Shashi Nambisan, director of UNLV's Transportation Research Center, said some congestion is natural in an area that is growing as quickly as Southern Nevada. Some traffic tie-ups are because of construction to increase road capacity, he said. The jury is out on whether road construction will lead to long-term improvements in traffic congestion, Nambisan said. But mass transit and alternatives to automobiles are an essential element of relieving traffic problems, he said. They also are a key in reducing air pollution in the Las Vegas Valley, raising the stakes for area transportation planners.
Local officials are under a federal edict to clean up the air.
They promised, as part of the solution, to bring more mass transit on line, which will allow the region to continue receiving millions in federal transportation assistance. We not only have to continue doing what we're doing, we have to do a better job. We have to attract the people out there out of their automobiles. But efforts may be hampered by a limited budget, and money could get tighter, especially if legislators in Carson City follow through with a plan to take local funding to pay for teacher raises. We'll be fortunate if we can just hold our own.