LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It’s a question we’ve been asked many times at Channel 13: "Why do stoplights take so long in Las Vegas?”
“If you’re going to make a left turn and there’s three cars, there’s no reason we should be sitting there for seven minutes with time to eat a bowl of cereal,” said one driver.
Many can name an intersection they dread. For Sincere Turner, it's Sahara and Valley View.
Turner says too often, he witnesses drivers taking dangerous risks to avoid waiting.
“Multiple times, people just run a light because they get tired of waiting and sometimes that causes accidents, so we definitely need to do something about that,” Turner added.
“One of the primary factors influencing traffic signal timing is the geometry of the intersection,” said Theresa Gaisser, senior director of FAST, which is a division of the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada.
RTC oversees all 1,600 traffic signals in southern Nevada on behalf of local jurisdictions.
Gaisser says the larger the intersection, the more time needed to complete a cycle.
“On some of our larger streets, we have dual lefts, three through lanes or more, and a separate right turn lane in each direction,” Gaisser added.
The agency also factors in volume of traffic, time of day, and pedestrian activity.
The national average is 3.5 feet per second for a person to cross the street, according to Gaisser.
The agency also uses sensors to assist with real-time changes.
“During congested periods of the day, there’s usually a queue of vehicles, so that’s when we are running signal timing to optimize how much of that queue is going to be able to clear every single time," Gaisser said.
If it feels like you’re stuck at a red light for an exceptionally long time, Gaisser says there are a few possible explanations. It could be an equipment malfunction, an emergency vehicle that has preempted the signal, or construction.
"So, maybe that's limiting the capacity but that might also require changes to traffic signal timing because maybe only one lane can go at a time and that’s definitely going to incur an additional wait period,” Gaisser said.
Over the past year, Gaisser says the RTC has been working on re-timing traffic signals across the valley.
"We have re-timed almost 400 of our regional signals and we'll hopefully finish that cycle by the end of this upcoming year. And then, we start the process all over again,” Gaisser said.
If you think you’ve come across a faulty traffic signal, you can contact the traffic management center directly by calling the phone number (702) 901-8400 or emailing AskFAST@rtcsnv.com.
