Letter: Route structure is part of bus problem

Monday, March 12, 2007 | 7:36 a.m.

Regarding the Las Vegas Sun's very interesting March 4 article on buses and light rail:

I want to point out a problem that the movers and shakers refuse to address. Most people will not ride buses because of the rectangular crosshatch bus route structure.

To get from Summerlin to downtown Las Vegas or the Strip, one must change buses along the way, with long waits in not-so-good neighborhoods. Total time of a trip is unacceptable because of the rectangular route and need to transfer.

We need direct routes. Of huge benefit would be three direct bus routes from Summerlin to:

Imagine, we are the only major city with virtually no direct bus lines to the airport.

There should be big parking lots in places like Summerlin where buses would depart for the three above locations. A great place for such a terminal would have been the big lot near Buffalo Drive and Summerlin Parkway that was turned into a set of soccer fields.

There is a second chance. Make a big terminal at the new regional shopping mall south of Red Rock Station. From there, direct buses should depart for the airport, downtown and center Strip.

We need to become a world-class city with world-class bus routes, not the awful rectangular route structure we now have.

William Lane, Las Vegas