The Las Vegas Strip is changing as we know it.
A new ordinance was approved this week that will make stopping on the pedestrian bridges on the Strip a misdemeanor crime.
“The Pedestrian Flow Zone ordinance will help to ensure our world-class tourism destination remains a safe place for people to visit and transverse,” Clark County officials said in a statement. “Through this ordinance, to maintain the safe and continuous movement of pedestrian traffic, it is unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or engage in an activity that causes another person to stop or stand within any Pedestrian Flow Zone.”
People walk along the pedestrian bridge between the New York-New York and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
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Pedestrians will still be able to quickly stop and take photos or pause for a moment but the purpose of the ordinance is to stop people from congregating for long periods in those areas, which is meant to help curb crime and increase safety.
Authorities noted that heavy congestion on the bridges can cause trouble for first responders in the event of a criminal offense or emergency.
Those who violate the new law will face a misdemeanor charge and up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine, though it is noted that a citation or warning will be issued first.
Street performers, who have become a lively part of the strip, are still allowed to continue their acts on street-level walkways but must be in motion on the bridges.
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“It’s essential to us that we provide the tools to the police department to be able to do what needs to be done in the rare occasion that someone is going to object, or someone is going to refuse to abide by an ordinance that is a lawful ordinance,” said Clark County Commissioner James Gibson.
