bike paths

Column: Turning lessons into transportation solutions

Autumn’s reflections have begun and Lake Tahoe’s forests and wildlife are preparing for the winter. While fall is generally a treasured time of year at the lake, a sense of uneasiness hangs in the crisp air as we brace for the next phase of the COVID crisis.

Summer was record breaking on many fronts. Businesses and agencies with major staff and budget shortages were suddenly required to manage the pandemic, following strict protocols. Trash overflowed on our pristine beaches and roadways. Follow that with more than 8,300 wildfires and 4 million acres burned in California alone.

City Council candidates respond to 100% Renewable Energy Committee questions

On April 18, 2017 the South Lake Tahoe City Council unanimously passed a resolution to: 1) Power the South Lake Tahoe community with electricity provided from 100 percent renewable sources by 2032 and 2) Reduce community carbon emissions from baseline by at least 80 percent by 2040, and reduce municipal emissions by 50 percent by 2030.

COVID Kudos: Safer and Better Biking in Tahoe

There are changes in the air and it's not just the leaves. School is going back, construction season is wrapping up, and Al Tahoe Boulevard is getting a new look.

SLT Council Candidate Cristi Creegan

South Tahoe Now reached out to all nine candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council and provided the same list of questions to each one of them. Once a day their answers will be published in the order received.

Today's candidate is Cristi Creegan

Profession: Business Owner

How many years in SLT: 23 years

Trash Talk: Reduce and reuse are key in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - We have all seen the photos of trash left behind on beaches, trails, parking lots and surrounding dumpsters not only in Lake Tahoe but across the country. This is only the tip of the problem and managing our trash is key to prevent landfills being overflowed with our unnecessary waste.

Bike Path Cleanup

Event Date: 
June 1, 2020 - 5:00pm

Monday, June 1 | 5 - 8 pm
Locations: Various locations along the bike path.

Celebrate the Tahoe Bike Challenge with this fun, physically distanced community cleanup event to prepare our bike paths for the summer. We will ride our bikes and walk on the paths as we clean. Volunteers that ride their bike or walk to the cleanup will receive a Tahoe Bike Challenge prize!

Head to https://www.keeptahoeblue.org/news/events/bike-path-cleanup-2020 for more information and to register today.

Deadline to complete a waiver: Friday, May 29 at 3 pm

Location

Various locations in South Lake Tahoe
United States

Visitors to Lake Tahoe are encouraged to follow stay-at-home guidelines

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The messaging from the state, county, and city has been consistent throughout the coronavirus pandemic: This is not the time to travel to South Lake Tahoe. Nevada has also sent out the same message as a ban on nonessential travel that was created to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between communities.

New City Manager Joe Irvin now on the job for South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - As of the City Council's special meeting Wednesday morning, the new South Lake Tahoe City Manager was on the job for 48 hours after being sworn in during a digital event that started off the week.

Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition announces annual award winners

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. - During these challenging times, everyone can use some good news which is why the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition (LTBC) has announced its 2019 Bicycle Achievement Awards. Each year, the LTBC honors those that have made significant advancements to promoting safer bicycling and walking opportunities for the Lake Tahoe-Truckee area.

This year, LTBC received 13 nominations and has announced the following Bike Achievement Awardees:

Public Agency: City of South Lake Tahoe

Meyers multi-use trails won't be plowed this winter

MEYERS, Calif. - Due to a lack of viable bids from local snow removal contractors there will be no plowing of the multi-use trails on the lake side of El Dorado County this winter.

In July the Bicycle Advisory Committee of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities JPA awarded $22,000 to El Dorado County for bike trail plowing in the county for winter of 2019/20. When the project went out to bid they only received interest from Alpine Smith, according to Donaldo Palaroan, P.E., senior civil engineer for the County. Their $48,500 bid was more than double of what was budgeted.

Ceremony to celebrate completion of new SR 89 realignment and bridge project in Tahoe City

Event Date: 
December 16, 2019 - 10:00am

TAHOE CITY, Calif. – A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held on Monday, December 16 to celebrate the opening of the State Route 89 realignment, including the new Truckee River Bridge in Tahoe City.

