Standstill on South Lake Tahoe area highway and streets; Groups looking into solution

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It's almost a perfect storm for traffic in Lake Tahoe: extra visitors in town for the holiday weekend and epic ski conditions with snow and chain requirements over US50 and Echo Summit.

On Monday, locals and visitors alike were part of that storm, leaving motorists stranded along US 50, Lake Tahoe Blvd., and all surface streets in Meyers that have a link to the highway over Echo Summit.

This isn't a new problem, but one that rears its ugly head on many Sundays and holidays throughout the year. And it's not just a South Lake Tahoe problem but one seen in Truckee and other towns across the west as populations grow.

On March 5, 2017, there were reports of travel time on the 9.3-mile route along Highway 50 from Stateline to Meyers taking eight hours, and from the Y to Meyers, four hours for the 4.3-mile trip.

Officials from the City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, Caltrans, SLT Police, El Dorado County Sheriff, SLT Fire Rescue, Lake Valley Fire and California Highway Patrol met then to discuss solutions. They came out with a list of solutions including text alerts, but the area's visitors who are filling the roads didn't get the messages.

In 2018 the same issues were present on Sundays and holidays and there were more meetings to find a solution to keep traffic on the highways and off residential streets.

Now, on January 6 and 21, 2019, lines of traffic miles long throughout surface streets and highways, causing some residents and visitors to turn around and find lodging for the night.

What is the solution?

There is new leadership in the City of South Lake Tahoe and they are once again trying to help alleviate traffic and guide drivers to a more successful trip home from Lake Tahoe.

A group of over two dozen agencies and businesses in the South Lake Tahoe and Meyers area met last week, and plan to meet again to get a solution.

Two of the biggest contributors to the situation are Waze and Google, sending drivers to the quickest route to their destination. If people didn't rely on their technology to travel we wouldn't be in this situation as Highway 50 could handle the flow if all vehicles stayed on the highway. With some going around their merging back into the line is wreaking havoc into the flow that has worked well for decades.

Have you ever been on a freeway (I-5 comes to mind) where the flow is going well and most drivers stick in a single line? Then one has to pull out and try to zoom ahead, only to cut others off as they try to merge back in. The first driver affected then has to slam on their brakes, leading to a chain reaction of brake lights.

For every minute of backup it takes about three minutes to clear according to California Highway Patrol Commander Terry Lowther of the Meyers station. Any slowdown or merge on Highway 50 through Meyers adds to the backup.

"The big choke point is between SR89 through the chain control area and to the top of Echo Summit," Lowther said. "People slow down as they don't feel comfortable through the bluffs (the top of Echo Summit on the lake side)."

Then they see the two lanes near Little Norway and frustrated drivers speed up to get out of the line of traffic, only to create an issue as they push back into that line.

While Lowther says this is the busiest he's ever seen the South Shore, he and others are looking to immediate solutions.

The City of South Lake Tahoe has joined in the conversation with the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Caltrans, CHP and others including lodging properties to get information to the people who needed it before it was too late. One way, was to offer preemptive communications to hotel guests in town to make sure they know the best ways to navigate South Lake Tahoe and the rest of the basin on days when weather is bad.

The City's new communications manager Chris Fiore created a communication guide for all involved in lodging to pass onto guests - http://cityofslt.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1459.

Education will be key and will take all partners sending out the same message, including vacation home rental management companies, all local hotels as well as informed restaurant staff to continue to message.

Besides the information for hotel guests, Lowther has another plan that he will be presenting to El Dorado County. He wants to try creating a special event on known big weekends, like the upcoming President's Day. Then permits can be issued and roads can be closed (and Waze and Google will be informed), and traffic would stay off neighborhood streets.

Caltrans has the ability to put any closure in place, said Lowther, but won't due to liability issues in others' jurisdictions. Lowther suggested a written agreement between the City and County with Caltrans, releasing them of liability, could work and would allow Caltrans to make traffic decisions for the others.

There are some other ideas being worked on with the collaborative partners and meetings between the groups could discuss them in the near future including electronic closures.

Lowther said his top three goals he'd like to see in place are the following:

1. Get Caltrans and El Dorado County to enter into an agreement so Caltrans could close roads electronically,
2. Approached this as if the holidays are a preplanned event and permits can be issued for road closures, and
3. At other times look at hard closures that could use trained civilian volunteers (like STAR) to be placed at the closure spots. Having law enforcement there would be too taxing on their workforce and budgets.

Lowther also said they cannot close public streets to some while others can still use them, and he said the electronic controls of the situation would work the best.

Perhaps it will take marketing campaigns in Sacramento and the Bay Area to encourage mid-week stays in South Lake Tahoe when hotel rates are cheaper, lift lines are shorter and there are tables available at restaurants. Or, encouraging people to leave the day before or the day after a big day.

The discussion will be continuing and updates will be featured on South Tahoe Now as long as the problem exists.