Editorial: All aboard mass transit

Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2005 | 8:39 a.m.

In the hour it takes some people to finish the Sunday crossword puzzle, 11 new people will have moved into Southern Nevada. Population estimates show the Las Vegas Valley, now home to about 1.7 million, could have twice as many residents by 2020.

That's a lot of people, with a lot of cars. About 100 motor vehicles are added to the valley's roadways each day, according to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC). Freeway expansions are planned, but still can't accommodate such growth, RTC General Manager Jacob Snow recently told the Las Vegas Sun editorial board.

We need a rapid mass-transit alternative, Snow said. The RTC is studying construction of a "regional fixed guideway" along the Union Pacific Railroad corridor from the area of the Nevada State College in Henderson to a proposed site for a UNLV satellite campus in North Las Vegas.

Since December 2004, a citizens steering committee has been meeting to discuss a long list of issues. Noise and whether or not the guideway will fit into the neighborhood environments through which it would pass have proved the most contentious.

Residents of Henderson have been especially vocal in their opposition, fearing a commuter train will destroy their community's atmosphere and reduce property values. In fairness, the RTC expects the fewest riders to come from Henderson. Most of the 80,000 projected daily riders will come from the Las Vegas Strip resort corridor or North Las Vegas.

And such a system isn't cheap. In January the steering committee is to choose between building a bus-based system for $613 million or constructing a $732 million light-rail system. Their recommendation will be presented to the full RTC board, a group of elected officials who will decide whether to adopt the recommendation or another option -- including not building any kind of rapid transit.

But clearly the numbers show that roads alone cannot ease the valley's traffic congestion. We believe that rapid mass transit should be compatible with its surroundings. We also believe that longer commutes, poor air quality and poor mobility will negatively affect our community and property values.

We no longer can ignore the need for a fast, reliable means of mass transit that truly enables people to leave their cars at home. It's time to get on board.