Attendee parking will be located at the Tahoe City Transit Center along West Lake Blvd. The public should plan to arrive by 9:45 a.m. to park and walk to the ceremony location, which starts at 10:00 a.m. The bridge will be closed for the event.

New segment of State Route 89 in Tahoe City opens

TAHOE CITY, Calif. - What many have been waiting for is now open to traffic on the North Shore. The long-anticipated new quarter-mile segment of State Route 89 includes a new 153-foot bridge crossing over the Truckee River, a roundabout on the south end next to the Tahoe City Transit Center and another roundabout on the north end near the Caltrans Maintenance Station, allowing a second entry/exit route for Lake Tahoe’s West Shore.

The new Truckee River Bridge and realignment of SR89 are meant to ease congestion in the Tahoe City area.

South Lake Tahoe to create an ordinance for electric scooters

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - First it was Lime Bikes, but now the company's Lime Scooters have created both enjoyment and concern in South Lake Tahoe. The popular mode of transportation is used by millions worldwide and provides over 100,000 annual rides in South Lake Tahoe.

But the illegal use by minors and a flaw in the Lime app process has drawn concern from local law enforcement and residents.

Opinion: Sierra Boulevard is at an end; Looking forward to the next beginning

It's been one heck of a summer in terms of driving around town. Between Echo Summit and the Meyers roundabout, the horrible accident at Elks Club, US50 through town and then the construction at Stateline that caused delays back to Zephyr Cove in mid-September. Luckily, the Stateline issue was quickly remedied, the highway at Elks Club seems mostly repaired, and the Meyers roundabout turned out great.

Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition seeks nominations of those keeping Tahoe/Truckee bike friendly

Each year, the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition (LTBC) honors those that have made significant advancements in promoting safer bicycling and walking opportunities for Lake Tahoe. LTBC is seeking nominations from the public for individuals, public agencies, organizations, and businesses who made the Tahoe - Truckee region more bike-friendly in 2019.

20,000 miles pedaled during Lake Tahoe Bike Challenge

During the first two weeks of June, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition teamed up to lead the 14th annual Tahoe Bike Challenge. 285 people took the challenge and biked 20,420 miles at Lake Tahoe.

The basin-wide challenge is a friendly competition that encourages individuals and teams to track trips and miles on their bikes. Starting June 1 and running through June 14, Tahoe Basin bikers prevented an estimated 6,945 pounds of carbon dioxide from escaping into the atmosphere.

Bike Path Cleanup

Event Date: 
June 3, 2019 - 5:00pm

Monday, June 3 | 5 - 8 pm

Help get South Tahoe's bike paths clean for the summer biking season, and prevent litter from entering our streams and Lake Tahoe.

Earn points for the Tahoe Bike Challenge.
Ride your bike to the event & receive a raffle ticket.
Free to attend & all ages welcome.

Hosted celebration for volunteers to follow at the League to Save Lake Tahoe with Oskar Blues beer, Robert Mondavi wine and Hors d'oeuvre.

For more information and to RSVP go to https://www.keeptahoeblue.org/news/events/bike-path-cleanup-2019.

Location

Multiple locations in South Lake Tahoe
United States

Lime scooters return to South Lake Tahoe with contract, new fees

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Lime is returning to South Lake Tahoe this summer, but with some changes both visibly and financially during a new one-year trial period for 2019.

After much discussion on Tuesday night, the City Council unanimously approved a new contract with Lime that will bring up to 550 scooters to town this season, but, as reported before, the bikes are not returning.

The Council wanted to make sure not all 550 will appear on opening day at the beginning of May and will work with Lime to start slow.

Caltrans to hold public meeting on Meyers and South Lake Tahoe projects

Event Date: 
April 24, 2019 - 5:30pm

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Long has been the joke that there are two seasons in Lake Tahoe, winter and roadwork. Both are holding up true for 2019 as we leave a long and heavy winter and prepare for several road construction projects.

On Wednesday, April 24, CalTrans is inviting the public to come out and learn about their three projects scheduled to begin on US 50 in the Lake Tahoe Basin this summer. The public meeting will be in the South Tahoe High School Student Union from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The new year brings new laws in California

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are new laws in California in 2019 that will affect those on the road, bike paths, eating at restaurants, paying bail and receiving minimum wage. In 2018, 1,217 bills made it to Governor Brown's desk and he signed 1,016 of them which are now new laws.

