Nevada Bicycle Coalition

09/23/2026

Heads up . . . the Nevada Legislature is proposing to fix our failed road funding structure on the backs of electric car drivers with no real long-term solutions to our march toward road widening that will lead to California-style traffic. Lucia Starbuck of Purple Politics Nevada is tackling this tax and how we spend it issue and wants to hear from electric car drivers. You can write to her at [email protected]. Below is the perspective of NVBC Board President Ky Plaskon from his sustainable transportation perspective. What do you think?

Hi Lucia,

Here is our take on this electric car tax in case you would like it for your story. I would like to hear from the Regional Transportation - RTC Northern & Southern boards, Senate and Assembly Growth and Infrastructure on our proposal to dedicate 2% for education and safe facilities, proportional to micromodal use in those counties. A similar model has worked in Oregon for 50 years.

Here is our comment. The problem is taxing people and dumping the money into this bottomless pit of road maintenance for a development culture that values sprawl and road widening with no real solutions. If we don’t stop, we are going to end up with California style traffic.

The existing structure of tax and spend on sprawl saddles taxpayers with endless and costly road maintenance. It clearly doesn’t adapt to the publics changing needs and only serves to make the road builders and developers rich.

Legislators need to think about our transportation and development future in a new way and take a page from other forward- thinking states. We spend virtually zero money on safety education and we don't mandate any funds be used for sensible and less costly transportation that taxpayers are choosing to use these days. Bikes, scooters and other vulnerable road user vehicles don’t impact roads the way cars do and they dramatically reduce long-term costs.

If the legislature passes this tax, it should take our transportation costs into account and incentivize cheaper transportation. Here is how, dedicate 2 percent of those tax funds for education (1percent) and safe Micromodal facilities (1percent) in each county. The mandate could be tied to the percent of people using micromodal facilities in each county which would require counties to track usage.

This is something that I think electric car drivers would support because these drivers are cost and sustainability focused and the idea is progressive like them … instead of dumping more money into the same failing california-style road building dynamic.

Feel free to use these comments for an online story or on air. A two-question poll on the tax and on our 2% proposal would be nice to see.

Let me know if you would like to meet and chat!

Thanks!
Ky
President of the Nevada Bicycle Coalition.

Tagging for awareness:
Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance, Southern Nevada Bicycle Coalition, Elko Velo, Reno Wheelmen, Procrastinating Pedalers of Reno-Tahoe, PeopleForBikes.org

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09/18/2026

Happening now!

Interviews for the new Executive Director of RTC Washoe. We submitted questions to the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County - RTC board. Our questions are below the link. None were asked - but the questions are highly restricted - one or two per board member and they must be the same. The first candidate from Arizona did mention "Multimodal". Candidate and engineer Dale Keller of the RTC Washoe is up now, he mentioned "Safety" in his opening comments.

Watch now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xRqxsdABKs

Here are the questions we submitted.

1. Long term transportation costs and development decisions are inseparable. One example is that gated or walled communities are popular developments these days. However, we have heard from transportation and development officials that these walls prevent people from walking or biking out of their homes to visit local businesses that sometimes might be right on the other side of the wall. The result is that people have to travel a longer distance to the entrance or exit of their community. This inadvertently encourages people to drive. Do you support a ban on walled communities for future developments? Why or why not?
2. We follow standards for vehicle travel lanes. Do you support similarly adopting the FHWA Bikeway Selection Guide as policy for consideration in all roadway redesign, resurfacing and design? Why or why not?
3. What do you see as solutions to slowing our community's march toward California style road and freeway widening?
4. Is California-style road and freeway widening a solution to traffic congestion?
5. Does paint adequately protect vulnerable road users?
6. Would you support using gas tax funds for rail transit?
7. When drivers and businesses oppose the restriction of travel lanes, lower speeds or parking removal for safety improvements, how do you respond?
8. What cities in the US do you consider as good models for balancing the needs of drivers and vulnerable road users?
9. Our goal is to increase the use of more sustainable modes of transportation. How would you propose to do that?
10. How would you define success in 5-10 years for use of protected infrastructure and injury/reash reduction?
11. Oregon state law mandates that of state and federal funds that are received for road projects, 2% be used for vulnerable road user infrastructure. This has successfully increased their use of alternative transportation over time in a very rainy place. In Reno/Sparks we have so much sunshine. Do you support a similar state law in Nevada or locally to also make it safer to ride? Why or why not?
12. Las Vegas subsidizes a bicycle repair facility at their transit station to the tune of $80,000 per year and free rent and utilities. What ideas do you have to support low-income people who need help accessing sustainable transportation?
13. Should Washoe County taxpayers continue to subsidize free parking for trailers, cars and RVs on our roads at the expense of safer infrastructure for vulnerable road users?
14. Some communities have found very inexpensive ways of installing protected infrastructure - parking protected, parking lot bumpers, vegetation and planters. What is your favorite kind of protected infrastructure?
15. We know that denser development is more fiscally and environmentally responsible than sprawling development. Should transportation officials have a say in the types of development our local cities approve?
16. Are you in favor of quick builds and trying "Pilot projects" to increase safety quickly?
17. We are very interested in increasing safety around schools. There are massive traffic jams as every parent tries to drop of their kids at the front door of schools. Currently parents block bike lanes with their cars where they exist, forcing children to dart in and out of high-density traffic. What would you do to improve safety around schools?
18. Should the Metropolitan Transit Organizations highlight their work and incentivize riding by offering guided rides on their infrastructure?
19. The club ride app incentive program of the RTC is out-dated and does not offer incentives other than tracking how much money and emissions a participant has saved. Do you support or oppose contributing more of RTCs resources to offering incentives to participate similar to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada?
20. How, in your opinion, do we resolve the conflict between e-bike riders, drivers and pedestrians?
21. Safety is a function of what and which area is missing in Nevada and how would you solve it? (ANSWER KEY: The three Es. Education, Engineering and Enforcement. Education is missing. In Nevada we use enforcement as education. Correct answer from our perspective is to finance education, partially through regular events such as those mentioned in question 18).

