Las Vegas is known for its many sights and attractions. One activity that does not receive as much attention is bicycling. The busy and crowded streets of Sin City can pose a challenge for residents and visitors who want to travel by bicycle. People for Bikes gave the city a rating of 19 out of 100 in 2022.

If you are looking to ride a bicycle in Las Vegas, learning the locations of the most bike-friendly neighborhoods in the area is essential to keep yourself safe, avoid accidents, and enjoy a more pleasant experience.

Bicycle Safety By the Numbers in Clark County

According to the Nevada Department of Transportation, bicycle fatalities account for approximately 2.6% of all traffic fatalities annually. Between 2015 and 2019, there were a total of 34 fatal bicycle accidents that occurred in Clark County alone. Overall, the state experienced 41 bicyclist deaths statewide during that same time period.

This means that over 75% of all bicyclist deaths happened in crashes that took place in Clark County. Moreover, these numbers have remained relatively stagnant for the previous three reported years.

In 2017, 2018, and 2019, there were eight to nine bicyclist fatalities each year. This does not include the number of bicyclists who were injured in a crash.

Diving Deeper Into Las Vegas’s Bicycle Safety Rating

People for Bikes assigns cities a network score that describes how well they have integrated bicycling into their traffic infrastructures. The rating considers factors such as how easy it is for bicyclists to commute to retail establishments, transportation hubs, jobs, and schools.

This score is expressed as a number out of a possible 100, with higher numbers indicating a greater level of integration. In 2022, the network score for Las Vegas was only 19 out of a possible 100. The average score of all cities evaluated during 2022 was 27.

People for Bikes was especially critical of the difficulty bicyclists had accessing key services like grocery stores and hospitals. They also noted how challenging it was to access transportation hubs by bicycle.

Out of all 1,733 cities surveyed, Las Vegas ranked 1,051st. Moreover, Las Vegas was:

  • Ranked 819th out of all U.S. cities analyzed
  • Rated 110th in the Mountain Region
  • Ranked 7th overall out of all the cities considered in Nevada

The city will need to make improvements if it hopes to earn a higher bicycle safety rating.

Where Can Bicyclists Ride Safely in Las Vegas?

The interactive map People for Bikes provides shows areas of Las Vegas that are easier for bicyclists to access and, hence, more bike-friendly. Red areas indicate parts of Las Vegas that are not well-suited for biking, while gray areas indicate bike-friendly areas.

Just as with city ratings, neighborhood ratings fall between 0 and 100 and refer to how easy it is for bicyclists to get where they want to go. The higher the score, the safer it is for bicyclists to commute through the area.

Four of these bike-friendly neighborhoods in Las Vegas include:

East of Downtown Las Vegas

Travel east from South Main Street in downtown Las Vegas, and you will come to an area bordered by South Las Vegas Boulevard on the west and South 13th Street on the east. The area south of South Fremont Street and north of Bonneville Avenue has at least a near-average rating and one that is higher than the immediate vicinity.

West Las Vegas

The neighborhood of West Las Vegas, which lies north and slightly west of downtown, is also an area that is more bike-friendly than the surrounding neighborhoods. One of the best areas lies between N. Martin L. King Boulevard and H Street, north of West Owens Avenue.

You may also want to check out the area just south of Woodlawn Cemetery, which lies to the east of West Las Vegas.

Twin Lakes

Heading farther west from West Las Vegas using the Oran K. Gragson Expressway, you will eventually come near the community of Twin Lakes to the north of the highway. This area, as well as the area south of the Oran K. Gragson Expressway and the area around Valley View Boulevard and the Las Vegas Springs Preserve, has a higher-than-average rating.

East Las Vegas

East Las Vegas is a community just east of downtown Las Vegas. It features areas with greater accessibility and friendliness to bicyclists, according to the People for Bikes map. The safest area within this neighborhood lies south of East Bonanza and north of Interstate 515, just east of North Eastern Avenue.

What Makes Neighborhoods More Bike-Friendly?

Any community can improve its bicyclist safety through actions both big and small.

Some of the steps a community like Las Vegas could take to become more bike-friendly include:

  • Lowering speeds of motorized traffic in the area, reducing the likelihood of a collision
  • Designating bicycle-only travel lanes
  • Improving area intersections
  • Creating greater accessibility between existing bike paths, roads, and key locations, such as schools, workplaces, and grocery stores

If these and other improvements are made, Las Vegas could reasonably expect more bicyclists to safely travel throughout the city with ease.

Cycling Safely in Las Vegas and Clark County

At present, Las Vegas is a below-average bicyclist community. Bicyclists have noted the lack of infrastructure that can help make it easier and safer for them to travel. As the city takes steps to improve this infrastructure, the number of bicycle-safe areas can increase, making Las Vegas more accessible to residents and visitors alike.

If you do plan to travel by bicycle in Las Vegas, it’s important to stay aware of your surroundings and ensure you practice safe driving at all times. Should you experience an accident, a Las Vegas bicycle accident attorney can help you navigate your next steps to protect your rights and potentially pursue compensation for your injuries.