Traffic / Taxis / Pedestrians, Las Vegas

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This is probably a no brainer. Yet, I cannot say enough, please be careful walking anywhere in Vegas. Everyone is in a hurry, especially the locals. Maybe it’s because they are impatient with the tourist! Who knows?! At least Vegas had the foresight to build many wonderful walking bridges from Hotel to Hotel. Yet, they need more.

There are still casinos and hotels pedestrians still have to walk to get to. Taxi cab are always in a hurry, so mind the cross walks. They are there for your protection. Way too many people running across the street on green lights or not heeding the crossing signs when it is safe for them to cross. Then seeing someone get irrate when they have gotten honked at loudly and maybe given a finger or two. Well..too bad! Cross when it says so and your given how many seconds you have left when it is safe and your righaway! You hear of many pedestrians getting hit on this road.

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Is it always heavy traffic in Vegas? Well, maybe it was because of the holiday season. It was bumper to bumper in Las Vegas Boulevard. It took us more than an hour from the New York New York to the Fremont Street which I guess should be less than half an hour.

My hotel is close to the strip and because of the heavy traffic on previous day, I just decided to spend our New Years' Eve 2008-2009 celebration at the Strip and not at the Fremont Experience.

Can someone tell me if it is always heavy traffic in and around the strip even on ordinary days?

I've already talked about tourists doing the Vegas shuffle, so I'll restrict this tip to driving on the Strip. I'd heard about the bad Vegas drivers, but I'm from Miami where we are consistently ranked the worst/rudest drivers, a title our general population strives to maintain with each incident of road rage, so I wasn't concerned.

I was wrong. Not only is the Vegas Strip packed, its loaded with aggressive drivers; taxis and limos weaving in and out of lanes, drivers staring at the sidelines and not watching the road, and, oh yes, pedestrians who are not familiar with the concept of jaywalking or are tired of watiing for the long, long light to change. Be very careful driving around here if you insist on having a car.

Be very careful crossing the road and always use a pedestrian crossing. Many of the junctions are very large and it can be a long wait, don't be tempted to try and beat the traffic if there is a red light. Even when you get a white walk light, traffic is still allowed to turn across you and most drivers seem to see pedestrians as an inconsequential nuisance. One thing that is useful is that most of the walk lights have a countdown display so that you can see how many seconds you have left before it turns red and you get run down by a madman in a Chevy.

Pedestrians:

Look left, look right, look left, and look right again. Pedestrians need to pay extra special attention as they walk across the Strip. Traffic is scary. Perhaps it's the lights, the volcano, the fountains, the Eiffel Tower or the lion; whatever it is, drivers seem to have a difficult time following simple traffic rules. Even if your light says 'Walk,' still look left, look right ...

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Be very careful when crossing The Strip in Las Vegas. There are so many lanes and the timing of the lights doesn't give much slack.

If the green light starts to flash before you have started crossing then stop and wait. If you don't it's very easy to find yourself halfway across when the traffic starts coming at you. If in doubt don't cross. The time you will save is just not worth the risk of ruining your holiday.

Lots of people are killed or injured on The Strip every year - don't be one of them.

Las Vegas traffic can be quite heavy and downright DANGEROUS! Some streets on the strip have intersections for walking but for the most part take the overpasses that go across the streets of the strip. You will be much safer a get an even better view of Las Vegas.

Seriously consider if it is worth hiring a car. If you are not venturing out of Las Vegas then don't bother. The taxis are frequent and take you to the front door of the hotels. The car parks in contrast, although large, take you right around the back and a long walk from the action. This is even more of a pain if you move to teh next hotal down the strip.

Your best lick is to rent a car. There is free parking everywhere. Its great. There are shuttle buses or trains that go up and down the strip all day, but waiting on them is an eternity and they dont stop at every hotel. to get from one end of the strip to the other on a shuttle bus/train would take nearly an hour and cost you a few bucks each trip. A taxi from one end of the strip to the other might take you 30 minutes and cost you $25. But if you rent a car you can take the back streets (*there are two streets on each side of the strip that run parallel with the strip, without all the traffic) it would take you 10-15 minutes. It takes the taxis longer because they drive through all the traffic so they can increase the cab fare.

!!!RENT A CAR!!!

like i said before its only $100 for 4-5days.

Every major city has traffic! I live in Southern California, so I am use to traffic every where I go. From the Tropicana to Fremont St. is about 5 miles. If you do travel along the strip, make sure you do so before it gets dark, because that is when everyone comes out of the closet. It is also the time everyone wakes up from their hangover and decides to go get drunk again. There is mild traffic on Friday and Saturday morning until early evening, but when the sun goes down, you can look at a half hour wait just to go 5 miles. What causes all this traffic? I'm glad you ask this question. First and foremost, everyone is taking in the night life of the strip: the glitter, neon lights, gigantic digital screens, etc. Second, the Bellagio fountain show, the Treasure Island Pirate Show, and the Mirage Volcano all stops traffic when the shows are running. Your best bet is to stay away from the lane closest to the sidewalk. Also, I think the traffic lights really stink in Vegas. They just don't stay green long enough and there just isn't enough people paying attention to get through them. Just keep in mind, if you are going to watch a show while driving, be ready for an accident. Try following a taxi cab, they always seem to push and shove their way into traffic. And as it says on most taxicabs, “If you can see my rear tires, your are a safe driver." Here is a contradiction if I ever saw it. If you don't mind waiting in traffic and taking in your surroundings, just bring along a drink and absorb, but WATCH THE ROAD!!!

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:6