Bike map called step in the right direction

Stephen Curran

Thursday, Sept. 29, 2005 | 9:54 a.m.

Southern Nevada planners still have a long ride ahead of them if they're going to make the region's roads friendlier to bike riders, cycling advocates say.

But the 2006 Bicycle Map unveiled at this morning's Regional Transportation Commission-sponsored Viva Bike Vegas is a step in the right direction, they say.

"I think it's a start," said Doug Murray, president of the Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club. "I think that there needs to be public awareness that there are bike routes you can ride. I think the perception is that it's not the best place to ride."

Seven Las Vegas Valley bicyclists have died this year on the roads. Some of them had put their lives at greater risk by by not wearing adequate helmets and reflectors, Sgt. Tracy McDonald of Metro Police's fatal section noted.

And this year is already shaping up to be more dangerous for bicyclists than last year, according to Metro statistics. By the end of September 2004, 301 bicyclists had been struck by moving vehicles and four had died. By Tuesday, 330 bicyclists had been struck, seven of whom who died, according to Metro.

One of the suspected reasons for those numbers is a lack of public awareness about where the most bike-friendly routes are, Murray said.

Today's event, which coincides with the Interbike International Bicycle Expo at the Sands Convention Center, is meant as the official unveiling of the new bike map, which outlines the region's various bicycle facilities, RTC officials said.

Mascots including an Elvis impersonator were expected to escort Las Vegas Mayor and newly appointed RTC board member Oscar Goodman along the four-mile route downtown. Representatives from the Silver State Bicycle Coalition, the American League of Cyclists and the Thunderbird Alliance were also expected to attend.

McDonald said it was difficult for police to determine exactly how many bike riders take to the valley's roads. The RTC estimates between 600,000 and 700,000 bicycle trips are made here each month, roughly 85 percent of which are school, shopping or recreational in nature, according to RTC statistics.

Only 15 percent of those rides are commutes to or from work, according to the RTC.

The glossy, color-coded map caps a lengthy review process to update the previous map published in 1999, RTC spokeswoman Shannon Stevens said.

The 2006 map will be the first in what may become annual updates, she said. Among this year's biggest changes are improvements to Alta Drive, now the primary route for bicyclists headed toward Red Rock Canyon, Stevens said.

Its publication also marks a continued change within the RTC, which has focused much of its recent efforts on improving or expanding bicycle facilities within the valley to keep pace with rapid growth here, Murray said.

"I think the RTC is trying very hard, but it's an uphill battle here," he said. "The cycling community isn't as embraced by the general populace (as it is in cities like Salt Lake City in Phoenix)."

Meanwhile traffic-clogged roadways and bicycle lanes that abruptly end or begin can make it particularly difficult for bicyclists here to navigate city streets, McDonald said.

Among the most dangerous for riders have been the seemingly bike-friendly stretches of busy roads where the bike lane disappears without a warning to riders instead of continuing uninterrupted, McDonald said.

"It's pretty much hit and miss," he said.

The RTC estimates about $50 million in Question 10 sales tax funds will have been spent on a network of on-street bicycle paths by the end of 2016, according to figures provided by the agency. Those improvements will include changes to existing roadways that already have room for bike lanes and reconfiguring those that don't to accommodate new lanes at a cost of roughly $60,000 a mile.

By then, the RTC expects there to be 634 miles of off-street paths, up from the 56 miles now in place. Another 809 miles of bicycle lanes are expected to be built or reconfigured in the next 11 years, up from the 74 existing miles, according to the agency.