Editorial: At what cost progress?

Wednesday, June 1, 2005 | 8:53 a.m.

A preview of a potential barrier to building "fixed guideway" transportation systems in Clark County is being played out on Mike Berkey's Web site (stoptheguideway.com). The 30-year-old owner of a small business is opposed to the Regional Transportation Commission's plans for a 33-mile route from Henderson to North Las Vegas, with a stop in Las Vegas. If approved, the first phase could be finished within three years.

From strictly efficiency and environmental perspectives, fixed-guideway systems are ideal for urban areas. Taking the shape of electric light-rail cars, diesel passenger trains, electric rubber-tire trains or Metro Area Express (MAX) rapid-transit buses, fixed-guideway systems get people to their destinations more quickly and keep the air much cleaner by reducing traffic.

But there is another perspective. Berkey says Henderson, where he lives about a hundred yards from a proposed line, was never designed for a high-capacity fixed guideway and to install it now would destroy his neighborhood. He worries about the accident potential for pedestrians, the noise, the intrusion of more power lines and the system's almost ceaseless operation.

We see Berkey's concern as legitimate, and one that will be expressed many times by many other people as the RTC moves forward with its plans. Fixed guideways, built correctly, are a desirable way to move people without having to build more highways. If they need to be built, and it seems they do, given Las Vegas' growth, the integrity of neighborhoods should be a priority.