Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

EDITORIAL:

Lawmakers have every reason to speed along light rail plan

It’s time to get rolling on light rail for the Strip.

A bill that would allow the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada to start arranging funding for a transportation plan that includes a major light rail system has been filed in the Legislature, where lawmakers should fast-track it.

This is a must-pass bill.

Southern Nevada’s transportation system is long overdue for an update, and the RTC has come through with a plan that would connect McCarran International Airport to the Strip via light rail. Senate Bill 149, introduced by Sen. Mark Manendo, D-Las Vegas, would allow the RTC to begin seeking federal grants or asking voters to raise local taxes to pay for transportation upgrades.

The overall infrastructure plans aren’t finalized, but the light-rail portion is crucial to Las Vegas’ economy and to the quality of life in the valley.

On the economic front, transportation improvements are needed along the Strip to maintain the luster of the visitor experience and help ensure our tourist economy remains vibrant. With a 2016 visitor survey showing that 60 percent of tourists stopped into five to 10 casinos, it behooves us to make it easier for them to get from place to place for gambling, dining, shopping and otherwise enjoying the Strip.

On the flip side, spending hours inching along in a taxi, rental car or ride-share vehicle is a lousy way to spend a vacation and might prompt visitors to look elsewhere for their next trip.

For those who choose to hunt for another spot, a growing number of cities are putting light rail into their transportation mix to make it easier for visitors to access sports venues, entertainment districts, shopping areas and other attractions. Look no further than Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver for examples of excellent systems.

So for Las Vegas, the improvement isn’t really even a modernization. It would simply bring us up to competitive speed as a tourist destination.

The same goes for our convention industry, where the city faces fierce competition from other communities to retain and attract events. For cities like Phoenix and Orlando, Fla., the existence of quick and convenient light rail transportation is an attractive amenity to offer to convention organizers.

Given that tourism hit a record 42.9 million in 2016 and shows no signs of slowing, the congestion is only going to get worse if Las Vegas doesn’t upgrade its system. And just wait until the Vegas Golden Knights open their first season in the National Hockey League this fall at T-Mobile Arena, not to mention the congestion if and when the Oakland Raiders move to Las Vegas. Granted, the Raiders stadium is being planned off-Strip near Russell Road and Interstate 15, but a good portion of the fans in the 65,000-capacity stadium would likely stay on or near Las Vegas Boulevard on game weekends.

A light rail system starting at McCarran and traveling up Las Vegas Boulevard to Sahara Avenue would increase visitor flow and invigorate the north Strip. With additional phases that would push the system through to downtown and beyond, development in North Las Vegas and its Apex Industrial Park complex also would get a boost.

Then there’s the benefit to the community at large. Light rail would offer Strip workers a convenient way to get to and from work, removing thousands of cars from the city’s congested streets and highways. Ideally, the system would include park-and-ride lots and would operate free of charge to riders, which some advocates believe could be achieved through a funding mix that would include room tax revenue, federal dollars and BLM land sales.

The RTC’s plan, which includes upgrades of pedestrian overpasses and widening of walkways along Las Vegas Boulevard, is still in development. It could cost as much as $26 billion.

But there’s no question that its light rail element is a crucial need, not a luxury. That goes for the entire state, considering Las Vegas is the economic engine that drives Nevada.

SB149 gives transportation officials the green light they need to start putting the plan into action. It absolutely should be passed.

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