Taking a different route

To bike or not to bike in Las Vegas.

In an effort to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions in the valley, the Regional Transportation Commission designated April as "Blue Skies Month," a monthlong campaign that promotes walking and bicycling as alternatives to driving.

"If we eliminate traffic congestion, we can improve air quality," RTC spokesman Stanton Wilkerson said.

But in a city known for aggressive driving and one of the highest rates of pedestrian deaths in the country, will Southern Nevadans dare to ride?

Nevada ranked No. 4 in the nation in pedestrian fatalities, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety. It is sixth in the nation for aggressive driving, according to the Surface Transportation Policy Project, a nonprofit research group that advocates better public transportation.

From 1995 to 1997, 142 pedestrians were killed in Clark County.

"The No. 1 reason for injuries and property damage only is failure to yield," said Erin Breen, director of Safe Community Partnership at UNLV.

"I can guarantee if you're a bike person, they're not going to yield to you."

Breen is not alone in her assessment of Las Vegas as a place to ride. Bicycling magazine rates the city as one of the worst places for bicyclists, a judgment that put many local bicyclists on the defense.

To help create a more bike-friendly city, the RTC has spent the past year identifying more than 400 miles of roads that have curb lanes wide enough to be designated as bike routes. The commission has produced a map that identifies those routes.

Beginning June 1, the RTC will begin placing 2,100 yellow and black traffic signs at one-tenth of a mile intervals along those roads to designate the bike routes. The signs will depict a car and bike riding side by side with a "Share the Road" slogan.

But some say the long, broad roads are part of the problem.

"You get these wide, flat, long stretches of road," Breen said. "It gives people the impression that they're driving on the freeway."

The speed limit on Tropicana Avenue between Paradise Road and Las Vegas Boulevard was dropped to 35 mph from 45 mph, she said. "But I would almost bet my house that no one goes under 50. They're going with the flow of traffic."

Bruce Mackay, state education officer for bicycle and pedestrian safety, agrees. "If a facility is built for 55 mph, even if it is 35 mph speed limit, people will tend to drive 55 mph.

"Tropicana is about the only place that really gives me pause," he added. "I'd much rather ride on U.S. 95."

However, some cyclists say the larger roads with breakdown lanes offer a greater comfort zone for pedaling in traffic.

Ed Thiessen, who rides nearly 100 miles a week to and from work on his bicycle, takes advantage of the 8-foot-wide breakdown lanes on larger streets such as Sahara Avenue and Desert Inn Road.

Thiessen also serves on the State Bicycle Advisory Board, which oversees projects by the Nevada Department of Transportation. The board recommends 14-foot shared curb lanes.

The curb lanes are far-right lanes created specifically for the shared use of cars and bicycles. Ninety-five percent of the newest bike routes are these shared curb lanes.

"A car and a bike can occupy that lane at 45 mph and still be safe," Thiessen said.

Mackay, who lives in Carson City but rides extensively when he's in Las Vegas, doesn't like the wider lanes. When bike lanes are too wide and shared with a car, the car has a tendency to take over, he said. Bike or pedestrian injuries that occur when the car is traveling more than 40 mph often result in death.

"When you narrow a lane, you slow cars down," Mackay said. "You increase the safety all around."

Bicyclists have to think about safety before they ever get on the road, Mackay said. They have to consider it when they plan their route.

"You have to ask yourself, 'Can I get there by bike? Will I be safe?' If the answer is no, you have to ask yourself why," he said.

It's clear to RTC authorities that more people are asking those questions. The RTC, which also operates the valley's Citizen Area Transit buses, knows there is a need for safe places to ride because it sees the demand on its buses. Those with bike racks on the front carry more than 30,000 bikes a month.

"We know there's latent demand out there," Jerry Duke, principal planner for the RTC, said.

The county is also working to create more viable options by developing a plan for bike lanes -- designated 3- to 5-foot lanes -- on narrower, 80-foot roads leading to schools, parks, hospitals and malls.

The county is moving toward 80-foot roads because they are safer and have slower speed limits, Tom Theisen, associate engineer for public works traffic management division, said.

"We're going to try and make it happen," he said. In addition to traffic reduction and improved air quality, bike lanes "make a more friendly neighborhood."

Theisen said a general plan including bike lanes should be completed in the next couple of months and will be presented to the RTC.

However, most traffic and bike safety officials say that even though the routes are out there, the responsibility to know the rules and precautions rests with riders who must abide by the same rules as motorists.

"Cycling in Las Vegas is as safe as you want to make it," Thiessen said. "Ride defensively. Be predictable and wear a helmet. The greatest percentage of accidents are when cyclists are running stop signals and riding against the traffic."

"There's no doubt that there's some bad things in Las Vegas, but it's certainly not that bad," Mackay said.

"You can even ride Tropicana if you're careful."

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