Columnist Jeff German: Valley faces trainload of problems

Friday, Jan. 14, 2005 | 10:57 a.m.

This week we learned that we aren't doing the best job of guarding chemical tank cars sitting in the valley's rail yards.

That's not good, because unattended tankers filled with toxic chemicals can be sitting ducks for terrorists.

So it looks like we need to do a better job of securing our trains.

Wouldn't it be nice if that was our only concern?

Watching the community deal with the heavy rains and snow of the past two weeks got me thinking about other things that deserve our attention, as well.

There's room for improvement, for example, in flood control. Homeowners in Mesquite and Overton know what I'm talking about. So do the folks closer to home near Warm Springs Road and Jones Boulevard just south of I-215.

And this certainly wasn't a great time to be homeless on the streets of Las Vegas.

Obviously, we're still having a tough time finding homeless people shelter and other social services. A city outreach program aimed at providing assistance to the homeless was bogged down with computer glitches during the bad weather, leaving many to fend for themselves in the rain.

The streets also haven't been kind to pedestrians around here lately.

Las Vegans seem to take their lives in their hands every time they go for a stroll. Statistics show we are one of the deadliest areas in the nation for pedestrians. Hardly a week passes when we don't read about a pedestrian getting killed and the driver getting nothing but a traffic ticket.

It's a direct result of state laws designed to protect motorists, including those who drive recklessly, more than pedestrians.

Even drivers, however, are finding the streets more dangerous because of never-ending construction projects everywhere you turn in the valley.

I cringe during rush hour when I have to pass through the massive freeway interchange project at the Rainbow Curve. The temporary narrow lanes on well-traveled Rainbow Boulevard, which shift suddenly without warning for vehicles speeding along, are a potential death trap.

It's like going to war when we get behind the wheel -- every day, all hours of the day.

The good news is that we're starting to make progress ridding our air of carbon monoxide and preventing perchlorate from seeping into our water system.

And if the Legislature follows the public's will and gives the sheriff the money he needs to put more cops on the street, we'll have the ability to reduce our rising crime rate.

Then we can tackle the biggest threat we face today -- the one that affects our pocketbooks.

As the Legislature gets ready to convene, we still have no consensus on how to put a cap on exploding property taxes.

If we can't find a solution, no one will give a hoot about leaving a few chemical train cars unattended for terrorists.

Some might even suggest sending the tankers to Carson City.

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