Winter has been welcomed back to the Lake Tahoe basin after a few years of drought and less-than-average snowfall, but a resurgence of winter brings with it not only more visitors to enjoy the snow, but poor traveling conditions for the driver.
Standstill traffic heading out of South Lake Tahoe on Sundays has created a headache for not only the tourists heading home, but for the locals trying to get around town to conduct their business before the beginning of a new workweek. The CHP is planning to get together with El Dorado County Supervisor Sue Novasel to discuss options the patrol officers might have in making travel smoother.
A concerned citizen brought the issue before South Lake Tahoe City Council on Tuesday, but since most of the bottleneck issues have been on county roads, the City has no control of the situation though they are also speaking with other agencies on getting a solution. Some suggest the back roads once known only to locals be left for local use only.
“There are no plans for alternate routes only because we cannot do that,” said Officer Ruth Loehr of the CHP. “These are open routes and we cannot keep non-residents from traveling on them.”
But, the she did offer winter driving tips from the CHP for those in the South Lake Tahoe area:
Please stay on the main thoroughfares within the Lake Tahoe region (e.g. US-50, Pioneer Trail and SR 89). The primary highways are maintained during the winter and are enforced with chain controls for your safety and the safety of others. Using GPS to circumvent the main thoroughfares, not only causes congestion in the local neighborhoods, but endangers the public. This is due to the fact the secondary neighborhood roadways are not maintained or plowed routinely for all vehicles to travel on safely.
Make sure you check the weather and road conditions prior to traveling in the Lake Tahoe region. Winter weather is unpredictable and can change rapidly at any time. Keep in mind, all of the roadways in and out of Lake Tahoe are two-lane highways which have had an accumulation of snow and ice over the past several months. Please check to make sure you have chains and all the necessary safety items prior to leaving your residence.
The CHP assists CalTrans with maintaining public safety on the main highways for an enjoyable visit to the Lake Tahoe region. The CHP deploys area patrol units, as well as additional roving patrol units, throughout the region to keep visitors and locals safe.
Please help the South Lake Tahoe CHP and local residents by following these simple winter driving tips while visiting to ensure everyone stays safe during their travels.