Las Vegas traffic panel backs speed cushions near 16 schools, sending the safety plan to the City Council for approval

What happened

The city of Las Vegas Traffic and Parking Commission on Thursday approved proposals to put speed cushions on streets next to 16 school campuses, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. The schools are elementary and middle schools inside city limits.

The plan is not final. According to the Review-Journal, the Las Vegas City Council must approve the proposals before they can be carried out. If approved, the speed cushions could be installed this summer.

Which schools are on the list

Campuses that could see speed cushions

The Review-Journal listed the following schools as ones that could get speed cushions on nearby roads. Families following school news may recognize several neighborhood campuses on the list.

• Becker, Bell, Richard Bryan and Christensen
• Edwards, Escobedo, Fong and Garehime
• Hancock, Jacobson, Lummis and Martin
• Neal, Sunrise Acres, Vassiliadis and Variety School

Adelson School proposal tabled

A similar proposal for streets near The Adelson School was tabled for reconsideration after neighboring residents objected, the Review-Journal reported. The private pre-K-12 school is near Lake Mead Boulevard and Hills Center Drive. The Review-Journal disclosed that the newspaper itself is owned by the Adelson family, founders of the Adelson Educational Campus.

Why the city says it is acting

Children struck since the school year began

Vehicles have struck 170 kids in Clark County since the school year began on Aug. 10, according to data compiled by the Clark County School District Police Department and cited by the Review-Journal. That total includes 56 children in Las Vegas.

Ravi Seera, the city's traffic engineer and deputy director of public works, said the city is focusing on school zones because more students are being hit or injured just after school. More coverage of roadway and community safety issues is available in our public safety section.

How speed cushions work

Seera explained that speed cushions are longer than speed bumps and are often used on busier roads to slow traffic. He said they are uncommon around Las Vegas schools right now. According to Seera, they can reduce speeding between 20 and 25 percent, a difference he said could save a life.

"These are proven countermeasures," Seera said, according to the Review-Journal. He added that preventing any collision helps move the city toward its goal of no crashes or deaths on its roads.

Cost and the broader plan

Federal grant covers most of the cost

The speed cushions are part of a $900,000 road safety project, Seera said. The city will spend $45,000, and a federal grant will pay the rest. The work falls under the city's Vision Zero Action Plan, which aims to bring roadway deaths and high-injury crashes to zero by 2050.

More changes under consideration

Seera described Thursday's proposals as the "first batch" of safety improvements around city school campuses. He said the city is also looking at more pedestrian crossing flasher beacons, curb extensions that narrow the road and signs that show drivers their speed near schools.

What to watch next

• The Las Vegas City Council must vote on the speed cushion proposals before they can be installed.
• If approved, the speed cushions could go in near the 16 campuses this summer.
• The tabled proposal for streets near The Adelson School is set for reconsideration.
• The city is weighing additional measures, including flasher beacons, curb extensions and driver speed signs near schools.