Some flashing lights may have to wait awhile

Hey there, Road Minions. We've got questions about those new-fangled flashing yellow left turn lights that have been popping up around town, allegedly confusing signage, a bumpy ride, and the God of Acceleration, as well as a bit of good news about a rough road.

A whole bunch of readers have asked about the flashing yellow left turn signals. Here's a representative one from a guy I've nicknamed Shouty McShouterson because he sent it in all caps (which I'm not going to subject y'all to). Tim says he's glad to see them in his part of town in the southwest: Only problem is none of them flash a yellow arrow. So now we sit at a red arrow, idling our cars and wasting gas, with no oncoming traffic in sight.

You're right, Shouty. That's not cool. So I reached Dan Kulin, a spokesman for Clark County. Here's what he said:

"We expect that all the flashing yellows that aren't activated yet will be activated by the end of October."

Woohoo!

Turns out, the contractor installed all of the lights, but it's up to the county to program them to work the way they want them to work. Kind of like when the IT guys get you a new computer, but you've got to customize your Web browser all by your lonesome. So, anyway, they're working on them.

Kulin will some have more good news before this column's over, by the way, so keep reading.

Someone without a name sent in this question: I have a question on the 95/515 freeway between the Spaghetti Bowl and Eastern Avenue exit. Both northbound and southbound lanes are an up-and-down roller coaster ride of pavement. Did they purposely design this segment of the freeway to be this uneven and roller-coasterish? It seems very odd.

Nevada Department of Transportation district engineer Mary Martini explained in an email that it's the bridges that cause the roller coaster effect. She said they're designed to be curved to counteract heavy loads.

As they age, they sag - hey, don't we all (rimshot).

This is pretty standard on this type of structure, but Martini said we don't have many of them in Nevada, so that's why it seems odd.

Anthony sent in a question concerning the major reworking of the interchange at interstates 15 and 215: On the transition from north 15 to west 215, the lane sign for west 215 is incorrect. It guides you into the wrong lane and at the last second makes you change lanes or miss the 215. I have seen people (especially tourists) swerve at the last second and almost collide. Please ask for it to be fixed.

I hate to break it to you, Anthony, but I drove the route Tuesday afternoon and didn't find it confusing at all. Neither did the folks at the Nevada Department of Transportation. They even sent someone out to take pictures of the signage.

Sorry, man. We'll get 'em next time.

Nicholas has an easy one, which I'm going to edit a bit because newsprint costs money: The other day as I was attempting to access the eastbound 215 from the St. Rose Parkway. I had the displeasure of being stuck behind a Prius. It started at the light at the bottom, a Smart Car in one lane and the Prius in the other. I was able to get around the Smart Car, but it took so long, by the time it was one lane, the Prius was in front of me. My vehicle was blessed by the God of Acceleration, but had traffic been heavier, it could have been a very dangerous situation. Are there any statutes that require a vehicle to be able to attain highway speeds in a certain distance?

We had a similar question here last week. Folks don't like slow cars.

Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Loy Hixson says the law doesn't allow slow cars to "impede the forward movement of traffic" behind it.

As always, the devil's in the definition. What's "impede" mean?

If your car's been "blessed by the God of Acceleration," like Nicholas' car, then I suppose a Prius and a Smart Car can be a problem. They will impede the heck out of you.

I checked the zero to 60 mph times for both cars. The Prius will hit 60 mph in 10.4 seconds, the Smart Fortwo in 12.8 seconds, according to Motor Trend Magazine. The Smart, by the way, is the slowest car they've tested in recent years. There are cars out there that'll reach 60 mph in half that time, or better. There's a Lamborghini out there that will do it in 3.4 seconds.

The reality is, most cars are closer to the Prius' time than the Lamborghini's. So 10 seconds to get to freeway speeds probably isn't an impediment.

A reader who wrote in as "Aggravated in Las Vegas" asked: Is there no money left in the "road improvement" fund of Clark County to repair/re pave Windmill Parkway? I haven't seen a road in a worse condition than Windmill's (from Las Vegas Boulevard all the way up to Eastern Avenue) since I had a stopover in Vietnam.

Your answer is: Yes.

"It should be starting soon and should be finished by the end of December," Kulin said.

Windmill will be repaved from Las Vegas Boulevard to Eastern Avenue. As part of the same project, Tropicana Avenue is being repaved from right around the 215 to Durango Drive.

Happy Wednesday.

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.