INNOVATIONS IN TECH, TRANSIT ARE CRUCIAL TO LAS VEGAS’ FUTURE, EXPERTS ON PANEL SAY

Smooth and timely commutes on Las Vegas roadways will only be viable through innovation in technology and transportation options as the city continues to grow.

And those options will have to overcome how more vehicles travel local roads with single passengers, potentially making it harder to get around.

That’s what transportation experts explored last week during the Future of Urban Mobility panel discussion, which took place Wednesday at Zappos.

Las Vegas has blazed a trail with several pilot programs, such as a fleet of Lyft autonomous cars on the Strip and a self-driving shuttle downtown.

Audi has outfitted vehicles only sold here with red-light-reading technology that tells drivers how long they will be sitting in traffic, a first in the U.S.

A technological “disruption is coming,” and Las Vegas aims to be ready, said Joanna Wadsworth, city program manager.

Assets created through innovation don’t come easy but are obtainable, said Joshua Schank, chief innovation officer of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Schank spoke about the chronic problem officials there must confront: “Too many people, not enough space.”

But officials there have tackled the issue head on through the creation of the department Schank heads.

Los Angeles hasn’t just tried to make mass transit more practical through technology, it’s also attempted to make it more attractive through the “experience” of the trip, he said.

So far, the plan includes the testing of smart bike racks and more sound ways to electronically pay for transportation services, Schank said. Within three years, buses will have systems that track them for riders to view on their smart devices.

Technology that would allow bus drivers to know how fast to travel to hit every green light, an app that would help report infractions of motorists parking in bus lanes, and

Schank discusses Los Angeles’ micro transit pilot program during last week’s event.