Letter: The Lake Tahoe Summit 2024 was misleading

The annual Lake Tahoe Summit this year decided to focus on the theme of “investing in transit, trails, and technology to improve transportation, equity, and sustainable recreation”. Hasn’t this been an ongoing priority for at least the last ten plus years?

The article “Column: Tahoe Summit spotlights transportation” states, “Demand on our roadways and recreation areas is undergoing a fundamental shift.” No, demand on the roadways around Tahoe and the recreation areas has always been there and increases year after year. The article further states, “Today, Lake Tahoe’s most popular recreation corridors are congested on peak days.” That’s been the case for at least the last ten years. The TRPA’s proposal, “To keep pace, TRPA Corridor Management Plans are prioritizing transportation and sustainable recreation improvements for areas like Emerald Bay, Zephyr Cove, Sand Harbor, and the roadways that connect Tahoe City, Truckee, and Kings Beach. The new approach is holistically reducing reliance on cars, improving access and mobility with bike trails and transit, and moving roadside parking spaces into managed parking areas.”

They haven’t “kept pace” for the last decade. They have federal dollars allocated through the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act that could have been used for transit projects reducing vehicle reliance. Why is there a major push to build more trails, especially along the Hwy 28 east shore corridor? This area needs to reduce people.

Lake Tahoe has a people problem in that people are not managed to disperse them and mitigate their trash. In winter people go to ski areas and sled areas, including sledding at the intersection of Hwy 28 and Hwy 50, which in recent years has seen an increase in use and trash. In summer there is a higher volume of people and they want access to the lake. Most of the beaches along the east shore are not being managed properly by any Nevada state agency or USFS, therefore there are no fees or facilities. Parking along state route 28 has always been a problem. Adding parking at designated areas will only increase visitor’s desirability to access these beaches. Increasing trails to these areas also invites visitors to access these remote beaches. Is there a plan to accommodate their trash and restroom needs on these beaches?

The website laketahoeinfor.org lists a project “SR 28 Spooner Mobility Hub and AIS Inspection Station”. This project proposes “design and construction of a transit mobility hub with 250 parking spaces and restrooms, an AIS inspection station, 0.5 miles of multi-use path and a pedestrian crossing from Spooner State Park to the junction of SR28 and US50 adjacent to transit mobility hub.” If the objective is deterring the use of vehicles to travel around Lake Tahoe, why would one start by inviting them into the basin? Wouldn’t it be better to provide parking and transit at the base of Hwy 50? There is already an area at the base of Hwy 50 for parking and commuter transit. The area above this parking area is not being used. Turning this area into a transit hub would eliminate vehicles going up Hwy 50. Transit vehicles could then make numerous stops along Hwy 28 for people to go to the various trails and beaches. There are already parking areas being utilized for trails to these beaches along with off highway parking in various locations people use to go to the trails and beaches. Those parking areas could be turned into transit stops with facilities to address trash and restrooms along with dedicated highway crossings for pedestrian safety. Adding more parking to areas along Hwy 28 defeats the goal of reducing vehicle miles traveled. Without at least trash facilities in these parking areas, one is adding to the problems.

Parking areas being constructed along Hwy 28 on the non-lake side have the potential for people, especially families with kids, to cross the highway in an unsafe manner. How many vehicles will stop and wait on the highway for a parking space if they can’t pull into the parking lot yet see parked vehicles leaving?

How can TRPA and other vested organizations not recognize what is happening in real time? They have had a least a decade to implement a transit system that serves at least the most visited areas by tourists. But, the transit system needs to take into account what tourists bring to beaches. Even tourists who travel without kids are going to bring chairs, food, drinks and other beach items. Will they be able to carry those items on the transit vehicles? How much trash will they have at the end of their beach trip? Will they dispose of it properly? Current trends indicate they are not, and leaving their trash on beaches and trails. Locals and volunteers are left to clean up after them.

Please read this letter by The League to Save Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue) to the Legislative Committee for the Review and Oversight of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Marlette Lake Water System Re: Solutions to litter issues on Tahoe’s east shore dated May 2, 2024.
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/InterimCommittee/REL/Document/30396

Clearly, there have been and there are ongoing issues with visitors and how they treat recreational areas and how they arrive at them.

Since it seems the entities that promote Lake Tahoe like to give the impression that it is akin to Disneyland, then maybe they need to take lessons from Disneyland on how to keep Tahoe clean of trash.
From-
https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2020/01/23/5-lessons-from-disneys-magical-customer-experience/

“Take Out The Trash
Disney’s approach to customer experience can best be displayed in a simple item: the trash can. The Happiest Place on Earth shouldn’t be the dirtiest place on earth. In most resorts, trash cans are simple and non-descript. But at Disney parks, they are colorful and plentiful. Trash cans are placed within 30 feet of each other based on research that people will only walk 30 feet to throw something away—an idea that dates back to Walt Disney and one of the reasons the parks are so clean. Disney also recently added sensors to some of its trash cans and bathrooms to monitor their use and alert custodians when they need to be cleaned. An underground network of pipes connects many of the trashcans to empty them around every 20 minutes. It’s a simple concept, but the dedication to trash highlights a larger principle: care about every detail and remove things that will hurt the experience. Seeing trash might not change how a customer views Disney, but a clean park and the attention to detail can make all the difference.”

With an estimated $5 billion tourist economy at Lake Tahoe along with the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, surely there is money to eliminate the trash problem as well as managing the people problem.

- April Stephens
Douglas County, NV Resident