Las Vegas: Light Rail Presented as Best Option to Connect Strip, Airport, Downtown

[marmar]

NV: Light Rail Presented as Best Option to Connect Strip, Airport, Downtown

J.D. MORRIS ON JAN 13, 2016
SOURCE: MCCLATCHY


Jan. 12--Why does Las Vegas need light rail?

It would link the airport, the Strip and downtown Las Vegas, a critical connection that would benefit both the economy and the tourist experience, a local transportation official said today.

And it's the best type of transit to accomplish that goal, according to David Swallow, senior director of engineering and technology with the Regional Transportation Commission.

Swallow told the board of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority that planners looked at multiple technology options. They eventually recommended light rail because it has the flexibility to be expanded into a larger system, it's a proven technology that has been used elsewhere and it could draw in "a certain ridership," he said.

"Light rail systems tend to have a little panache that attracts a different type of rider," Swallow said. .............(more)

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/12158044/light-rail-presented-as-best-option-to-connect-strip-airport-downtown

[enlightenment]

1. More than a decade ago,

they attempted to build a monorail system connecting the Strip to the Convention Center to Fremont Street a/k/a downtown. RTC and a consortium were the money, I believe. It was planned to the point of completing the impact assessment (a colleague and I did the historic buildings survey for that) and it looked good.

Pretty much scuttled because of a lack of will on the part of the RTC and the City of Las Vegas (the "Strip" is in Clark County) and vigorous opposition from the taxi and limo union that were afraid it would eventually run to McCarran and cut out their major profit point.

Nothing has changed in that regard, and while light rail may attract "a certain ridership" it isn't the ridership they need to worry about. It's business and the private transport unions. The thing that the casinos and businesses along the old monorail route liked was the smaller construction footprint and subsequently smaller impact on their trade. Building light rail will mean ripping up the streets - and we already have so many road delays it's insane. You literally cannot get from point A to point B beyond a quarter mile distance without running into traffic cones and delays. Linking the airport to the Strip would, technically, be the easy part of this idea as there is a large swath of empty land to build across . . . but then there are the taxi/limo folks to appease.

I'm all for public transport and would love to see something comprehensive in the city - not just for the tourists who want to move up and down Las Vegas Blvd, but for the people who live here. North-South and East-West arterial routes are desperately needed; hopefully, if they built light rail out, the RTC could then reroute bus lines to get people where they actually need to go.

That said, this type of plan is going to face the same uphill battle that the monorail faced. I wish them luck.