The people in Las Vegas wanted light rail, but the leaders voted for a bus

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada board recently rejected a plan to build a light rail system along Maryland Parkway, despite public support for the $1 billion proposal.

The RTC Board of Commissioners comprises elected officials from local government: two from the county commission, two from the valley’s largest city (Las Vegas) and one each from Clark County’s other incorporated cities — Henderson, North Las Vegas, Boulder City and Mesquite. Note that the RTC board is inequitable in that cities with less than 20,000 residents — Boulder City and Mesquite — have the same number of commissioners as cities that exceed 250,000 (North Las Vegas) and 300,000 (Henderson).

The commissioners judged light rail too expensive and opted instead to support a bus rapid transit system. Among the reasons to ignore the public’s clear preference for light rail, board members noted the need for “fiscal responsibility,” the limited geographic scope of the light rail project down Maryland Parkway, doubts about a critical mass of ridership and the preferred flexibility provided by the bus system. Board members argued that the bus option allowed for shifting travel routes, the relocation of transit stops and lower maintenance costs — although the rolling stock wears out much faster.

Yet the flexibility of buses is why they stimulate little real estate investment along their routes. By contrast, light rail has a proven record of creating higher value, higher rise and higher tax-paying development at station stops. Investors are drawn to the certainty that rail provides — it privileges their projects with permanent high-capacity transit access for decades. A simple axiom: Steel in the ground, as in steel track, puts steel in the air, as in the steel girders in high-rise buildings. By all accounts, the RTC board took none of the potential enhanced taxation and real estate development associated with light rail into account when its members made their decision.

Read more: https://lasvegassun.com/news/2019/apr/28/the-people-wanted-light-rail-but-the-leaders-voted/