Planning panel calls rail system a waste

Friday, June 12, 1998 | 11:12 a.m.

Transportation funds for the Las Vegas Valley should not be "wasted" on a light rail system, according to a committee made up of local elected officials and community leaders.

The Needs Assessment Committee for the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority told members that "the committee does not support the fixed guideway component at this time," although the committee also stated it wouldn't object to a privately funded system.

The committee also reported that it didn't support the quarter-cent sales tax as a source for the expansion of the bus system.

"After looking at the statistics ... it would be a waste of time to spend money on anything but our roads," said Tito Tiberti, a local contractor and chairman of the committee.

Tiberti said that statistics show that 95 to 99 percent of the trips made in Las Vegas were in cars -- even though the Citizens Area Transit (CAT) bus system is the busiest bus system in the country.

"No one (any other city) can get the percentages any higher," Tiberti said. "We're kidding ourselves here. It all comes back to the roads."

"We get more bang for our buck in the roadway systems," said Clark County Commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates, who is also on the Needs Assessment Committee.

Goals for roadways in the valley by 2008, the committee reported, should be:

The committee, in another presentation, also discussed the valley's air quality needs.

Currently Las Vegas is not in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency's air quality.

The committee recommended that all of the valley's agencies work with Clark County to improve the city's air quality standing with the EPA.

Another recommendation the committee made was to start an annual smog check program for diesel vehicles and to improve the existing smog check program for gasoline vehicles.

Now that the needs assessment committee submitted its report to the full authority, subcommittees will address specific aspects of the report to be used to draft proposed legislation.