Review highlights traffic danger spots

By Joelle Babula

June 13, 2000 Web posted at: 2:27 PM EDT (1827 GMT)

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (Las Vegas Review Journal) -- Nevada's most dangerous spot for pedestrians? A crosswalk at Island Drive and Tropicana Avenue used by tourists and residents to cross the busy thoroughfare near the MGM Grand.

In the past three years, six pedestrians have been killed there, prompting the Nevada Department of Transportation to make changes that also could be implemented at other Las Vegas Valley locations designated as high-crash areas.

Recent changes may make crossing the street safer in downtown Las Vegas

Twenty of 700 locations highlighted in the transportation department's annual High-Crash Location Review, released last month, are being scrutinized for possible engineering revisions.

The review addresses the top traffic concerns in the valley -- red-light running, rear-end crashes, left-turn accidents and pedestrian fatalities.

After the study pinpointed Island and Tropicana as high risk, the department installed a signal that provides a visual countdown for pedestrians, alerting them to the number of seconds they have left to make it across the street. A similar device was installed at Tropicana and Koval Lane, and more may be added after evaluating whether the numbers of accidents are reduced.

The new signals, the first of their kind in Las Vegas, were put in three weeks ago and are just a few of the many projects to combat problem intersections valleywide. The review focuses on areas that have at least 30 crashes or collisions over a three-year period.

"We review the report, and it allows us (and the department) to help solve problems through engineering changes or enforcement changes," said Lt. Joseph Greenwood with the Metropolitan Police Department. "This really gives us a true picture of what the causes of accidents are and where they are."

The top five locations for accidents in Clark County in this year's report are identical to last year's top five:

--Las Vegas Boulevard at Tropicana with 456 accidents.

--Las Vegas Boulevard at Flamingo Road with 441 accidents.

--Las Vegas Boulevard north of Flamingo Road with 337 accidents.

--Rainbow Boulevard at Sahara Avenue with 307 accidents.

--Tropicana at Koval with 299 accidents.

The annual study, which looks at statistics gathered by all law enforcement agencies in the valley over a three-year period, is used to help designate projects for the annual $4 million in federal funding Nevada receives for safety improvements.

Approximately $1 million from last year's safety budget was used to install the new countdown pedestrian signals and put in other safety measures such as pedestrian barriers, said Jerry Pieretti, the senior safety coordinator for the Nevada Department of Transportation. This year's 20 highlighted intersections are under review, so funding has yet to be allocated for new safety projects.

Safety money is often used, however, to replace green lights that allow left-hand turns when there's no through traffic with signals that limit turns to green arrows only.

"We call these suicide left turns because you can go when the traffic is clear," Greenwood said. "There are a high number of accidents at these intersections because people fail to yield to oncoming traffic."

According to Greenwood, in 1997 and 1998 there were 11 and 12 left -turn accidents respectively at the intersection of Harmon and Eastern avenues. In 1999, after the light was changed to a green arrow, there was one left-turn accident.

"You can see how great the reduction is. That's why we have no problem when these suicide turns are removed," Greenwood said. "When that's taken away, some people are not going to be happy, but they have to understand we're trying to protect the majority."

Las Vegas traffic engineer O.C. White also sees the phasing out of lights that allow "suicide left turns" as a trend that will continue as the city grows.

"Left-turn accidents in 1999 dropped from 26 (in 1998) to two at the intersection of Bonanza Road and Eastern after (arrows) were installed," White said.

Pieretti said signals are changed on a case by case basis. Left-turn arrows can reduce the number of left-turn collisions at an intersection, but they can also increase the frequency of rear-end accidents if a buildup of turning traffic extends beyond a turn lane too short to accommodate traffic.

Currently, the transportation department is working at the intersection of Nellis Boulevard and Vegas Valley Drive to install dual left-turn lanes to reduce rear-end crashes, and green arrows to deal with left-turn collisions.

"We've had five fatalities in the last three years based on left-turning vehicles at that intersection," Pieretti said.

The results of last year's crash study also is resulting in a new way to catch motorists who run red lights. Currently, indicators are being installed on the back of signal heads at 70 intersections that will allow officers to more easily determine when a violation has occurred. The indicators allow police to observe when a light changes to red from behind the signal. Enforcement using this method is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

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