Calling All Visionaries: RTC Wants to Hear From You about the Future of Transportation

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is “calling all visionaries” and inviting all Southern Nevadans to help shape On Board, the future transit plan for the Las Vegas valley. With the help of extensive community input, the RTC is identifying how improvements to the current bus system, new high-capacity transit services and emerging transit technologies can improve mobility.

A quick survey focused on how valley residents want to get around the region and what priorities should guide comprehensive transportation planning and improvements is available at OnBoardSNV.com. Feedback from this and a prior survey issued last year about public transit services will be used to develop a draft plan that will be shared with the community later this year.

Participants interact with the On Board bus at a local event.

“To date we’ve heard from more than 15,000 residents, and we hope that is just the beginning,” said RTC General Manager Tina Quigley. “The only way we can develop community is to hear from everyone. It’s important to note the survey isn’t just for those who ride transit. It’s for all Southern Nevadans to provide input on how they want to get around the valley regardless of their current preferred transportation mode. We are making it as easy as possible to participate via an online survey, and we are taking the survey to the community at various events and presentations around town.”

In addition, later this year, residents can provide additional feedback on proposed transit improvements for the busy Maryland Parkway corridor. RTC transit currently carries more than 9,000 riders daily on the Maryland Parkway route, the busiest residential transit route in the valley. With nearly 36,000 vehicles traveling the road daily and more than 90,000 residents and 85,000 jobs within a quarter mile of the corridor, Maryland Parkway is ripe for a high-capacity transit system to improve mobility and spur economic development.

There are three transit options currently under consideration for Maryland Parkway:

1. Enhanced Bus Service – Reduce the number of bus stops along the current transit route so they’re farther apart (from a quarter to a third of a mile) creating more of an express route to decrease total travel time. On routes where this has been done, such as Sahara Avenue and Flamingo Road, ridership has increased.
2. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) – Two of Maryland Parkway’s six travel lanes could be in a dedicated lane on the side. Buses would maintained because the lanes are available for cars to use for right turns.
3. Light Rail – Single light rail vehicles operating in the outer lanes dedicated for transit but still available for cars to make right turns. This option can accommodate the most passengers and offer the shortest travel times.

The On Board survey is available at OnBoardSNV.com, where you can learn more about the RTC’s efforts to engage and partner with the community as it develops plans for Southern Nevada’s future transportation needs. Be part of the plan and get On Board!