Ready to rumble: Area bicyclists rap proposal to install strips near Red Rock

Wednesday, April 25, 2001 | 11:09 a.m.

Bicyclists taking a day trip out Charleston Boulevard to the Red Rock National Conservation Area may soon find their way a bit bumpier.

Actually, they may find it much bumpier.

The Nevada Department of Transportation is considering installing new rumble strips on the road, which turns into State Route 159 past Buffalo Road. The strips could be installed all the way to State Route 160, also known as Blue Diamond Road. This includes about 14 miles of roadway.

Dennis Coyle, an NDOT road designer, said his agency is perhaps several weeks from making a decision on whether to install the rumble strips on the road. But already the proposal has generated howls of protest from area bicyclists.

NDOT installs the rumble strips to wake up sleepy drivers who are straying off roads in rural areas. The agency is still looking at the numbers to determine whether the strips are justified, staffers with NDOT's safety office said.

Coyle emphasized that the proposal is still a long way from becoming a reality. He said because of burgeoning opposition to the proposal, NDOT might ask groups such as the Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club for comment before it makes any affirmative decision.

Also opposing the installation of rumble strips on the road is the Regional Transportation Commission, which recently sent a letter to the state agency asking it to reject the proposal.

"We do oppose the placement of the rumble strips," said Heather Curry, RTC spokeswoman. "It's a safety issue for cyclists."

Bicycle enthusiasts argue in the strongest terms that modern rumble strips are dangerous wherever bikes are on the road, and that State Route 159 is a particularly bad place to put the safety features.

The road is one of the most popular, perhaps the most popular, stretches for weekend bicyclists, including many family groups who ride the gentle grade to see the dramatic cliffs and canyons of Red Rock, they say.

Although the road winds through swaths of desert and wild-horse country, its proximity to Las Vegas makes it a gathering point for amateur and professional athletes on weekends.

"Carson City is so out of touch with Southern Nevada that they think highway 159 west could possibly be considered 'rural,' " said Ken Stein, a bicycle club member. "They are going to make that unrideable, downright dangerous."

Stein said he personally rides the route at least several times a month and has ridden the road since shortly after moving to Las Vegas five years ago.

Ed Thiessen, a comrade in bicycle chains, said adding the rumble strips would close the road to cyclists. He is concerned that the decision might come without a lot of forewarning for the public.

"We get the feeling that they were trying to sneak this one by us," Thiessen said. "They're getting ready to do something."

Last year, NDOT added similar rumble strips to Las Vegas Boulevard south of the urban area, stretching to the California border. Bicyclists protested the move, but the strips came in anyway.

Thiessen said since then, bicyclists mostly just stay away from the once-popular riding spot.

Thiessen and other bikers say that the strips just make the road too dangerous. To use the road they have to share the travel lane with motorists -- many of them speeders -- and that is especially dangerous for less experienced riders.

Some state officials, though, say the strips can save lives.

Kelly Anrig, NDOT assistant chief safety engineer, said motorists falling asleep is the leading cause of death on rural roadways in Nevada.

Between 1997 and 1999, 104 people died in accidents in which their vehicles left the road and overturned. Eighty-four of those deaths occurred in rural areas, said Bruce Mackey, Nevada education officer for bicycle-pedestrian safety.

Mackey said none of these deaths happened on SR 159.

Coyle said much of the arguments against rumble strips have been based on emotion, and his agency's studies don't indicate a severe safety hazard.

Other studies, including one from Arizona Department of Transportation analyst Richard Moeur, indicate otherwise.

Moeur said last year that new rumble strips tend to be deeper and wider than they used to be and "have a much greater negative effect on bicyclists."

Coyle suggested that there may be room for both cyclists and motorists.

On some parts of the road, the 16-inch-wide rumble strips would still leave at least a 3-foot margin on the shoulder of the road for bicyclists, he said. That's generally considered enough for riders.

Cyclists, however, said rumble strips on some parts of the road would leave only a few inches on the shoulder, forcing riders onto the travel lane. As it is, road shoulders often are littered with broken glass and other debris, already pushing the cyclists into traffic, they say.

Thiessen and other cyclists said the real problem with traffic accidents on SR 159 is a recent speed limit change. In February 2000 NDOT changed the speed limit on the road past the Red Rock conservation area to an even 60 mph, up from a mix of 45 and 50 mph zones.

That has led to more accidents, Thiessen said.

Kent Sears, a district traffic engineer, said the changes were because motorists were confused by the alternating speed limits.

Sears, however, said he is also a cyclist and enjoys riding in the Red Rock area. Sears said he doesn't support adding rumble strips to the road.

"I don't think it's appropriate out there," he said.

Cyclists also have another ally in their campaign -- NDOT safety engineer Anrig.

Anrig said he will likely recommend this week that the state not put the strips on the road. Accidents from people falling asleep in this area don't appear to be a big problem, he said.

Coyle, too, said that installation of the strips is far from a done deal. He said putting them on SR 159 was "a borderline" decision that would come from NDOT's administration.

This lends scant comfort to some cyclists.

Stein, a mortgage loan officer, said he will physically protest any attempt to put rumble strips on the road, including launching sit-ins or chaining himself to a signpost, if necessary. He said most of the country is trying to make cyclists more welcome, not discourage bike riding.

He also said legal options might be used to stop any installation. But Stein hopes those steps won't be needed.

"I don't mind getting arrested," he said. "Hopefully, (NDOT) will get on the bandwagon and join the 21st century."

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