09/14/2026

Come tell your bike story tomorrow at Lil Ride Reno… Stewart Park, 6pm show, 6:30 go.

09/12/2026

Ride registrations are down nation-wide, potentially killing events. Bike Life radio will explore that and if rides that cater to locals are also suffering. Hopefully not! That is for a future show. This week and next week on Bike Life Radio, we interviews TheBikeGods.com from Reno! Listen at 5:30 Sunday on KWNK Reno Community Radio . Online at KWNKRadio.org.

08/27/2026

Another cyclist has been tragically killed as a result of mixing high speed traffic and zero protection. This is because road managers statewide from Carson to Reno and Elko are not following federal standards for bicycle facilities. I rode this highway 50 intersection twice a week for years and was terrified every time as were drivers who were afraid they would hit me and confused with what to do … slow down and let me pass but then they would also be a hazard to merging traffic. It has a very long onramp where cyclists are exposed to high speed traffic for a long time with only a painted line between them and huge, fast-moving cars. City of Reno Government and Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County - RTC have done some work on this persistent problem with onramps, but jurisdictions should come together to agree on how to fix it so that they stop killing people with below-standard bike facilities.

News4 NBC Reno covers news, sports, weather and traffic for the Reno, Nevada area including Sparks, Carson City, Virginia City, Silver City, Stagecoach, Silver Springs, Sun Valley, Cold Springs, Spanish Springs and Fenley, Nevada and Truckee and Tahoe City, California.

08/27/2026

Welcome to the board Vegas Hump Day Ride creator-legend Carlos Vivaldo! He and the huge weekly ride crowds have changed peoples lives, giving them something fun, free and healthy to do. With your help, we will do more great things! Its an honor to have you!

Do you want to apply to be on the board or know someone who would be a good candidate? Here is the application. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYO1sup9KONHQQXNEdHj4iYhilAIoWmUks3HPRrQa0seQ_Rg/viewform

08/25/2026

Another kind of high visibility on the morning commute!

08/19/2026

Time for a train, mass transit and bike lanes to reduce traffic congestion and improve happiness and safety. They would also reduce the burden on Sparks Police and drivers wouldn’t get so many tickets because they wouldn’t be rushing and frustrated. Real, long-term solutions are achievable!

Were you one of the ones ticketed this morning, and if so for how much?

"The Sparks Police Department has received multiple complaints of traffic issues around Sparks Blvd and Vista Blvd freeway on ramps," a statement from Sparks PD with this photo indicates. "The complaints included vehicles running red lights, blocking intersections, method of turning violations and reckless/aggressive driving.

On 8-19-2026, The Sparks Police Traffic unit conducted targeted enforcement at these locations. Officers made 38 traffic stops and issued 39 traffic citations for various offenses in a two-hour period during the morning commute.

The Sparks Police Department acknowledges the traffic related issues at these locations are frustrating for morning and afternoon commuters. We would like to remind everyone that committing these violations further slows the flow of traffic and increases the probability of accidents. The Sparks Police Department will continue to monitor and conduct enforcement operations during commute hours."