UNLV Transit Hub Study Part 1

There’s no question that a lot of people live and work around UNLV. Looking at the numbers of the RTC’s study, without a doubt this is a busy core. And it’s not just people driving around, it’s also people walking around, biking around, and getting off in front of the university.

Students commuting to UNLV tend to live to the southeast stretching out to the 215 South. It’s a wonder then why there hasn’t been more development transportation wise in this direction. There is 200 space Park & Ride lot just south of the airport, but that’s already within five miles of the university. And we all know how long it takes the buses to travel five miles (link).

Those are all interesting facts, but the success of the proposed Transit Hub, wherever it shall fall, is the implementation of the Maryland Parkway BRT plus other Park & Ride facilities in the southeast. In another study, the Mission Group proposed this layout for the BRT and Park & Ride facilities (from the Fixed-Guideway Transit for the Las Vegas Region Presentation) :

ACE BRT plan

(Interestingly, this study recommended a light rail system but the RTC went with bus rapid transit instead because of price concerns. For an awesome analysis of BRT versus Light Rail, see Yuri Popov’s, physics professor at University of Michigan, post.)

And of course, the success of both the Transit Hub and BRT line depend upon a revitalization of the corridor – i.e. Midtown UNLV. But with the dissolution of the Clark County Redevelopment Agency, everything is very much up in the air.

The next stop is the Maryland Parkway BRT study. Please forgive the delays, but you see, I am but one person reading through thousands of pages.

The new Park and Ride transit facility groundbreaking on Durango and US 95 was held on Wednesday, June 24th.

That’s the word from PIO Tracy Bower at RTC.

There are plans in the works for ACE Downtown Connector and ACE Express, which has three stops at Durano & US 95, the downtown transportation center, then possibly UNLV,  to connect to the city’s university. With the completion of two studes – UNLV intermodal transit hub and the Maryland Parkway ACE study – it sounds like Clark County is seriously thinking about serving the community and not just the toursists.

I haven’t gotten a hold of either studies yet, the PIOs at RTC are saying they’ll be out soon.

Photo courtesy of City of Las Vegas

Wish granted: Las Vegas is in the second stage of building a LEED Neighborhood Development, Union Park, right in the heart of downtown. Located on Grand Central Parkway and Bonneville, Union Park will include several Newland residential developments, the Smith Center for Performing Arts, the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, and some commercial spaces.

Read the rest of this entry →

I’d like to share some stories of people who have committed to live car-free for one year - and both the planet and cash saving consequences of their actions. The New Belgium Brewing Company hosts their annual Tour De Fat, meandering through eleven western cities, continually compelling people to join Team Wonderbike by giving up four wheels in trade for two.

What happens when they sign away their right to a car? They DON’T drive the average 15,000 miles like every other America. That’s 739 gallons of gasoline (at 20.3mpg). 739 gallons more for our children. It’s $2,217 (at $3.00 per gallon) NOT going to the Middle East to fund a number of things we probably wouldn’t agree with. That’s one more person not producing 14,336 pounds of CO2.

Watch these videos, get inspired and perhaps take the challenge. Tour De Fat 2008:

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PBS has a good documentary on how one city, Charlotte, North Carolina,  will be using the stimulus money on adding another track to its rail system.

Mayor Pat McCrory of Charlotte  took a lot of heat from other politicians about his proposed rail system that would bring people back to downtown and away from suburbia. Ultimately, the citizens of Charlotte favored the idea.

It makes me wonder what would happen in Vegas if such a system existed. Charlotte and Vegas are comparable in size and population, with Vegas being a hundred square miles smaller. Both of their problems are similar: lackluster downtown (and we’re talking the REAL downtown, not the tourist’s downtown) and endless suburban sprawl.

Charlotte looks amazing. The rail system looks modern and sleek; it reminds of the light rail in Bordeaux. The platforms to get on are inviting and safe. Mayor McCrory emphasized the diversity of people riding – not just the homeless or geriatric, but professionals, students, families, and tourists.

If Vegas’ Mayor Oscar Goodman truly wants to create a downtown lifestyle, he’s got to get rid of the neonopolis and build a rail system for the entire Vegas valley. ACE rapid transit is heading the right direction, but buses to ACE are slow and erratic.

How should Vegas connect its citizens to downtown?

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With a possible $25 million earmarked in the stimulus package for mass transit in Las Vegas alone, projects that better link the city are imperative. Roll-over the map above to see in more detail what these projects look like.

ACE, the new rapid transit line, will be the bus alternative to a light rail system, connecting the distant Henderson suburb to the heart of downtown. Another route will also connect the two downtowns – in North Las Vegas and a few miles past the Strip.

*RTC’s Park and Ride program, however, seems to be going in the opposite direction of having ecostreets. A few miles from the airport, commuters to the airport can park their car and hop on a bus to McCarran. Because of increasing demand, RTC is adding 160 more parking spaces. What would be better is an interlocking transit system that let you leave your car at home or not even need one in the first place.

RTC is still trudging away on the I-15 highway widening, spending $242 million on the 6 mile stretch. The two bus lines, however, total over 20 miles and will only cost a fraction of the highway reconstruction.

How should the city of Las Vegas prioritize or reprioritize its transport system? Leave your comments below.

*ETA 2/18/09: Information on Park & Ride.