See any plateless cars in Las Vegas? You’re not the only one
A few of you have noticed an uptick in the number of vehicles driving around the valley without license plates.
Nancy from Las Vegas wondered if this was a new “trend,” while Roy from Henderson asked if law enforcement officers are simply looking the other way.
While the Nevada Highway Patrol hasn’t noticed this being a “trend,” trooper Jason Buratczuk said, there might be a few reasons why vehicles aren’t equipped with license plates.
The driver may have been issued a temporary movement permit from the Department of Motor Vehicles, or personalized plates may be on order, Buratczuk said. At worst, the plates might have been stolen.
“Sometimes people just don’t have license plates, and we will stop these vehicles to investigate,” Buratczuk said. “If they are found in violation of the law, the driver can be given a citation and their vehicle can be towed.”
Sign built, removed, rebuilt
Buddy from Las Vegas noticed that a flashing light was recently installed for a new crosswalk at Robindale Road and Arville Street to serve the new Mathis Elementary School in the southwest valley.
An accompanying crosswalk warning sign was installed, then removed. Crews were recently back on site to re-install the warning sign.
“Someone from the Department of Aviation told me that the sign was illegally placed on their property,” Buddy said, wanting to know why signs are erected, torn down and put back into place.
The problem started when work crews hired by the Clark County School District dug into property owned by the Clark County Department of Aviation rather than the public right-of-way, said Chris Jones, a department spokesman.
“One of our property inspectors caught the mistake, and that set about the process of rectifying the issue,” Jones said.
The Department of Aviation reached an agreement in May with the county’s Public Works Department to set aside 36 square feet to install a crosswalk warning sign, Jones said.
Mystery door
George from Las Vegas spotted a door along a walled section of southbound U.S. Highway 95 near Summerlin Parkway and wanted to know where it leads.
Tony Illia, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said that the retaining wall is equipped with a service door that is accessed by maintenance crews.
The maintainance workers remove trash, debris and graffiti from the freeway.
Keep it in the family
Theresa from Las Vegas is transferring the title of her vehicle to a relative and wanted to know what she needed to bring to the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Transferring a vehicle between family members is treated the same as selling it to a stranger.
To get credit on the unused portion of registration, the seller must surrender the license plates to the DMV or use the plates on another vehicle within 30 days, DMV spokesman Kevin Malone said. That credit cannot be transferred to the buyer or, in this case, the relative.
The buyer must bring the signed-off title, evidence of insurance in his or her name and proof of a smog check if one hasn’t been completed in the last 90 days. The buyer will receive a new set of license plates while registering the vehicle for a full year.
Column hiatus
By the time you read this, your current Road Warrior will have already moved back to Southern California to start a new job as a communications specialist with the Port of Long Beach, the nation’s second-busiest seaport.
It has been a pleasure and an honor helping you navigate the roads and constant stream of construction projects across the Las Vegas Valley over the past two years. The journey was great for me, and I hope you learned a little along the way.
Questions and comments should be sent to roadwarrior@reviewjournal.com. Please include your phone number. Follow @RJroadwarrior on Twitter.
Road work ahead
Downtown
— Rancho Drive will be restricted at Washington Avenue from 9 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. daily through Sept. 14. Crews are working on a storm drain project.
— Washington Avenue is restricted between Robin Street and Baker Avenue through October. Crews are working on a storm drain project.
— Ogden Avenue will be restricted between Main Street and City Parkway through mid-October. Crews are making street, sidewalk and lighting improvements.
— The Charleston Boulevard onramps to southbound Interstate 15 are closed until mid-October. Crews are rebuilding the intersection.
— The D Street offramp from northbound Interstate 15 is closed through mid-November. Crews are widening the freeway.
— Interstate 15 will be narrowed in both directions between Sahara Avenue and D Street until Nov. 20. Crews are widening the freeway.
— The ramp connecting southbound U.S. Highway 95 to southbound I-15 will be reduced to one lane and detoured through Nov. 20. Crews are widening I-15.
— The ramp linking southbound U.S. 95 to northbound I-15 is closed through Nov. 20. Crews are widening I-15.
— The Martin Luther King Boulevard onramp to southbound U.S. Highway 95 is closed until early 2019. Crews are building a high-occupancy flyover ramp.
— Gass Avenue will be restricted between Las Vegas and Charleston Boulevards through March 2019. Crews are making pedestrians and bicycle improvements.
Northwest
— Both directions of U.S. Highway 95 will be narrowed to two lanes at Elkhorn Road through December. Crews are building a new carpool ramp.
— El Capitan will be restricted between Lone Mountain and Ann roads from Monday to the beginning of August 2019. Crews are installing a storm drain system.
North Las Vegas
— Pecos Road will be closed at the 215 Beltway through the end of October. Crews are building a freeway bridge.
Henderson
— Stephanie Street will be restricted between the 215 Beltway and Cielo Abierto Way through October. Crews are repaving the road and making other improvements.
Gasoline prices
The average gasoline price Friday in the Las Vegas Valley was $3.11 per gallon. It was $3.18 statewide. The national average of $2.86 is up 1 cent from a week ago, the same as a month ago and up 23 cents from a year ago.
