Transportation commission hosts meetings to improve transportation

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is surveying the public to improve transportation efficiency in the downtown area.

At the request of city officials, the results of the survey will be compiled in a report to be presented in April 2013.

The community mobility study will focus on how far area residents or people who work downtown have to travel by transit, bike or foot to reach commercial complexes, community centers, medical facilities, grocery stores and other locations.

"We pride ourselves on our responsiveness to community feedback," said Angela Castro, a commission spokeswoman . "We don't take comments and put them aside. We actually take them into account when developing our short- and long-term plans."

The target area of study, a three-mile radius from the Bonneville Transit Center, 101 E. Bonneville Ave., encompasses 511 miles of roadway and more than 20,000 residences.

During the survey process, the commission has hosted two town hall meetings in the area. Additional public meetings are scheduled for 5 p.m. Nov. 29 at the city of Las Vegas Development Services Center, 333 N. Rancho Drive, and
4:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the East Las Vegas Community Center, 250 N. Eastern Ave.

The commission's principal planner, Philip Banea, is spearheading the study and said the primary focus with the effort is on pedestrian and bicycle transportation efficiency and safety.

"There is already an established core of drivers in the area," Banea said. "Having more transit options will better serve the people trying to visit downtown. We want them to feel comfortable taking alternative (modes of transportation)."

The commission already carries about 50,000 bicyclists and 160,000 pedestrians a month system wide.

Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Coffin agreed that alternate transportation modes should be a priority for the city moving forward.

"Fifty years of glorifying the automobile has made it tough for (pedestrians)," he said.

Coffin said safety is also a concern in the downtown area with its aging infrastructure.

"We need more street lighting and improved sidewalks (in the area)," he said. "I would feel safer walking downtown with more sidewalks and street lights."

The mobility study survey can be taken on the commission's website at rtcsnv.com.

For more information , call 702-676-1500 or visit rtcsnv.com.

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Nolan Lister at nlister@viewnews.com or 702-383-0492.