Here is a highlight of some of those laws which will soon be in effect:

Interactive map shows plowed bike paths in Lake Tahoe

The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition has released their first online bike map that shows the Lake Tahoe region’s regularly snow-plowed bike trails.

People searching for a plowed bike route can now toggle a special seasonal layer in the nonprofit organization’s interactive bike map, available online at tahoebike.org/map. Many of Tahoe’s local jurisdiction clear snow from their shared-use paths, typically after they have completed plowing local roads.

Caltrans thanks South Lake Tahoe businesses and drivers for patience during highway project

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Phase II of the three-year, $57,000,000 Highway 50 project from the Y to the Trout Creek Bridge in South lake Tahoe is complete and Caltrans will back in the Spring of 2019 to work on the final phase.

The project is a water quality project that has also addressed ADA compliance on curbs, widened bike paths to six feet, added bus pullouts, replaced curbs, gutters and sidewalks, added new pavement, added one stop light, and will have replaced two others and added left turn lane improvements at Sierra Boulevard when it wraps up next year.

Tahoe Fund looking for ideas that help solve Lake Tahoe's challenges

The Tahoe Fund is actively seeking new project ideas to help solve the challenges facing Lake Tahoe. The nonprofit is interested in projects with fundraising goals of $5,000 to $1,000,000 that will improve lake clarity, outdoor recreation, forest resilience, transportation and stewardship.

Organizations are invited to submit project ideas by January 31, 2019 at tahoefund.org/challenge.

SLT City Council candidates respond to 100% Renewable Committee questions

On April 18, 2017 the South Lake Tahoe City Council unanimously passed a resolution to do two things: Power the South Lake Tahoe community with electricity provided from 100 percent renewable sources by 2032; and reduce community carbon emissions from baseline by at least 80 percent by 2040. The 100% Renewable Committee was formed to help the City accomplish these tasks.

Meet the Candidate: Devin Middlebrook says transparency and trust are his key pillars

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For nine consecutive days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

Today, the first-time candidate Devin Middlebrook gives his responses as he seeks a seat on the South Lake Tahoe City Council:

Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition distributes over 200 free bike racks throughout Tahoe Basin

The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition is distributing 215 free bicycle racks throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin, creating secure parking for 430 bicycles at key public destinations.

Supported by funding from the Tahoe Fund and the Nevada Commission on Tourism and in-kind support from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the nonprofit Bike Coalition is distributing the high-quality bike racks to Tahoe’s local jurisdictions and government agencies. Each of the two types of racks being

Column: Lake Tahoe Summit-recommitting to collaboration

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

Education key to user safety on e-scooters in South Lake Tahoe

You can't miss them. A person buzzing down the road or bike path on a lime green electric scooter, courtesy of the newest and hottest trend, scooter sharing. In South Lake Tahoe, Lime Bike introduced the scooters a few weeks ago, and since then the popularity has increased daily.

One thing every user has is a huge smile on their face. One thing most riders don't have is a helmet and knowledge of electric scooter laws.

According to the LimeBike website, their scooters, Lime-S, are custom designed by

4th of July Parade to take new route through South Lake Tahoe

Event Date: 
July 4, 2018 - 10:00am

UPDATE 7.3.18: Information in this story has changed:

There will once again be a 4th of July Parade through South Lake Tahoe, and the community is invited to participate.

Celebrate the nation's birthday on Wednesday, July 4, 2018 beginning at 10:00 a.m. There is a new route this year. The parade will be staged on Ski Run Boulevard and head West on Highway 50 to Al Tahoe Boulevard where the parade will lead up Al Tahoe Blvd. and conclude again at Bijou Community Park with a community barbecue.

Tahoe Legends Run to raise funds for South Lake Tahoe track

Event Date: 
June 23, 2018 - 8:00am

The 5K Tahoe Legends Run, a fun run (or walk) that raises money annually for the South Tahoe Middle School track, will be held on Saturday, June 23, 2018. Competitors will start at Lake Tahoe Community College and finish on the track at the school's South Tahoe Community Sports Complex, former home of the 1968 Olympic Trials Track.

