Commission owes it to residents and visitors to consider light rail

Sunday, June 5, 2016 | 2 a.m.

A fundamental task of municipal government leadership is providing vision for, and execution of, proper urban planning. Defining appropriate land uses and anticipating sufficient infrastructure needs — including efficient and value-based transportation systems to accommodate a massive number of people — are crucial components of that planning.

Meeting the challenge is even more important in Clark County, given not just our 2 million residents but the 42 million people — and growing — who visit annually. Our convention and tourism industry is rightfully beating the drum to increase the tourism numbers, given how it enriches the region’s economy. That’s why many of the urban-planning decisions made by the Clark County Commission and our city councils must take into account what’s smart for those of us who live here while also factoring in the millions of visitors who come and spend money here — money that improves the quality of life for residents.

We want these visitors to be happy, tell the world what a great time they had and come back. We certainly don’t want conventiongoers and vacationing families to go home and tell their friends and post on Facebook, “Wow, Las Vegas has grown out of control and the Strip is now gridlocked, so, hey, maybe next time we should go to Orlando or San Diego.” That would mean our leaders didn’t anticipate the region’s growth — or did, but then failed to properly address it with appropriate infrastructure.

That brings us to the Clark County Commission, which, flush with money generated by tourists through the hotel room tax, is studying various improvements to our roads system. It’s a pecking order of fixes and repairs, based on needs, benefits derived and the costs involved.

High on the list is the commission’s support for an elevated airport expressway, designed to speed up the flow of traffic from McCarran International Airport to the resort corridor along the Strip. A sister expressway would allow drivers to return to the airport quickly. The commission has asked its staff to study the idea, and bring in experts. It didn’t ask for any alternatives to be considered.

We fear that is a shortsighted approach to solving a serious traffic issue that can harm our city’s economic future. Sure, traffic on a dedicated expressway can get to the Strip more quickly, but as those vehicles approach, they’ll be braking to a stop, as they still have to jam themselves onto the already-congested Strip. It’s an expressway leading to gridlock. Ditto for the return trip to the airport. The expressway will not help the Strip congestion everyone curses.

We have been suggesting, as an alternative, the construction of a light-rail system that would travel from the airport down the Strip. It’s not like it’s our novel idea. Cities around the country are demolishing their elevated expressways and turning to light-rail systems because they are passenger-friendly, improve business for merchants along the routes and become, in a sense, their own attractions. In Las Vegas, what better way to sightsee along the Strip than to ride in the comfort of a train car, getting on and off along the way? Tourists arriving at the airport easily could take their rolling luggage on board and exit in front of their resort — a vacation starting with a sightseeing tour instead of waiting in a taxi line.

The light-rail system, by experts’ analysis, would run about 5.5 miles and would cost about the same as an elevated expressway: $400 million. It would reduce — not add to — Strip congestion and air pollution, would be a significantly more pleasant experience and would not create the visual blight of a 20-foot-high roadway alongside the Strip. The Regional Transportation Commission already has voiced support for the idea of light-rail trains traveling along the Strip.

One of the region’s most respected political leaders, Bruce Woodbury, recently wrote us a letter expressing some concerns about light rail and explaining why he is leaning toward the elevated expressway. We listened because he served an amazing seven terms as a Clark County commissioner and helped establish the RTC. He knows his stuff, and we respect him. We thought it would be useful to ask him to sit down with a light-rail advocate, Robert Lang, an urban-planning specialist who is the executive director of think tank Brookings Mountain West. We listened to them exchange ideas, respond to each other, and freely and honestly engage on the topic for nearly an hour.

At the conclusion, we asked Woodbury for his takeaway after the give-and-take. He had softened from the time he wrote his letter. “My advice,” he said, “is to study both plans and all potential options. Clearly, we need better mass transit when talking about the airport and the Strip.” The discernment process, he said, should include meeting with business owners — especially resort executives — along the Strip for their input.

If further study were to show that light rail along the Strip is welcomed politically and makes sense logistically, and there’s a strong appetite for it, “of course you should try to make it happen,” Woodbury said. At the very least, he said, the county needs to study the light-rail proposal.

We agree. County commissioners, who will discuss the issue Tuesday, should stop being so stubborn and nearsighted and at least give serious thought to light rail as an alternative to the elevated expressway. That’s called doing due diligence. Better that than to sabotage all that is right about Clark County with a bad decision about which fork in the road to take into our future.

With so much at stake, intelligent urban planning demands considering the alternatives.