnical exploratory drilling along the east and west sides of Interstate 15 between Sahara Avenue and U.S. Highway 95 at Martin Luther King Boulevard is scheduled during the daylight hours through Jan. 15 for the Project Neon Spaghetti Bowl project. Moving lane restrictions are planned and there will be some temporary noise and vibration disruptions.
■ Traffic will be restricted on Main Street between Bonneville and Hoover avenues through January for a pair of utility projects. NV Energy will move conduit through mid-November and Southwest Gas pipeline relocations are planned from mid-November through January. Traffic will be reduced to single lanes during the work on the Main-Commerce project.
■ Fifth Street in North Las Vegas is closed between Cheyenne Avenue and Losee Road through February for the construction of an overpass route that will connect Fifth to East Carey Avenue.
■ Craig Road will be restricted to two lanes in each direction at Simmons Street for a water drainage project that will be completed in February.
■ Restrictions will be in place through February on Lamb Boulevard between Wyoming Avenue and Vegas Valley Drive on a water pipeline rehabilitation project. Lamb will be reduced to one lane in each direction and left turns will be prohibited. Two lanes will be open in each direction during daylight hours. Work is scheduled Sundays through Thursdays, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
■ RT bus transit Route 106, the Maryland Parkway route, will be detoured due to road construction through April. Stops on George Crockett Road will not be served. Alternative stops are available on Routes 117 (Las Vegas Boulevard South and Silverado Ranch Road) and 217 (Warm Springs Road and downtown Henderson).
■ The ramp connecting Sunset Road to the southbound Airport Connector is closed through fall 2016. Traffic lanes and shoulders will be restricted on the Airport Connector between the 215 Beltway and the airport tunnel through mid-2016 for the construction of a flyover lane from the southbound connector to eastbound Beltway.
Gasoline prices
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $2.55 per gallon. It was $2.52 in Nevada. The national average of $2.04 is the same as a week ago, down 16 cents from a month ago and down 68 cents from a year ago.