Participants will weave through rolling hills, forests and meadows on single track trails and bike paths.

Special City Council meeting to decide Kerry's fate; Meston outlines plans

News spread through South Lake Tahoe this week that surprised and shocked many, the City Council's decision to put City Manager Nancy Kerry on indefinite leave. The council will be meeting in closed session on Monday, February 12, 2018 to discuss the situation. Their agenda item, "PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE/DISMISSAL/RELEASE Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)" starts at 9:00 a.m.

That section of code allows special and closed session meetings to consider the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, discipline, or dismissal of a public employee.

Have an innovative solution to solve the environmental issues facing Tahoe?

LAKE TAHOE - The Tahoe Fund is looking for those with solutions to help solve environmental challenges at Lake Tahoe, particularly those helping to reduce the risk of wildfire, addressing climate change impacts, and innovative ideas.

South Tahoe Now: Why Measure C is needed now

Many of South Lake Tahoe's roads are decades past their prime, and Measure C is in front of voters November 7 to increase taxes by one-half percent to pay for their maintenance and repair.

I support Measure C and let me tell you why, but it will have to start with a look back to see how we got here.

$85M in sales at Tahoe Beach Club during first phase

During their first summer of sales, 39 of the 46 available contracts to buy a luxury condominium home at the Tahoe Beach Club sold for a total of $85 million.

This development at the end of Kahle Drive in Stateline, Nevada is the first full ownership lakefront in 30 years at Lake Tahoe. They are being built on land that was once a trailer park.

Homebuyers have been mostly from the Bay Area, Southern California, Texas and New York areas.

Approval granted for removal of dead and dying trees in Lake Tahoe

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board on Wednesday approved an emergency permit for Caltrans to remove hazardous dying trees along its highways and rights of way in the Tahoe Basin.

California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a tree mortality emergency in October 2015 because of widespread tree die-offs after several years of severe drought. There are now an estimated 102 million dead trees in California, with the greatest tree mortality in the Southern Sierra Nevada.

Sass Talk: Sierra Boulevard, Roadwork, The Crossing, LimeBike and more

The city received some good news this week. We were successfully awarded $2.9 million in federal funds to complete all of the funding for the Sierra Blvd. Streetscape project-we are now 100% funded through construction. Kudos to Stan Hill with the City for his excellent grant application. Per Jim Marino, Asst.

Help clean South Lake Tahoe bike trails

Event Date: 
June 17, 2017 - 9:30am

Volunteers can meet at one of three locations throughout South Tahoe to pick up litter from the areas around our bike paths. Then we’ll get together at the League to Save Lake Tahoe office for a free lunch and celebration. All ages are welcome and all supplies will be provided.

We encourage volunteers to ride their bike, which also makes you eligible to enter a free raffle for a chance to win prizes!

Learn more and sign up for a location at clean-tahoe.org/bike-path-cleanup/.

Kudos: A Thank You from South Shore’s Hardy Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Bus Riders

A big thank You to the City of South Lake Tahoe, the County of El Dorado, and the businesses and residents of Tahoe’s South Shore for clearing the snow from your sidewalks and paths.

Even during these big storms, you have made sure the multi-use paths and many sidewalks on the South Shore are passable. And after two feet of snow overnight, you made the roads and paths safe enough for 500+ locals to take to the streets by 11am on Jan 21st for the Women’s March. This is a big and welcome change from the previous years of sidewalk and bike path "freshies". Let’s save those for the slopes.

Crews working round-the-clock to clear South Lake Tahoe roads

It has taken 14 crew members working 12-hour shifts for the last eight days to keep the 259 miles of roads in the City of South Lake Tahoe cleared after 5.13 inches of rain and about four feet of snow hit the south shore.

A single plow of each street has been completed in the City limits, and crews will start working on widening the streets and plowing bike paths Saturday morning.

Vail Resorts calls on Congress to approve Lake Tahoe Restoration Act

Vail Resorts has called on the United States Congress to approve the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015. This Act provides $415 million in funding and reauthorizes important Lake Tahoe restoration activities that began in 1997 and refocuses federal, state and local efforts toward reducing wildfire threats, improving water quality and clarity, and combating invasive species. All of these are important to the local economy at one of the most visited lakes in the world.

