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The proximity of casinos in Las Vegas is one of the most appealing features of the city. There are approximately 30 casinos on the 4.2-mile Vegas Strip.
A dozen casinos are within less than a one-mile walk in downtown Las Vegas. Six of those casinos are located under the Fremont Street Experience canopy that covers just a few blocks.
Variety is the spice of life and that’s the case when visiting Las Vegas casinos. Visitors can walk the entire Vegas Strip and see a variety of casinos from the extremely themed Luxor to the newest casino resort Fontainebleau and everything in between.
Some visitors to Las Vegas see walking the entire Vegas Strip as a challenge. Visitors even make games about gambling, eating, drinking, or shopping at different casinos on both the Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas.
Clark County and state officials are seeing this and are trying to make it easier and quicker for visitors to get around from casino to casino. One ordinance should make it quicker to cross streets. The other bill should decrease congestion on the streets.
Visitation is up and that means more crowds in Las Vegas
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, visitation to Las Vegas last year was tracking more than 5% higher than in 2022. Full visitation data for 2023 will be released soon.
While visitation hasn’t returned to peak levels, the number of people traveling to Las Vegas is getting closer to the pre-COVID-19 levels.
While this is good for businesses, the more people in town means that it takes more time to get around. There are so many new things to see in Las Vegas that tourists are often walking around slowly taking in the environment.
That often means stopping to take videos and pictures for family, friends, and social media. Having grown up in New York City, I’m always in a rush to get somewhere – even if there’s no deadline.
Slow walkers are the bane of my existence when visiting casinos on the Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas. While many like to take in the sights, others like me just want to get to their destination.
Visitors should know there’s no stopping on bridges
The new year started with Clark County Commissioners passing an ordinance for “Pedestrian Flow Zones” on the Vegas Strip. This affects pedestrian bridge traffic and up to 20 feet surrounding the landing zone of the escalators, stairs, and elevators to access the walkways.
The goal of the ordinance is to improve “access for the visitors, employees, and residents of Clark County to safely cross the roadways located within the Las Vegas Strip.”
Anyone walking across the bridges cannot stop, stand, or congregate on one of the bridges when crossing the streets on the Vegas Strip. The ordinance allows for “incidental and fleeting viewing of the Las Vegas Strip from the pedestrian bridge.”
This should also keep vendors and performers from settling into one place on and near the bridges without moving for hours. These people often create a bottleneck for visitors just trying to get from one side of the street to the other.
Clearing the bridges will make it easier to get to and from Vegas Strip casinos. Visitors will still be able to stop and look at the splendor of the Vegas Strip or take a quick selfie or two before moving on.
Rules for Las Vegas sidewalk vendors
Late last year Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo signed SB92 regarding sidewalk vendors throughout the state. Unlike the Clark County bridge ordinance, this should impact visitors on the Vegas Strip and in downtown Las Vegas.
The bill requires that sidewalk vendors have proper licensing. Local authorities are supposed to set specific obligations for the street vendors.
According to a news story by KLAS, sidewalk vendors have to pay a $150 license fee as well as obtain a health card and a health permit in Las Vegas. They can only operate from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m.
More important to tourists, is where street vendors can legally set up shop. Street vendors cannot operate within 1,500 feet of a resort hotel.
This sounds great but the details for this bill are still being sorted. Once complete, this should make it easier for people to navigate the streets near casinos.
