Dangerous mix of bad drivers, drinking creates unsafe streets

There but for the grace of God, go I.

That was the sentiment among a few passengers who rode buses Thursday afternoon upon hearing of the terrible automobile wreck at a crowded bus stop at the corner of Decatur Boulevard and Spring Mountain Road.

It could have been them. They wait for buses. They walk down the streets to get to the bus.

The senseless tragedy, however random and however unavoidable by those waiting for the bus, served once again as a reminder of how Las Vegas is a very crowded city; that its streets are often clogged with speeding cars; that its sidewalks are narrow; and that it's only a matter of time ­- or a minor misstep - that can make you a part of another "automobile versus pedestrian" report filed away by police.

Some, in fact, even said they have long-grown accustomed to standing as far back as they can from the bus stop shelters in fear of the very tragic events that unfolded early Thursday morning just after sunup.

One such bus rider was Javier Gonzalez-Vazquez, 29, a father of two boys and husband to a wife.

He said he long ago decided, for the sake of his family and himself, that it might be wiser to stand clear of the bus shelters.

"It can be a bit scary," he said in Spanish as he was getting off an eastbound bus that dropped him off at the Strip to go to work. "But sometimes, bad things just happen, and there's just nothing you can do about it. It's just fate.

"El destino."

While bad things can befall one for no apparent reason, sometimes a little bit of self-control can work wonders, other passengers said.

Unfortunately, that's easier said than done in Las Vegas, they said, where gambling can run rampant and the alcohol is free.

"Then you got the casinos here that pump people full of free alcohol because they want your money - and then they end up getting into their cars and driving away," said Denise Worley, 54, as she rode west on Spring Mountain Road on the No. 203 bus.

"I don't know about you, but to me that sounds like a recipe for disaster. And you know what? This is just about the only city in the world that I know of where this sort of stuff is allowed to occur. And nobody seems to be doing anything about it."

Bad driving, drunken driving, inattentive driving, texting while driving, cutting-off-others-out-of-anger driving - they're all common behaviors that Raymond Norris, 43, a bus driver for the Regional Transportation Commission, sees from behind the big wheel that is his mobile office eight hours a day.

As for his assessment of the situation - after four years of driving buses around the grid and gridlock that is Las Vegas?

"It's overpopulated here, dude, and I come from Los Angeles," said Norris. "That's just how I feel about Vegas. Period. It's the city that never sleeps, so you're always going to have problems here."

Contact reporter Tom Ragan at tragan@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512.