Henderson Bicyclist Launches ‘Save Our Bike Lanes’ Website After City Removes Bicycle Lanes; City Used To Be Known As Bicycle-Friendly, But Now It’s Known For Removing Bike Lanes

By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer

HENDERSON, Nevada — Meet mild-mannered marketing man and bicyclist Ralph Thomas, who noticed something strange in his pleasant Henderson neighborhood.

A bike lane on Wigwam Parkway, a key four-lane road north of the 215 Beltway in this growing suburban city, was gone and a sidewalk was widened into the roadway where the bicycle lane used to be not too far from Selma F. Bartlett Elementary School and Mountain View Park.

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Thomas, who grew up in North Las Vegas and lives in Henderson’s Stone Creek neighborhood, also noticed that bike lanes were gone along Wigwam Parkway between North Valley Verde Drive and North Arroyo Grande Boulevard.

People drive their cars fast on Wigwam Parkway and Thomas believed the city’s elimination of these bike lanes posed a safety danger for bicyclists who no longer could ride in designated bike lanes.

Thomas took action. He recently launched a website titled, www.saveourbikelanes.org and has contacted Henderson City Hall with phone calls. His website includes this map:

Thomas said he was informed by the city’s mayor’s office that the bike lane on Wigwam on the south side of the road near the elementary school will be restored when Henderson officials remove a center turn lane along Wigwam Parkway to create more space for the restored bike lane.

But he said the city did not say when the bike lane would be restored.

It seems the city of Henderson has been giving inconsistent information to Thomas.

When LVSportsBiz.com interviewed Thomas at the spot where the bike lanes were gone on Wigwam Parkway, several bicyclists came pedaling by on the sidewalk.

Thomas has received the support of a bike shop in Henderson and several bicycle organizations.

Swanny’s Cycles are backing Thomas’ efforts to get the city to bring back the bicycle lanes. Groups such as the Southern Nevada Bicycle Coalition, Green Valley Cyclists, the UNLV Triathlon Club and the Adobo Velo Filipino-American Bicycle Club are all on board supporting Thomas.

The city of Henderson’s removal of bicycle lanes is disappointing because the city had a city manager from 2012-15, former RTC chief Jacob Snow, who worked at making Henderson a very bicycle-friendly city.

Plus, a former and now-retired RTC bicycle coordinator, Ron Floth, is a Henderson city resident who also worked on city bicycle projects. Meanwhile, Henderson city engineering official Scott Jarvis also supported bicycle projects in Henderson, but he is leaving the city of Henderson for a new job at the city of North Las Vegas.

In the past, the city used to have a “Henderson Stroll ‘n Roll” closed-road event along a section of Paseo Verde Parkway in 2017, but that event where city residents can take to the closed road has not happened for a long time. The city also had a popular and successful swap meet event at a regional park more than eight years ago, but that event has been grounded, too.

Thomas is hoping the city can start turning things around by restoring the bike lanes it removed.

“We’re actually trying to get on the city council agenda,” Thomas said. “If we can’t do that we’ll just use the public comment section.”