Standing or stopping now is banned on pedestrian bridges on the Las Vegas Strip where visitors pause to take photos amid the glittery casino lights or to watch street performers. Violators of the ordinance that took effect Tuesday could face up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine, reports the Associated Press. Clark County commissioners unanimously approved the measure prohibiting people from “stopping, standing or engaging in an activity that causes another person to stop” on Strip pedestrian bridges. The ban doesn’t include standing or stopping if a person is waiting to use an elevator, stairway or escalator.
The county said its “pedestrian flow zone ordinance” isn’t meant to target street performers or people who stop to take pictures, but rather to increase public safety by ensuring a continuous flow of pedestrian traffic across the bridges. Opponents say that the ban violates rights protected by the First Amendment. “That might mean the right to protest. That might mean someone who’s sharing expressions of their faith. That might mean a street performer,” said Athar Haseebullah of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada. Those rights, he said, are “protected at their highest level” in public spaces, including pedestrian bridges. The county planns to install signs identifying locations where stopping or standing is prohibited.