City of Las Vegas explores walkability options for area around The Lakes

Walkability. It's the catch word for The Lakes area these days.

On July 26, the city of Las Vegas and Ward 2 Councilman Steve Wolfson held an informational meeting at Peccole Ranch to take input from residents on proposed changes to streets in The Lakes, Peccole, Canyon Gate and Section 7 communities, to make them more walkable, i.e., walker-friendly. According to Homeowners Association membership records from 2010, those areas have roughly 27,600 residents.

Easels held plans and maps. City workers were on hand to answer questions.

Being walkable means offsetting an overreliance on motorized travel, such as cars, and includes providing changes such as wider paths, bike paths, landscaped medians, Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility and trees for shade.

"Walkability is supported by a changing urban demographic," said Courtney Mooney, urban design coordinator for the city of Las Vegas. "We're seeing smaller families with one-parent households and retired people, many who are moving back into urban areas because they want to be close to services and shopping. They want more access to these things."

A 1999 study by the Urban Land Institute determined homebuyers were willing to pay a $20,000 premium for a residence in a walkable community.

Walkable also means ridable -- bike lanes would be added, which takes away width from travel lanes.

"Vehicles slow down when the lanes are narrower," Mooney said, adding that's because trees create a vertical wall, framing streets and creating a reference tool in which drivers subconsciously measure speeds.

One of the proposed changes at intersections is restriping them to have the wide strips, called a Continental design, designating the pedestrian crosswalk. Mid-block crossing of the street would be allowed. Another proposed change at intersections is an "all walk" signal, where traffic in all directions comes to a standstill for pedestrians. The "all walk" concept also allows for crossing diagonally.

Wolfson said allowing for diagonal crossing would necessitate lengthening the time frame so people could cross before the lights turned green.

"Public safety is key here," he said.

Stephanie Rogers was there with her husband, Philip, to ask how it would affect the pathways they enjoy each day as residents of The Lakes.

"We want to know if it would bring in more cars and traffic. We're curious about that," she said.

They also wanted information on how it was to be paid for and who would be responsible for upkeep and water use.

Doug Rankin, city planning manager, said money for the changes would come from various sources, including federal, state and local coffers. He had no time frame for when funds would be available.

"What's important is that when funding does become available, we have a plan already in place," he said.

He said the grass and trees buffers were not only for shade and aesthetics but were also safety features to separate walkers from vehicles.

Elizabeth Nelson was there to crusade for children going to and from the Sahara West Library, 9600 W. Sahara Ave., especially those who had to cross Grand Canyon Drive.

"It just seems like a no-brainer," she said. "I've seen a lot of people almost get creamed trying to cross there."

Peccole Ranch resident Sandy Krammer was not there to get information but to express her opinion.

"We have eight miles of paseos already," she said. "We don't need any more walkways."

For more information, visit lasvegasnevada.gov/government/19709.htm.

Contact Summerlin and Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 387-2949.