Clark County Moves Forward With $2M Safe Streets Plan to Combat Dangerous Driving

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada is moving from data collection to action under its Safe Streets for All Action Plan, launching temporary roadway design changes to reduce traffic deaths across Clark County.

A federal grant of roughly $1.68 million will help fund this project, along with around $300,000 in local matching funds, for a total of approximately $2 million for the initiative. Approximately 7,000 members of the community have contributed their thoughts and comments through public meetings held on this topic. A mapping exercise showed residents' safety concerns clustered along wide arterial roads — aligning with crash data from law enforcement and the Nevada Department of Transportation.

"Our community recognizes what the number one transportation challenge is for roadway safety, and that is aggressive and dangerous driving," Andrew Kjellman, senior director of the Metropolitan Planning Organization at the RTC, said.

The urgency is underscored by Clark County's crash record. Nearly 240 people were killed in crashes last year — a decline from roughly 300 the year prior, but still a persistent pattern of serious and fatal incidents. Public sentiment consistently points to aggressive driving and speeding as the top threats, with residents calling for protections for pedestrians and all roadway users.

“Every stoplight that you go to, you're going to see at least one car running at least one, and they don't look for pedestrians,” Heflin said.

The next phase will deploy temporary demonstration projects across multiple municipalities and rural areas, testing measures such as speed tables, protected bike lanes, curb extensions, and potentially roundabouts.

More than 90% of survey respondents said they support integrating transportation safety design improvements into every future project, though officials caution that planning, design, and funding timelines will significantly extend the process.

"We want to test what works," Kjellman said. "And ensure we receive public sentiment on if they agree with these temporary demonstration projects."

The RTC does not own local roads but collaborates with municipalities and the state to plan, fund, and evaluate improvements. After the demonstration phase, the commission plans to build a prioritized project list and pursue additional federal funding for permanent roadway redesigns.
Officials say the goal is to identify measurable safety benefits and build public support before committing to lasting changes.