In Clark County, authorities have implemented a new law that prohibits people from standingstop or engage in any activity that causes others to stop on the pedestrian bridges of the tourist corridor known as The Strip, so there will be no more photographs, selfies either shows on the pedestrian bridges of Las Vegas, Nevada.
As of January 16, the Pedestrian Flow Zone Ordinance went into effect in Las Vegas, Nevada. prohibits people from impeding traffic by “stopping, stopping, or engaging in an activity that causes another person to stop within the pedestrian flow zone.””.
According to the document, pedestrian flow zones include the pedestrian bridges of the tourist corridor and up to six meters around climbing structures, such as elevators and escalators and escalators, allowing the public to use the bridges. The ordinance directly affects tourists, as well as street artists who present shows in these pedestrian flow areas.
“Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding six months or by a fine not exceeding US$1,000, or with both penalties”; warns the document that was unanimously approved on January 2 by the Clark County commissioners.
Why ban people from stopping on Las Vegas pedestrian bridges?
According to the ordinance amending Title 16 of the Clark County Code, Las Vegas pedestrian bridges were designed only for people to cross from one side of the street to the other and not for other uses. “In order for pedestrians to stop, stand or congregate for any other reason, the pedestrian bridges would have been designed differently“, indicates the document.
According to this new law, “Stopping on pedestrian bridges creates conditions that can foster disorder which, in turn, can lead to crimes and serious security problems.” For reference, legislators indicate that between 2018 and 2022, calls to emergency services from The Strip increased by 29 percent, and requests related to public disorder grew by 23 percent, in the same period.
“This doesn't mean that tourists and locals can't take photos along the boulevard while on a pedestrian bridge, rather is intended to maintain safe and continuous movement of pedestrians on bridges to ensure safety”the county stated in a statement.
They consider the ban unconstitutional
Given the new ordinance that makes it a crime to stop on pedestrian bridges or carry out an activity that causes others to stop on pedestrian bridges in Las Vegas, The community has shown its discontent, indicating that it is a violation of the First Amendment.
However, the ordinance notes that “pedestrian bridges represent only six percent (6%) of the total linear feet of public sidewalk available to pedestrians on the Las Vegas Strip,” and complements that although the Flow Zones Pedestrian have any impact on people exercising their right to expression, assembly and protest, “People should keep moving, whether or not they are participating in an activity protected by the First Amendment”.
“Stop, stop, the intention of making someone stop or stop is simply too vague. It makes it impossible for a normal person to know when he is following the law,” Eve Hanan, director of the Misdemeanor Clinic at the University of Nevada School of Law in Las Vegas, told commissioners, according to Las Vegas Weekly. “They have told us that they will use their discretion, that they will let people know what the law is and that they will only arrest others (…) this is a selective persecution”he added.
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