Letter: Dips are there for good reason

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Tuesday, July 30, 2002 | 8:47 a.m.

I just love it when the Las Vegas Sun prints letters from valley residents who have either just moved to Nevada or have not been here very long. (Mike Hansen's July 26 letter, "Who checks on Las Vegas roads?")

Mr. Hansen writes: "If you drive anywhere else in the country, even those places where it rains regularly, they do not put in rain dips."

Well, Mr. Hansen, welcome to Las Vegas. This is not "anywhere else in the country," and after you have been here for a time, when 1/2 to 1 inch of rain falls in an afternoon, you will understand why the dips are built into the roads. That amount of rain, falling in the Las Vegas Valley, is nothing like the same amount falling in other parts of the country.

If you don't believe me, next time it starts to rain hard, park your car at the intersection of Oakey and Valley View boulevards, and if you are not swept away by the water, you will have plenty of time to contemplate why we put dips in the roads.

JAMES M. GIUFFRE