LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Over the past few months there's been a sharp increase in the number of traffic-related problems on Valley View Boulevard.
As part of our Traffic Survival Guide we talked with two women who risk their lives Monday through Friday by offering protection to pedestrians.
Deanna Clark and Mary Wheeler are two dedicated Clark County School District crossing guards. The took Channel 13 anchor Abel Garcia to Sahara and Valley View where a man was recently hit by a Jeep.
MARY WHEELER: "Speeding, speeding, they speed. I mean 45, these people are doing 50, 60. Flying through."
Deanna and Mary began as school crossing guards at Vegas Verdes Elementary School near Sahara Blvd. Three months ago, they were moved to the intersection of Sahara and Valley View where they now oversee the safety of all pedestrians in the mornings and afternoons.
ABEL GARCIA: "On a daily basis what do you experience?"
DEANNA CLARK: "On a daily basis almost getting hit two or three times a day trying to stop traffic they don't pay attention they don't see us."
While covering this story, our team, including Abel and a Channel 13 photographer witnessed a handful of drivers running red lights at the intersection.
Rudolph Cooley lives near valley view he says he walks to work everyday… but he no longer uses these blinking pedestrian crosswalks.
COOLEY: "If you had cameras over here you probably would get about a hundred people that say its ok to do it...it's more of a suggestion than anything a lot of the time, I go to the physical light."
In January, a 72-year-old pedestrian was killed at Valley View and Diablo Drive.
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department's call for service dashboard, there were eight traffic-related incident calls in February.
This month, that number has more than doubled to 20.
Las Vegas City Councilman Brian Knudsen attributes the surge in incidents to heightened construction activity on nearby roadways like Sahara, Charleston, and Tropicana—leading to frustrated drivers speeding through Valley View.
KNUDSEN: "All of these vehicles right here are going above the speed limit. It's an issue and people are not being respectful of the laws which means our next step is to make sure Metro is enforcing these laws."
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones acknowledged Valley View is a problem and has outlined plans for improvement.
JONES: "We are looking right now further down south at Valley View and Spring Mountain to increase pedestrian safety in that corridor there."
As safety concerns escalate, Deanna and Mary question if the risk is worth it.
DEANNA: "This is just a very bad intersection."
Commissioner Jones tells me he expects those safety improvements on Valley View and Spring Mountain to begin next year.
