Not all bus stops are candidates for a shelter

An overcast morning gave transit commuter Spring Peterson a rare break from the sun's rays Aug. 25 as she waited for the 119 bus at a shelterless stop on Rancho Drive near Charleston Boulevard.

The stop is one of hundreds around the Las Vegas Valley that offers no protection from the elements.

"When it rains, I normally have an umbrella," said Peterson, who works in Aliante. "It only sucks when it's hot."

The situation is the same at stops around the valley where fewer than 10 people board the bus daily.

"Not all of our stops need a shelter," said Carl Scarbrough, manager of transit amenities for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. "When we have 10 or more people that board a bus at a stop, then that stop will be a candidate for a shelter."

But don't tell that to Schelleze Payton, who said she waits at the shelterless stop on Charleston Boulevard near Campbell Drive three times a week to travel to her doctor's appointments.

"It's dangerous," Payton said without elaborating before hurrying to board the 206 bus.

An automated passenger counter on each bus tracks the number of people who board, Scarbrough said.

The commission said it has 3,214 fixed-route bus stops in Southern Nevada, 1,945 of which include a shelter or bench. There are 1,269 bus stops without a bench or a shelter, 835 of which have fewer than 10 daily boardings.

The commission plans to install 300 shelters in the next 12 months where 10 or more people board the bus daily, costing $6,544,986.

"About half of them will be new shelters where we didn't have them before," Scarbrough said.

Some of the older shelters around the valley have transparent Lexan roofs, which are scheduled to be replated. The newer ones feature solar panel roofs made of metal that collect energy to light the shelter.

"The idea is to provide shade and protection from the wind," Scarbrough said.

The commission hits a snag here and there while installing shelters because they are no longer placed on sidewalks due to heightened concerns about pedestrian safety. Instead, shelters must be placed behind sidewalks, requiring easements from property owners who do not always cooperate, Scarbrough said.

"We have to approach individual property owners," he said.

The requirement for easements and the lack of shelters sometimes cause dueling complaints from residents.

"The most common call I get is for someone wanting a shelter at a bus stop," Scarbrough said. "Second is probably property owners complaining about people who wait at bus stops."

If all goes well and easements are granted, the commission aims to have shelters behind the sidewalk at every stop in the valley with 10 or more average daily boardings. The commission plans to install 300 per year.

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— To reach Henderson View reporter Cassandra Keenan, email ckeenan@viewnews.com or call 702-383-0278. Find her on Twitter: @CassandraKNews.