Nevada

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Nevada is a state of the United States of America.

Roads

  • Shoulders
Shoulders are usually built at the edge of towns, making it easy for people to pull over. In urban areas, the shoulders can be thinner than desired, but should still be enough for people to pull over for you.
  • Pedestrian Rights
Pedestrian are allowed on most major four lane highways. Interstate 80 also permits pedestrians when outside larger towns.
  • Interchanges
Split-traffic interchanges are used rarely in the Reno and Las Vegas areas, but are not used anywhere else, making waiting times often better than urban areas in neighboring California.

Law

The Low Down

The legality of hitchhiking in the state of Nevada is debatable--even if you are not standing in the road or highway. Walking on an interstate highway is legal if there are no sidewalks nearby, but only if the pedestrian is walking in a direction facing traffic. Because the law is open to interpretation by police, it is not recommended to hold your thumb out to cars you suspect to be police or state troopers. They may still arrest you or issue you a citation.

Here are the laws themselves:

Nevada State Statute (soliciting for a ride) [1]

NRS 484B.297 - 3. A person shall not stand in a highway to solicit a ride or any business from the driver or any occupant of a vehicle. A person shall not, without a permit issued pursuant to NRS 244.3555 or 268.423, solicit any contribution from the driver or any occupant of a vehicle.

2. Pedestrians walking along highways where sidewalks are not provided shall walk on the left side of those highways facing the approaching traffic.

Nevada Definition of Highway [2]

(Note: the word "Roadway" is not used in this context)
NRS 484A.095 - “Highway” defined. “Highway” means the entire width between the boundary lines of every way dedicated to a public authority when any part of the way is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular traffic, whether or not the public authority is maintaining the way. (Added to NRS by 1969, 1478; A 1981, 1690)—(Substituted in revision for NRS 484.065)

The definition of highway means the law can be interpreted by a cop to mean that if you are soliciting a ride within the fence (boundary) lines of any highway, even 10 feet off the side of the road, you are breaking the law. User:Thewindandrain knew a couple that received a citation for hitchhiking when they were on the dirt off the side of highway 93 near Wells, Nevada.

Las Vegas City Ordinance (soliciting for a ride) [3]

11.30.110- Solicitation from roadway. No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride, employment, or business from the occupant of any vehicle. (1949 code Ch. 36 § 96(c): prior code § 10-16-9(A))

Las Vegas definition of Roadway [4]

13.24.010 - "Roadway" means that portion of a street improved, designed, or ordinarily used for vehicular travel.

Experiences

Summer 2018, hitched just west of reno by the Boomtown trap, got picked up within 2 hours by a cool dude in an RV. Was heading through to montana, which was out of my planned route east, but I rode all the way to Darby MT.


Personal experience: I had had a tough time getting a ride out of the Las Vegas area, strangely, someone driving a delivery truck going to Saint George, Utah stopped me when I was next to a "Do not pick up hitchhikers...prison area" sign and asked me where I was headed. I got a ride. Use your head out there, trust your instincts, pray (it CAN'T hurt) and give it a go!

Hitched through Nevada a couple times. Las Vegas wasn't too difficult to get out of, but I imagine I just got lucky that time. I-80 is a breeze. Never had trouble with the police, but I have heard of people being ticketed for hitchhiking there. Thewindandrain (talk) 01:11, 26 May 2013 (CEST)


I went though there a few years back and generally had no problems, Even got some food from a cop in Winnemucca. Got arrested while walking through Las Vegas. All around i met some really nice people ranging from a college student going to his moms house for the weekend to an old hippie going to L.A.

I waited 2 hours in Sparks, almost one day in Fernley, so in Winnemucca I just crashed at drivers' lounge in late afternoon (sooo many truckers are going west, few east... but I got a free shower from one of the former) and rather waited till morning, in 2 hours I got a ride to Denver. So I suggest to plan plenty of time for crossing Nevada, you may get lucky but maybe not. In Winnemucca a cop stopped by and told me it's illegal to hitchhike in Nevada, however his interpretation was that I am not allowed to stick out my thumb or verbally ask for a ride, BUT it's fine to stand by the road (I was on asphalt shoulder just before interstate entrance) and even lean the destination sign on my backpack! No ticket, he just wrote down data from my passport. I still showed my thumb when there were no suspicious cars around, but eventually I got a ride when I didn't. Yugoles (talk) 12:10, 11 July 2016 (CEST)

I've stopped in Las Vegas on two separate occassions and both times I got stuck for a full day. I would recommend skipping Las Vegas entirely if at all possible. I generally get the feeling people in Las Vegas are not interested in picking hitchhikers up. On the other hand, in northern Nevada; it is a much less populated area but I had more luck getting rides out of really remote areas such as Elko and Winnemucca.

Cities

trash:Nevada