Columnist Susan Snyder: No shortage of concrete solutions

Monday, Aug. 15, 2005 | 9:32 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Sundays. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4082.

It's like having Christmas four months early, without the Visa bill.

Governors of four Western states, including Nevada, say we're running out of cement and concrete, which could delay building projects.

You can almost hear the desert tortoises giggling.

It seems Mexico has cement and concrete aplenty. But a 1990 tariff designed to protect U.S. manufacturers from competing with the more inexpensive south-of-the-border products prevents it from being imported from Mexico.

The governors have asked the U.S. Commerce Department to lift the tariff.

Seems it would be less complicated, cheaper -- and more fun -- if they simply would send more tequila.

We'd still be behind schedule for building, but we wouldn't care as much.

While driving U.S. 95 toward Tonopah a couple of weeks ago, we noticed a gallon of gasoline had gone over the $3 mark in at least two towns.

At Indian Springs and in Beatty a gallon of premium grade cost $3.05, which of course means the "cheap" grade, wasn't. It's like filling the tank with latte.

President Bush said we won the war in Iraq back in May 2003.

You'd think we would have seen cheap gas or Osama bin Laden or fewer than 1,842 funerals for American soldiers, by now.

Guess not.

The $286.4 billion transportation bill that President Bush signed last week includes $1.3 billion for Nevada over the next five years.

It includes $45 million for a high-speed, magnetic levitation train between Las Vegas and Primm, along with $136.8 million for freeways, interchanges and road expansions.

But one measure that would have benefited non-motorized travel never made it to Congress for final votes in July.

"Fair Share for Safety," which would have required each state to spend federal highway safety money in proportion to its percentage of bicycle and pedestrian deaths, was removed in the final days of House and Senate negotiations.

Last year the 65 pedestrians and 14 bicyclists killed on Nevada's roads represented 20 percent of all of the state's traffic deaths. The 30 pedestrians and 7 bicyclists killed so far this year make up 18 percent of Nevada's traffic deaths.

An analysis by the Surface Transportation Policy Project shows historically, Nevada spends about 7 percent of its highway safety money on measures to make roads safer for those who walk or pedal.

The $5 million Nevada stands to receive for "smart" signs, traffic cameras and other measures may be of some benefit for those groups. But a bigger chunk of money should be used for such projects as lighted pedestrian crossings (at mid-block, where people actually cross) and special enforcement measures to educate the traveling public.

Gas is $3 a gallon in the rurals and approaching that in the city. Public officials urge us to adopt cleaner, healthier, more active lifestyles at every turn. Every turn, it seems, except those they have to pay for.