Sign flippers driving some drivers to distraction

When possible, the Road Warrior looks for the quirky to kick off his weekly installment of questions and answers.

There may be none quirkier than this question from Jeff, who inquires about the distraction to drivers by those talented sign twirlers we seem to have at every intersection in the valley.

"Some of these folks are pretty good, like they could be in a 'Cirque' show on the Strip. But don't they draw attention away from drivers passing by? Isn't that dangerous?"

Las Vegas police officer Laura Meltzer concedes that, yes, these sidewalk salespersons can be distracting. But it's the driver's responsibility, she reminds, to be attentive to what's going on around us on the "street." Our lives and those of others depend upon it.

"We have a lot of distractions in Las Vegas. We're a city of constant distractions," Meltzer says. "But anytime you're behind the wheel, you need to be paying full attention to your driving regardless of the distractions going on around you.

"If (those salespersons are) really good at flipping their signs and you want to watch, pull into a parking lot and enjoy the show."

In that case, no cover charge, definitely no two-drink minimum. Tips, however, are welcome.

While we have officer Meltzer's attention, we pose this question from driver Al about mopeds and scooters on heavily traveled streets, such as Sahara Avenue, where they are not able to keep up with the speed of other vehicles. He asks, "Does Metro have any policy on mopeds or scooters that impede traffic other than ensuring they meet the legal guidelines for operation?"

The short answer, Meltzer says, is no. As long as the moped or scooter is street-legal, "it has a right to be on the road. Of course, we would advise the rider to try to avoid areas where the traffic moves considerably faster or is extremely heavy. But it's really up to other drivers to be aware that people on these type of vehicles tend to ride slower, in many cases because they can't get up to a higher speed. Be on the lookout for them, and give them their space."

Next, we turn our attention to repaving issues, starting with Alan's concern about fading lane dots on Eastern Avenue, between Charleston Boulevard and Bonanza Road: "Since there's a pronounced S-curve just south of the U.S. Highway 95 overpass, staying in your proper lane is tricky. Can anything be done about this?"

Jace Radke, city of Las Vegas spokesman, tells us: "The segment of Eastern between Stewart Avenue and Sahara is slated for a pavement rehabilitation overlay and raised pavement marking (RPM) restriping during the 2013-2014 period. In the interim, the city will look at improving the old markings by painting the lane lines rather than replacing the RPMs, which would not be cost-effective with the upcoming overlay.

"The segment between Stewart and U.S. 95 is not set for an overlay and is partially the Nevada Department of Transportation's right of way. We're working to verify if the markings in this section have been maintained by NDOT or the city, and if it is the city, we'll replace the missing RPMs or ask NDOT to do it if it's in their right of way."

Robin sees work on Windmill Lane in the south valley is nearing completion, and she's curious whether the onramp and offramp with the Las Vegas Beltway are going to be left as is, with their teeth-rattling washboard effect, or whether they'll be repaved: "They're as bad as Windmill once was."

Clark County spokesman Dan Kulin says, "There is a plan to repave the ramps at some future date, but that date has not been determined."

With the high-occupancy-vehicle lane construction on Summerlin Parkway complete, Dan wonders, "Will the washboard blacktop be repaired anytime soon?"

This one goes to Damon Hodge, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, who responds, "We're aware of the issue and currently reviewing options for addressing it."

Most Southern Nevadans don't mind a little rain. But rain creates a problem for reader Jack, who says there's an unpaved area on Tropicana Avenue, between Grand Canyon Drive and Fort Apache Road, where stones and dirt flow into the middle of the street from nearby property. He asks, "Are there any plans for the county to ever get these areas paved?"

The county's Kulin answers, "There's a plan to improve Tropicana from Fort Apache to Hualapai Way currently in design. Our road maintenance crews cleaned up this section of Tropicana recently and will be returning soon to repair the shoulders."

Greg poses a question we're sure a number of local drivers have but just haven't bothered to ask: "Is the road-widening project on Jones Boulevard, from U.S. Highway 95 to Sahara Avenue, going to increase travel lanes to three in each direction or remain at two?

Yep, our little Jones Boulevard is growing up. The city of Las Vegas' Radke explains, "This project will make the road six lanes between Sahara and Charleston Boulevard. The third lane northbound, which ends today at Sahara, will extend to Charleston, and the third lane southbound, which today begins about 600 feet south of Sahara, will instead begin about 600 feet north of Charleston. Between Charleston and U.S. 95, the city has added safety/capacity improvements, including three bus turnout/right-turn deceleration lanes in the southbound direction and one bus turnout in the northbound direction."

If you have traffic questions or gripes, email them to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please be specific, and include your phone number. Not all questions can be answered in print. Follow the Road Warrior on Twitter: @RJroadwarrior.