El Dorado County approves Safe Routes to School Plan for South Lake Tahoe

During their April 19 meeting, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Lake Tahoe Unified School District’s Safe Routes to School Master Plan. With this approval, the Supervisors support plans to improve pedestrian and bicycle access and safety around Lake Tahoe schools through infrastructure upgrades, education and encouragement programs, and better enforcement of traffic laws.

In January, the South Lake Tahoe City Council approved the plan. This now gives the framework to work with the school district to ensure students can safely walk and bike to and from school.

“Action Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors illustrates their continued support of the Tahoe Basin and, particularly, the community of Meyers, working in collaboration with all agencies to create a positive future for our children and families,” said Supervisor Sue Novasel, Lake Tahoe’s District V representative on the Board.

The Safe Route to Schools plan is a collaborative effort between Lake Tahoe Unified School District staff and students, El Dorado County, South Lake Tahoe, the Lake Tahoe Sustainability Collaborative Community Mobility Work Group, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and community members. A grant from Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) helped fund the planning process.

The master plan identifies barriers to walking and biking around six schools in South Lake Tahoe: Bijou Community School, Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School, Sierra House Elementary School, Tahoe Valley Elementary School, South Tahoe Middle School, South Tahoe High School, and Mt. Tallac High School.

The plan also identifies education and encouragement strategies to raise awareness about bike and pedestrian safety, traffic laws, and the benefits of walking and biking to school. The goal is to improve the safety and increase the number of students who walk and bike to school to improve community health and reduce vehicle emissions.

“The cooperation and unanimous approval of this plan by all three entities represents a real boost for our collective efforts to secure funding for the projects and educational programs identified in the plan,” said Steve Teshara, co-chair of the Community Mobility Workgroup of the Lake Tahoe Sustainability Collaborative. “That’s the real win for students, their families, and our community.”

“As an avid cyclist and a past school board member, I am thrilled that the Board of Supervisors endorsed the Safe Routes to Schools Master Plan on the same day I sponsored the 2016, May is Bike Month proclamation”, added Novasel.

Read the 64-page plan document HERE.