by Joshua Peguero ▪
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Several memorials across the Las Vegas Valley have gone up honoring the lives of five bicyclists who died in December 2020.
There is another memorial possibly in the works at the trailhead of the Red Rock Legacy Trail near Charleston Boulevard and Sky Vista Drive.
The five cyclists killed were all from Las Vegas: Aksoy Ahmet, 48; Michael Murray, 57; Gerrard Nieva, 41; Erin Ray, 39; and Tom Trauger, 57.
“I know for the families of the victims, the memories are never going to fade,” Clark Commissioner Justin Jones said. “I want to obviously send my regards out to the families and the friends.”
Jones, an avid cyclist, said he was approached by the family of the victims regarding a permanent memorial.
The crash, one of the state’s most deadly in decades, occurred on the morning of Dec. 10, 2020, on U.S. 95 between Boulder City and Searchlight, about 60 miles outside of Las Vegas.
Over the past two years, Jones said Clark County have made efforts to address biker safety. They added buffers and protected bike lanes, along with new trails.
Construction will start on the parking lot of the Red Rock Legacy Trail in about 18 months, according to Jones.
“In every decision that we make, we’re thinking about cyclists’ safety. Pedestrian safety, and really making sure that safety is of primary concern,” Jones said.
There is a memorial already erected for the five victims that are located at the intersection of Charleston Boulevard and Clark County Route 215.
The bicycle shop Las Vegas Cyclery also created its own memorial, prior to this incident, to highlight cyclist deaths.
“This one here is just to remind people that cyclists are out there, to be careful and watch the road,” Shawn Tyrone, general manager of Las Vegas Cyclery, said.
Tyrone does not ride his bicycle on valley roads anymore.
“I don’t feel safe anymore and I’ve ridden in this town for 30-plus years. [I] just kind of watched the traffic increase, the distractions increase, and the deaths increase,” Tyrone said.
The 5.5-mile Red Rock Legacy Trail will end at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area fee entrance, and it will also be open to pedestrian traffic.
Construction on the trail itself will start in the next 18 to 24 months.
