If the Regional Transporation Commission has so much money, how come it can’t time the traffic lights?

I read with much chagrin the Saturday story “RTC approves 10 percent raise for general manager.” The general manager, Tina Quigley, now has to try and get by on the meager salary of $273,887 a year.

If the folks who approved that obscene amount would only drive Eastern Avenue in the south part of the valley to see how poorly the traffic lights are set, they might have second thoughts. That is a six-lane, divided main arterial. Yet driving northbound from the upper end invariably results in more time sitting at a red light than actually moving down the road. I’ve complained until I’m blue in the face, all to no avail.

Those at the RTC seem to think that east-west traffic crossing Eastern should have priority … probably a carryover from the old days of the late Clark County Commissioner Paul Christensen, who said, “Traffic flows east and west in this valley, whether you like it or not.” Maybe in the old days, but that was before the large building boom above Eastern.

Also, Eastern is badly in need of repairs. So if they have so much money to throw around, how about spending some on this very heavily traveled arterial? Both Pecos Road and Stephanie Street have much better traffic flow thanks to proper traffic signal setting… hint, hint.