LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Stopping on pedestrian bridges on the Las Vegas Strip could soon become a crime.
On Tuesday, Clark County Commissioners introduced the ordinance, which advocated for creating "Pedestrian Flow Zones". Those zones would include pedestrian bridges and up to 20 feet surrounding those areas, which would also include elevators, escalators, and stairways near the bridges.
According to the proposed ordinance, it would be "unlawful" for any person to stop, stand, or do anything to cause others to pause in those zones. The ordinance goes on to state that the measure is being proposed due to public safety concerns.
"Because pedestrian traffic demand on the bridges varies significantly and unpredictably regardless of day or time of day, it is impossible to know in advance when stopping will result in criminal or otherwise dangerous conditions," the ordinance reads in part. "Because of the physical nature of the pedestrian bridges, by the time such conditions exist, it would often be too late for law enforcement or other first responders to intervene, mitigate, render aid, rescue, or take other actions necessary as a result of crime and other serious safety issues."
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According to data provided to commissioners by UNLV Criminal Justice professor Dr. William H. Sousa, from 2018 to 2022, there was a 23% increase in disorderly calls for service on Las Vegas Boulevard and 11% of those calls happened on pedestrian bridges. That's despite those bridges representing only 6% of sidewalks in the Resort Corridor.
"A number of disorders are common on the Las Vegas Boulevard South/Resort District sidewalk system, including aggressive panhandlers, solicitation while intoxicated, aggressive street performers, illegal vendors, confidence games (i.e., three-card monte), and drug-related activity," the report reads. "These are all disorders that can potentially lead to more significant problems if they are not managed."
The ordinance states that any person who violates the measure could face a misdemeanor, which would be punishable by a fine up to $1,000 and/or up to six months in jail.
If the ordinance passes, it could face legal trouble. On X, Athar Haseebullah, the executive director of the Nevada ACLU called the ordinance "absurd".
"This comes on the heels of a viral video showing private security harassing people for stopping on a pedestrian bridge during race weekend," Haseebullah wrote. "Criminalizing 'stopping' on a publicly-funded pedestrian bridge is absurd. If passed, the County should expect a wider legal challenge."
The first public hearing for the proposed ordinance is scheduled for Dec. 5 at 10 a.m.
