By 2060, 1 million more people will be living and driving in Clark County. UNLV researchers announced their projections to regional leaders, helping agencies plan now for issues such as housing, water, freeway infrastructure and transit.
RTC shared with FOX5 more details on their On Board Mobility Plan and Access 2050 Regional Transportation plan, showing priorities for rapid transit options across 200 miles of pathways across the Valley. Priorities for a Phase 1 include rapid transit across Charleston Boulevard, Maryland Parkway or Boulder Highway.
“One of the main benefits of a well functioning, high capacity transit system is that dedicated space that operates the transit vehicle, free from congestion. So it could be a dedicated bus lane just for buses, a dedicated lane for light rail, it could be a tunnel, it could be a bridge– anything that gets that transit vehicle away from the traffic,” said Andrew Kjellman of RTC.
The projects do require traffic studies and ultimately, funding.
RTC said that average commute times could grow from 32 to 42 minutes in the Valley, unless more transit options are created.
“So Los Angeles is kind of famous for this, Houston is too: a road is congested, and so they add more lanes. The unfortunate problem is, once that project is done, it simply attracts more trips,” Kjellman said, explaining why expanding freeways are not the only answer.
RTC is piloting “microtransit” options, allowing residents to utilize small buses like an Uber carpool; people can book direct routes to take them to and from their destination directly. Riders may share the buses with 10 to 12 people, Kjellman said, but sometimes residents are the only passenger aboard. For more information on the pilot programs in the Southwest and West Henderson area, click here: RTC
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