Put Toll on Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, Not Road From Our Readers

To the editor:

I read with interest the Wednesday article about the planned Boulder City bypass. It should be crystal clear to everyone that a disaster is in the making if the bridge over the Colorado River opens and no bypass highway is in place. With thousands of new homes being planned for the Arizona side of the river, Boulder City will become a traffic jam to rival the best that Los Angeles has to offer.

There was talk of making the bypass a toll road, but residents objected to it, claiming that drivers would instead choose to go through town (and cause a traffic jam) to avoid paying the toll. Westerners seem to be genetically opposed to tolls. Easterners know that tolls are inevitable – you can’t get into Manhattan without paying a toll, you can’t get across the Delaware or Hudson rivers without paying a toll.

So here’s a novel solution: Make the new bridge over the Colorado River a toll bridge. Designate the toll money to pay for the construction of the bridge, the approaches and the Boulder City bypass.

I am not suggesting a private company, but a joint “Nevada- Arizona Bridge Authority,” similar to the joint operating authorities found back on the East Coast (between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, New York and New Jersey, Delaware and New Jersey, etc.). The authority would collect the tolls and would be responsible for maintenance of the bridge and the approach roads, including the bypass, just as is done back East.

Surely this is something that needs to be investigated. Charging those who use the bridge (regardless of how they get there) is the most sensible solution to the problem of building the bypass and maintaining the entire system. And drivers wouldn’t avoid the bypass to avoid the toll, as the toll would be collected at the bridge.

Meanwhile, the bypass prevents the inevitable traffic jams in Boulder City. Start planning now.

David Adams

Las Vegas

Taking a toll

To the editor:

Bill Graves’ Wednesday commentary in opposition to toll roads was about as muddle-headed as they come. And he was a state governor? How anyone can have so little faith in capitalism and so much faith in government I will never understand.

First off, states don’t need to build the toll roads. They say where they want them and invite construction companies to bid on the contract. Revenue from tolls for a certain period is guaranteed to the successful bidder. The bidder then turns to the bond market and sells bonds backed by the tolls to the public. The government need place no restrictions on the construction (prevailing wage laws) nor on the amount of the toll.

Toll roads do not displace current roads. They simply provide an alternative route for those willing to pay the toll. If the toll is set too high, people will use existing roads instead and the construction company will fail. If the toll is reasonable, those willing to pay the toll have a faster way to travel through town, thus easing congestion on the existing roads. Tolls received will pay the bond holders in interest and the construction company receives a fair return on its contract. At the end of the contracted period, the roads revert to the state and the tolls are removed.

This is a great solution to our current road conditions and there is no need for taxpayers to foot the bill.

R.M. Lottermoser

Las Vegas

Devil’s bargain

To the editor:

I am somewhat amused at all of the belly aching about the NBA All- Star Game “element” and “rude” behavior exhibited by fans who were in town for the weekend.

Evidently, some business owners and casino workers were at the their wits end due to the added crowds, bad behavior, violence, prostitution busts and general thuggery. Do you think that the people who visit our fair city may be entitled to assume it’s OK to cut loose and let their hair down when the town motto is, “What happens here stays here”?

We have made what amounts to a devil’s bargain – and now we reap the rewards.

JAMES E. MURPHY

LAS VEGAS

Quality of life

To the editor:

If Freddie Woods gets his way (Wednesday letter), the taxpayers are going to be asked to build an arena in hopes of attracting a pro sports franchise to Las Vegas. Can anyone think of a better way we need to spend those taxpayer dollars?

Perhaps, – oh, I don’t know – on roads or school funding or health care or renewable energy or parks or mass transit or water and on and on?

If a sports franchise wants to come here, let them pay for a new arena. I say not one dime from the public should be spent on sports until we as a state are no longer ranked at the bottom in the only league that really matters – real quality of life for all our citizens.

MARK SCHAFFER

LAS VEGAS

Mass transit

To the editor:

I’d like to comment on several things that Jacob Snow, general manager of the Regional Transportation Commission, was quoted as saying in the Feb. 9 article, “Joint operation envisioned for CAT bus service”:

Mr. Snow said, “Competition is good for service and price.” Well, if competition is so important, how will an increased sense of competition and efficiency be injected into the lackadaisical flanks of the RTC? Isn’t it usually the public-sector entity that needs the prodding, not the private-sector one?

Mr. Snow said: “A fresh approach and some fresh ideas could be beneficial.” So in the future, will the RTC “become more productive” and ignore two vendors instead of just one? I know many CAT bus drivers have completely given up on suggesting improvements because they are ignored by the RTC. Any textbook on good management says to listen to the people who actually do the work.

Mr. Snow said, “One of the reasons Veolia has had the contract for so long is that they do some things extremely well,” such as its implementation of the Metropolitan Area Express bus service, known as MAX. But in other areas, especially bus maintenance, the RTC often has been displeased with results. I would like to ask what does the RTC do extremely well besides ignore complaints and suggestions?

Unfortunately, it is my observation that for mass transit operations, the RTC has lost sight of basic operating principles and prefers to chase pipe dreams rather than ensure that the fundamentals are taken care of first – things such as routes, schedules, bus stop locations and accurate signage.

One such misguided effort is that they are adding or replacing bus shelters but not reassessing if those shelters are at locations that still make sense. So we will end up with some pretty shelters at bad locations. Hey, at least we’ll be comfortable while waiting and waiting for buses that are unrealistically scheduled.

The RTC is the real obstacle to improving mass transit in Las Vegas.

John Hong

HENDERSON

The writer is a former member of the RTC Bus Shelter and Bench Advisory Committee.

Financial management

To the editor:

I am not surprised at the revelations made in your Tuesday story and Wednesday editorial concerning the taxpayers taking another hit thanks to the financial irresponsibility of those who run, operate or oversee the Southern Nevada Workforce Investment Board.

It is time that our district attorney take a hard look at this organization and others like it that prey on public money. We need to make sure that those involved are not just bad bookkeepers, but are not converting money for their own use.

Enough is enough, and let the chips fall where they may. The taxpayers deserve to know what really happened to their money.

DON ROSE

HENDERSON

(c) 2007 Las Vegas Review – Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.