Kudos: Thank you El Dorado County Department of Transportation

I don't normally write the Kudos in South Tahoe Now, I leave that to the public, but I wanted to take time to highlight action by the El Dorado County Department of Transportation (DOT).

I have lived off Black Bart Avenue since 1983, and have seen many things change from a stop light on Pioneer Trail, the addition of a 25-mph zone, and the addition of new homes. During this time the road has also become a main cut-through for drivers going from lake Tahoe Blvd. to Pioneer Trail.

On July 20, 2022, an employee at South Tahoe Public Utility District was riding his motorcycle on Black Bart Avenue from Pioneer Trail to work at 6:48 a.m. A resident on Hank Monk Avenue was pulling out onto Black Bart at a dangerous part of the road - something people coming from side streets on this stretch know all too well. Sadly, the motorcyclist died on impact.

The speed limit on the .23 mile section from Pioneer to Hank Monk is actually 55 mph - any El Dorado County road with a line down the middle and on the sides where speed limits aren't posted is 55 mph. Then just south of Hank Monk the speed limit drops to 25 mph. We all know that takes a moment or two. At that point in the road, there is a slight hill and curve so those pulling out cannot always see a driver in time, especially one going over the speed limit.

I called County Supervisor Sue Novasel about this dangerous spot and she told me about the County's South Lake Tahoe Traffic Advisory Committee (TAC). The California Highway Patrol (CHP), El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, and El Dorado County DOT meet to go over transportation issues, concerns, and complaints. I contacted DOT Director Rafael Martinez about what I thought was a very unsafe situation.

Once CHP completed their report on the deadly crash, Rafael and the DOT Traffic Superintendent Darryl Brown did their own investigation on the stretch of Black Bart Avenue from the Martin Avenue bridge to Pioneer Trail.

Over 5,000 cars travel this road a day and there have been collisions and single-car crashes, and two deaths though one of those could have been a medical issue.

During the Fall Quarter TAC, Martinez, Brown, and the others on the committee reviewed my request of making the stretch from Pioneer to Hank Monk a 30- or 35-mph zone (I also asked for the downhill stretch at the north end of the residential zone lowered as well as many drivers don't always make that curve successfully.

The committee reviewed my request, stating the changing of a speed limit tasks many steps, including a speed strip test of those using the road. After a lot of discussion, the review of the situation brought around change - and in just a couple of days!

Drivers will now notice a "25 MPH Ahead" sign at both ends of the residential zone. While this may not exactly be what I had set off to do, it was the quickest and most efficient way to bring about awareness and hopefully slower speeds.

Thank you!
Paula Peterson
South Tahoe Now