Bus stops facing safety check

Now, more than 3,000 bus stops and shelters in the valley will be reviewed to determine if safety improvements can be made, officials with the Regional Transportation Commission announced Thursday.

A report by international engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff recommended a risk assessment be done to determine which bus stops presented high risks for passengers waiting for rides.

Once those locations are determined, the firm recommends several solutions to increase safety, including moving bus shelters farther away from the street, relocating bus stops up or down a block, raising curb heights, building turnouts or eliminating some stops.

Although officials have steadily maintained that the valley’s bus shelters and stops are safe, commission general manger Jacob Snow said improvements should be made if they can be.

"What we can do is limited. We can’t build fortresses."

Bus stops must be accessible and abide by federal regulations under the American Disabilities Act, Snow said.

The push for safer bus stops and shelters comes in the wake of a recent fatality at a bus stop on Boulder Highway, near Flamingo Road.

Two women were struck by a pickup at the bus stop on July 7. One died; the other was seriously injured.

Police suspect the driver in that case was under the influence of prescription drugs.

Eight fatalities and six injuries from bus stop crashes have occurred over the past six years. In all but one case, the driver was suspected of being drunk or high on drugs or not obeying traffic laws.

The other wreck happened when a trailer became unhitched and crashed into a bus stop.

Lee Gibson of Parsons Brinckerhoff sees no discernible pattern to where bus stop crashes occur in the valley.

Gibson, who said he feels the bus stops are "extraordinarily safe," said Parsons Brinckerhoff has worked on bus stop issues in Denver, New Orleans, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.

One solution to consider is to raise the curb height in front of bus stops and shelters to 12 inches, Gibson said. Doing so might help redirect vehicles about to crash into a shelter.

Raised bus shelters already exist along the Max bus route along Las Vegas Boulevard in North Las Vegas.

Gibson said a 12-inch tall curb could redirect a car traveling 45 mph at a 7-degree angle.

Erecting bollards — posts sometimes made of steel — in front of the bus stops or shelters was studied, but not recommended in most areas. Studies have shown when vehicles crash into bollards a barrage of shrapnel is launched forward from the vehicle in the direction the vehicle was heading.

Gibson said bollards should only be used in low speed, high pedestrian areas.

The transportation commission has already moved forward with relocating some bus stops and shelters farther back from the road and behind sidewalks.

That plan was aided last year when the state Legislature passed a measure making bus shelters the equivalent of utilities, making it easier to move shelters onto private property or farther back onto public property.

Since then, about 70 of the roughly 1,200 shelters in the valley have been moved back, most of which were on public land.

Private entities have not been as willing to give up land for the bus stops, Snow said.

Building bus turnouts is now standard practice for new developments in the valley, but it is not possible to construct turnouts in already developed parts of the valley without cooperation from private landowners.

Snow said landowners may be more willing to work with transportation officials as more public attention is given to making bus stops safer.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.