LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As Channel 13 continues to Fight for Safer Streets in Southern Nevada, one thing we hear time and time again is that drivers are frustrated at the number of people who are running red lights here on valley roadways.
It's something we see all too often when we're behind the wheel here in Las Vegas — you're sitting at a red light and it turns green, but before you get a chance to go, another car blows through the intersection well after their light turned red.
WATCH | Red light runners frustrate Las Vegas drivers
Drivers I spoke with Wednesday say they're seeing it happen more and more in the valley, too — not just over the last few years, but over the last few months.
"A lot of people run red lights and drive extremely fast," said local Steven Christiansen, who's lived in Las Vegas for six years and drives for Uber in town. "I spend a lot of time driving around, and I see a lot of really, really bad stuff."
That includes last month's deadly 12-car crash at Cheyenne and Jones — Christiansen says he drove by the intersection just minutes after it happened.
We asked if seeing that makes him think harder about driving smarter and safer.
"I always try to drive very casually, take my time, I don't push it," Christiansen said. "If a light's yellow, I'll stop — I don't run red lights."
But drivers say they see so many people doing the opposite around town that we've gotten several questions wondering how traffic signals are timed here in Las Vegas.
"I'm sitting here waiting for the light to turn, and then I see people running lights and pedestrians are jaywalking because the light never changes," said local Martina Michelin, who reached out to Channel 13 with concerns about a signal near the Strip in October. "I didn't know who else to call, and I knew you would help out."
Traffic signals are overseen by staff at RTC's Southern Nevada Traffic Management Center, known as "FAST," which stands for "Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation."
I had the opportunity to tour the FAST Operations Center back in October for a behind-the-scenes look at how the valley's more than 1600 traffic signals are maintained and monitored.
"Vegas is not a regular 'nine to five' town, it's a 24/7 town," FAST Senior Director Theresa Gaisser said.
Because of that, Gaisser says they try to time our traffic lights to match, getting as many cars through each signal cycle as possible safely.
"We have special time of day plans that run morning AM commuter peak hours, in the afternoon, in the middle of the day, late in the evening, as well as on the weekends, because traffic patterns are constantly changing here in Southern Nevada," Gaisser said.
Gaisser says their team considers how many vehicles travel an intersection during each time of day, how many pedestrians use crosswalks at an intersection and how lanes are configured to come up with a signal timing pattern that gets traffic through as efficiently as possible.
Senior Traffic Management Technician Conan Demarco showed me some of the high-tech ways they keep an eye on all of our traffic signals, and address issues as they arrive.
RTC officials say post-pandemic shifts in traffic patterns around the region prompted a major traffic signal re-timing effort, which has led to nearly 650 signals re-timed valley-wide.
The FAST team says if it feels like you've been stuck at a red light longer than usual or if you notice a problem with a signal while you're out, try to remember the intersection, time of day and direction you're traveling, and then report it to FAST.
You can reach the FAST Operations Center by calling (702) 901-8400, emailing them at AskFast@RTCSNV.com or by posting your question on Twitter and tagging their account: @RTCSNV.
"We don't want that frustration on your drive everyday," Gaisser said. "We want to make sure everybody gets to their destination safely."
Driving is a team sport — it's on all of us to make Las Vegas roads safer. If you're coming up on a yellow light, instead of blowing through the intersection, slow down — it may be frustrating to sit at a red light for a couple extra minutes on your drive, but it could save your life.
Steven Christiansen has a message to his fellow Southern Nevada drivers who are consistently speeding and running red lights.
"Slow down, relax," Christiansen said. "You're going to get there, maybe five minutes faster than I will, but I know I'll get there — you may not."
If you have a question or concern about traffic or road construction in your neighborhood, I'd love to look into it for you. You can email me at Guy.Tannenbaum@KTNV.com.
