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-News Articles/Editorials/Letters to the Editor-
2/15/2001
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Despite cyclist complaint, six-lane South Carson Street likely
By Amanda Hammon
Despite complaints from cyclists who fear losing a route, South Carson Street will more than likely be restriped from four to six lanes this summer. The Carson City Regional Transportation Commission approved Wednesday a state plan which would add an extra travel lane to South Carson Street. "We're between a rock and hard place. I don't think we have any other alternatives but to move in this direction," Commissioner Bob Kennedy said of the restriping plan. The state plans to add a third southbound lane from Fairview Drive to Highway 50 East and an extra northbound lane from the Highway 50 interchange to Stewart Street as part of this summer's planned $500,000 repaving of South Carson Street. Fred Droes, Nevada Department of Transportation chief safety engineer, said no extra space will be added to the highway with the expansion to six lanes, and the extra lanes would take over the shoulder of the road. Several Carson residents questioned how safety vehicles would get through packed traffic and addressed the danger of trying to get in and out of businesses without the shoulder. The message from the state and RTC commissioners: people will adapt. Transportation officials in August raised the restriping idea in the midst of concerns over the completion of the Carson City freeway, and state officials argued adding lanes would be a quick and cheap way to improve traffic circulation in South Carson. Droes said adding the extra lanes would allow traffic to move from a level of service E to a level of service C, which means vehicles could get through a traffic light in one cycle during peak hours. In transportation lingo, level of service A signifies free-flowing traffic and F signifies "basically a parking lot," Droes said. Commissioner Marv Teixeira noted with the growth facing Carson City and the Carson Valley, it would only be a matter of time before traffic helped by the extra lanes returned to near-gridlock. "Traffic is only going to get worse until that bypass gets built," Teixeira said. "The first phase (of the bypass) is going to do nothing to alleviate the problem. If we did nothing, just leave (South Carson Street) as it is today, we'll get to an F level. If we do nothing we'll deteriorate even further." The state is proposing two, 11-foot lanes and one 12-foot travel lane for most of South Carson Street. By eliminating the shoulder from the road, a bicycle route on South Carson will be moved. Droes said the state wants to divert bicycle traffic to Fifth Street, then Roop Street and Silver Sage Drive to Clear Creek Road and back to Highway 395. "I've been on the bike lanes on Fifth Street. It's dangerous. It's not a good route," resident David Gissen said. "By doing this, you've eliminated any safe way to get from Carson City to Douglas County on a bicycle route." Anne Macquaire, president of local cycling group Muscle Powered, agreed with Gissen that access to the Carson Valley via a bicycle would be hindered with the six lane proposal. Macquarie recommended the commission approve the plan only if the state agreed to make all the upgrades -signs, paving and striping of bike lanes and paths - necessary to replace the route lost with the shoulder, a term to which commissioners agreed. "If they are taking away an existing route, and offering an alternative, that alternative should be funded," Macquarie said. "It shouldn't be just the city. NDOT has a responsibility for pedestrians and bicyclists, too." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
