County kow-towing to Sun City on interchange

To the editor:

I read in the Review-Journal last week that the beltway interchange at Lake Mead will be completed next month, but won't open until 2010. I am dumbfounded.

Clark County commissioners should re-examine their decision to delay this opening.

Sun City residents argue the interchange will increase traffic on Lake Mead. Yes, the traffic will increase somewhat, but mostly for those going to or from a destination most likely west of Rampart -- anyone going to a destination east of there would likely chose a different route.

Many people who now need to go to such a destination (for example the Sun City Animal Hospital at Del Webb and Lake Mead), still go through Sun City as they take the Anasazi exit off Summerlin Parkway and go north to Lake Mead, then east.

Sun City residents also raise security concerns. But from Anasazi east on Lake Mead, only one side of the street borders Sun City, the other side borders Summerlin communities. So the short distance between Anasazi and the interchange is the only roadway that passes through Sun City.

I have heard no concerns from the Summerlin residents about security problems anticipated because of the interchange. If Sun City is so concerned, why are there no guards on the gates into the community?

Opening this interchange on schedule would ensure that traffic flows through the Sun City portion of Lake Mead much easier and faster. In addition, people who must use Summerlin Parkway to Anasazi to Lake Mead would have a more direct route.

Their are other advantages. For instance, as construction of the Beltway/Summerlin Parkway interchange progresses, it would provide an excellent detour for traffic turning northbound on 215, eliminating additional congestion at that interchange.

If the Clark County Commission chooses not to open the interchange in August when it is ready, they are doing a disservice to all the residents of the county who live in the general area of the Northwest to mollify a portion of the constituent base living in Sun City.

Dawson May

LAS VEGAS

Bike ride

To the editor:

As a bike rider who frequently rides along state Route 159 up to Red Rock Canyon and the scenic loop, I am delighted to see a movement toward a separate, 15 mile, paved bike path that parallels Route 159. I am surprised to read that the president of the Las Vegas Bicycle Club, Jim Little, opposes the path because I believe a safer, separate path will encourage more people to bike ride ... a goal shared by most bicycle organizations.

I relocated from Southern California to Las Vegas several years ago, where a 36-mile, separate bike path runs along the coast. I enjoyed riding and the scenery without fear of cars. The Red Rock National Conservation area is equally beautiful but the high speed of cars "commuting" on Route 159 takes some of the fun out of my rides. I know many people who refuse to ride the area for this reason.

With increased development and a proposed school at the base of Route 159, the traffic and congestion will worsen. Now is the time to move forward and extend the recreational opportunities of Red Rock National Conservation Area with a separate, paved bike path.

I hope the Southern Nevada Public Land Management organization will consider paving a path on both sides of the road to accommodate riders going in both directions. If not, a wide path with a divided line to accommodate two-way traffic will be needed for safety. This, coupled with cyclists using good communication and following biking protocol will go along way to improve safety and enjoyment for both serious and more recreational riders.

Cynthia Lindell

LAS VEGAS

Political satire

To the editor:

On July 18, the Review-Journal editors stood up for The New Yorker magazines cover of Barack Obama as a case of satire. The Review-Journal editors love the use of satire as a method to state their and others positions -- see Ann Coulter's columns. Now I get it:

All this time the Review-Journal endorsed and supported George Bush and his policies, it was satire. All the times the Review-Journal endorsed narrow-minded thinkers such as state Sen. Bob Beers, U.S. Rep. Jon Porter and Gov. Jim Gibbons, it was satire. Every time the Review-Journal endorses decreased spending on education and teacher pay, while criticizing education results, it was satire. Every time the Review-Journal called for cuts to higher education, public health and mental health care systems, it was satire.

You all get the picture. All these years the Review-Journal has endorsed keeping Nevada near the bottom of spending in almost every important category -- taking care of and educating its population -- it's all been satire.

This has to the explanation for the Review-Journal editorial positions because they haven't made any sense up until now.

Matt Hafenbreadl

HENDERSON