Neighbors call for traffic lights to be turned on at busy intersection near school after fatal crash

On October 24, 2024By Yukito

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A fatal car crash has been stopped at a busy southwest valley intersection.

Neighbors say there is a simple solution. They are pleading with the county to install traffic lights near Robindale Road and Torrey Pines Drive.

This all comes after a recent fatal accident in which a driver flew through stop signs and collided with an SUV.

Resident Jacob Elras fears it could happen again.

His biggest concern is the school located at the intersection.

“We don’t want to see this in our community anymore, especially for the kids, it’s an intersection next to the school and there’s so much traffic already,” Elras said.

He adds that traffic gets worse at pick-up and drop-off, and he would know that.

Elras has lived in the area for 18 years and attended nearby Canarelli Junior High School.

“I think it’s gotten more and more dangerous since I’ve been living here,” Elras said. “The area has grown so much that I think there is more traffic than a regular round-trip stop could handle.”

So Elras signed a petition on Change.org to urge the county to take action and install traffic lights.

He believes that if they had been there, the fatal accident would not have occurred on October 8.

At that point, the Dodge Challenger ran through a stop sign and struck the side of an SUV that was traveling through the intersection.

However, Elras realistically believes that traffic lights are the ultimate solution. “I don’t think it’s going to be a magic bullet, but I think we have to start somewhere.”

The area also added crossing guards during school pick-up and drop-off.

“They finally got crossing guards, but it didn’t really solve the problem,” Elras said.

Clark County knows about the problem area.

However, FOX5 learned from county officials that the intersection did not meet criteria for installing a traffic signal during the 2023 study based on the number of cars and pedestrians in the area, average speed and type of crashes.

Elras says the county was wrong. “I think it’s almost indisputable that this is a problem,” Elras said.

The county says because the area is expanding, the Department of Public Works plans to re-examine the area next spring to see if it meets guidelines for installing traffic signals.

For more information on how to petition to address safety issues in your area, click this link.

Requests can also be submitted on the FixIt Clark County app.