Thursday, May 13, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

ROAD TEST: Know the Territory

Savvy drivers reduce time on congested Strip by using alternative routes

Traffic flows along Tropicana Avenue across Las Vegas Boulevard. Photo by John Locher. Click image for enlargement. Graphic by Mike Johnson.

Andre Rochat will drive the length of the Strip on a Friday or Saturday night, on one condition: "You really have to put a gun to my head to make me do that," the French chef says.

His claim is pure hyperbole, but it's a passionate declaration that sums up many locals' distaste for driving that stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard from Sahara Avenue to Russell Road. But no matter how unappealing it may be, it's inescapable for those, like Rochat, who work on the Strip.

Jaywalking pedestrians, reckless taxi drivers, clueless tourists and a survival-of-the-fittest attitude have for years compelled locals to find alternative routes to the area that is Las Vegas' bread and butter, as well as its communal migraine.

For nearly eight years, Rochat has driven several times a week from his office on Rochelle Avenue to his self-named restaurant in the Monte Carlo, dreading the inevitable congestion he knows he'll encounter on Las Vegas Boulevard. A resident for 33 years, Rochat worked out a "shortcut," taking Tropicana Avenue to Valley View Boulevard, then Hacienda Avenue to Las Vegas Boulevard.

The trip took him about 40 minutes, during the week. Because the Monte Carlo was "landlocked," with no way out or in but Las Vegas Boulevard, motorists often got pinned in by jaywalkers or slow traffic signals, Rochat says.

"I used to hate to go to Monte Carlo on the weekends. I wouldn't even go there if I didn't have to. It was murder," Rochat says.

Frank Sinatra Drive, running north-south from Industrial Road to Russell Road between Interstate 15 and the Strip, opened earlier this year, providing drivers with an alternative to accessing the Strip from the west. The option cut Rochat's commute in half, he says.

Paradise Road, Koval Lane, Industrial Road, Harmon Avenue, Convention Center Drive and other surrounding streets have long served as options to driving on the Strip. It's the getting to and from those little side streets from Las Vegas Boulevard that presents problems.

With nearly 70,000 vehicles traversing the Strip at its busiest intersection, Tropicana Avenue, congestion is unavoidable.

Emelie Campo, a purchasing assistant for the Aladdin, encounters trouble at Harmon during her drive to and from work. She leaves home about 7 a.m., traveling south on Las Vegas Boulevard, and usually arrives at work in 15 to 20 minutes. On the reverse trip, after her shift ends about 4:15 p.m., it takes 35 minutes or longer.

Trying to turn left onto Las Vegas Boulevard from Harmon is a near-futile attempt as pedestrians walk against the light, cars pass illegally or other drivers block the intersection, Campo says.

"It gets frustrating, especially if you're really, really tired and want to go home," she says.

Ideally, driving the Strip is a task that should be undertaken by only the most patient of drivers, people who can find the humor in sitting idle at a green lights because cars traveling the opposite direction run red lights and block intersections. Or by understanding motorists who have no problem forgiving tourists for stepping in front of their moving cars.

On a recent Saturday night, seven minutes passed with the northbound cars on Las Vegas Boulevard stuck in a motionless queue at Flamingo Road, even though the traffic signal showed green. A limousine passed cars in the right turn lane then cut in front of them. Driving meant inching forward, as the lanes of cars fought to get through the intersection before the signal changed again.

Later, on the southbound side of the boulevard, traffic flowed at a more acceptable pace until cars with brightly colored plates from across the country slowed to a crawl to watch the Bellagio fountains dance. Pedestrians darted from medians to cross over for a better look.

It's those kinds of traffic issues that keep many locals from driving the Strip, says Aladdin box office clerk Krista Kessler.

"I hate slow drivers, cabs and the pedestrians that walk in the road. You can tell when tourists are driving. They have different plates and they want to sightsee in the middle of the road. I see no reason to go on the Strip," she says.

But things aren't as bad as they could be. Improvements made by the Clark County Department of Public Works have increased traffic flow at the busy intersections of Tropicana Avenue and Flamingo Road, says Bobby Shelton, spokesman for the department.

Pedestrian bridges alleviated what was a major traffic tie-up at those intersections, Shelton says. Future improvements planned at Harmon Avenue and Spring Mountain Road should help lessen congestion, he adds.

"During the peak hours, you'd have thousands of pedestrians using the intersections. You take them out, and you've now at least doubled the number of cars that can get through the intersection. For the most part, the bridges have eliminated the pedestrian-vehicle problems, improving traffic flow and pedestrian flow. By doing that you've improved the air quality of those areas," Shelton says.

While Shelton admits driving the Strip can be frustrating, he insists there are some steps drivers can take to make their commutes easier.

"We ask people to think about these things," Shelton says. "Plan your commute, rather than haphazardly getting in the car and going. Leave early, give yourself enough time." And, he adds, check on construction projects and find alternate routes around them.