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

The City of South Lake Tahoe in 2019 finished the Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets Project and continued its bike path winter plowing program. The Sierra Boulevard Complete Streets Project added bike paths, bike lanes, sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, and streetscape to a 0.6-mile stretch of Sierra Boulevard in the heart of South Lake Tahoe. The City also continued its commitment to wintertime snow removal on local bicycle paths allowing residents and visitors to safely reach their destination despite historic snowfall during January and February, 2019. The City continues to plow their paths this winter.

Business: Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows (and their guests) and the Squaw Village Neighborhood Company

In June 2019, Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows (SVAM) offered $5 advance-purchase lift tickets every Friday with all proceeds benefiting the nonprofit Tahoe Fund’s support of LTBC’s “Bike Racks for Businesses” program which installed 127 new bicycle racks (parking for 254 bicycles) throughout the Lake Tahoe-Truckee region. In addition, the Squaw Village Neighborhood Company contributed $5,000 in match funding to the bike rack program. Combined with an additional $10,000 contribution from SVAM, the two organizations contributed over $45,000 to improving bicycle parking in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Individual: Charles Nelson

Charles Nelson has been a dedicated member of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition’s Board of Directors since its inception in 2002 and is one of the region’s most prominent advocates for bicycle safety and increasing ridership. Charles’ leadership and support of LTBC’s mission has been demonstrated in many ways, including, leading efforts to pass local ballot measures for sustainable bicycle trail funding, spearheading bike valets at countless events, serving on South Lake Tahoe’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, and teaching bicycle maintenance and safety to youth during the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Challenge. Charles’ positive impact on the region’s bicycle and pedestrian community is undeniable.

LTBC would like to recognize all of the nominations it received for the 2019 awards as many organizations, businesses, and individuals deserve credit for making Lake Tahoe more bicycle friendly:

Individual: Michelle Glickert, Amy Berry, Janet Phillips, Jim Marino, Donaldo Palaroan;

Organization: Central Federal Lands Highway Division, Tahoe Fund, Nevada Department of Transportation/Granite Construction;

Business: Lakefront Professional Building, Ground Control Systems.

The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization with a mission to make Tahoe more bicycle friendly. LTBC promotes opportunities for more people to ride bikes in Tahoe, produces the most comprehensive printed and online bicycle maps for the Tahoe region, co-hosts the annual Lake Tahoe Bicycle Challenge each June, and advocates for bicycle safety. Learn more at tahoebike.org.