SLT City Council candidate JoAnn Conner

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

JoAnn Conner, 67, Small Business Owner, 35 years in SLT.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

Opinion: Uniting towards a sustainable vision for South Shore

It is an exciting time to live on the South Shore – during a critical point in our region’s evolution and potential. It is time to set our course: moving away from bickering and blaming, exclusionary special interests and single-industry dominance to consensus-building and proactively choosing progress. Whether we live in Nevada or California, everyone benefits from uniting towards a sustainable vision for the South Shore.

Opinion: Why a vote for Measure P is actually a vote for road repairs, snow removal and affordable housing

There are many important issues concerning the Nation, California and South Lake on the November 8th ballot. Not only we will decide on who the next President is but we’ll also be voting in two City Officials, who some could argue will actually have a greater impact on our daily lives than the Nation’s Leader.

South Lake Tahoe council candidates share their views on sustainability and climate issues

The South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Citizen's Climate Lobby recently asked all ten of the candidates their views on climate change, green buildings and our carbon footprint and how they can make a change if elected.

The Citizen's Climate Lobby is an organization focused on national policies to address climate change, and the South Lake Tahoe chapter is one of 354 in the United States and abroad.

Patricia Sussman of the local chapter said just five of the candidates responded to their questions.

South Lake Tahoe wants to be "Bicycle Friendly Community” once again

Is South Lake Tahoe bike friendly? Once known as a “Bicycle Friendly Community," the City has applied to become one again.

The application to the League of American Bicyclists has been submitted, and they will be reviewing criteria such as the number of miles of bike lanes and bike paths in South Lake Tahoe, what improvements have been made to the bike infrastructure, how the City engages with the public and encourages them to cycle, law enforcement related to cycling, educational outreach for cycling, and basic demographics of the community.

Bike Safe, Lake Tahoe; Campaign launched by Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition

The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition is stressing bike safety in their new multimedia education campaign to promote safe bicycling for Tahoe visitors and residents.

“We hope these safety tips help ensure people enjoy riding their bicycles at Lake Tahoe,” said Curtis Fong, vice president of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition. “This is the greatest and most beautiful place in the world to ride a bike, and we want to help make sure that bicyclists are aware of safe riding practices when bicycling on roadways or bike paths around Lake Tahoe.”

Leave No Trace events in South Lake Tahoe to raise awareness

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and its Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers team are partnering with the Lake Tahoe Outreach Committee and other Lake Tahoe organizations to host community events and educational activities June 6-13. As visitors flock to the outdoor recreation wonderland that is Lake Tahoe the trails, beaches and forests are experiencing an increase in use and the associated impacts of trash, trail erosion and shoreline degradation.

Community bike path cleanup scheduled for June 11

Event Date: 
June 11, 2016 (All day)

Join us as we celebrate the Tahoe Bike Challenge with a community bike path cleanup event!

Volunteers can meet at one of four locations throughout South Tahoe to pick up litter from the areas around our bike paths. Then we’ll get together at the League to Save Lake Tahoe office located at 2608 Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a free lunch, raffle and celebration after 12:00 p.m. All ages are welcome and all supplies will be provided.

We encourage volunteers to ride their bike, which also makes you eligible to enter a free raffle for a chance to win a prize.

Dedication of latest phase of Lake Tahoe Bikeway

Another section of what is becoming the premier bikeway circling Lake Tahoe was dedicated in a ceremony behind Lakeside Inn on Wednesday. This new shared-use trail connects to Rabe Meadow with access to Nevada Beach and Round Hill Pines Resort.

"The TTD (Tahoe Transportation District) is pleased to have been part of this project," said Carl Hasty, District Manager of TTD. "Bike trails are thought of as a 'nice to do' project in many areas, but in Lake Tahoe they are important."

The Crossing in South Lake Tahoe starts renovations

"The Factory Stores at the Y" are being transformed into "The Crossing at Tahoe Valley," with demolition crews on site dismantling parts of the building to accommodate a new design as they prepare for new tenants.

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