Bill would create bus turnouts

CARSON CITY -- A bill by state Sen. John Lee would reduce traffic woes for motorists by giving buses space to pull off the road to pick up passengers.

Senate Bill 137 calls for the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada to prioritize the construction of 15 bus turnouts on busy streets by 2014. The measure follows up a similar bill by the North Las Vegas Democrat in 2009 that called for 10 turnouts by 2012, five of which are complete.

On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Government Affairs, led by Lee, heard the first testimony on the bill.

Jacob Snow, Transportation Commission general manager, said turnouts ease traffic by allowing buses to pull out of traffic lanes when picking up and dropping off passengers. Turnouts increase safety for bus riders by moving shelters farther away from traffic, he said.

The turnouts probably would be concentrated along Jones and Valley View boulevards between U.S. Highway 95 and Sahara Avenue, Snow said.

Lee said bus service and facilities on the Strip are generally adequate because the concentration of tourist traffic draws the attention of planners and funding sources.

"You just can't get around the bus, so we're trying to work with bus turnouts to speed up traffic, to speed up the economy," Lee said.

Lee's bill is meant to raise the priority level of improvements needed off the Strip.

A turnout can cost as much as $200,000, depending on site conditions.

Snow said funding for turnouts in Lee's bill is already in place and would be paid to local public works departments to complete the projects.