How much are you willing to pay for parking fines around Lake Tahoe?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If you are accustomed to paying premium prices for parking in towns like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento, how much would you be willing to pay for a parking ticket in Lake Tahoe?

Apprently whatever it costs.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) issued 297 parking citations along SR89 at Emerald Bay in July and 273 during the first 11 days of August. Six vehicles were towed from the area during this time.

CHP South Lake Tahoe officers also wrote 62 citations for parking violations in Twin Bridges where hundreds of people have been trying to access Horsetail Falls on a daily basis this summer. So far in August, 22 tickets.

The Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) has been busy with vehicles parked over the solid white "fog line" as well as cars parked in "No Parking" zones, just as their counterparts on the California side are experiencing.

NHP issued 60 citations for parking in just two hours on SR28 in May. They had 25 vehicles towed during the first weekend of August and are consistently finding cars illegally parked which create safety hazards along a very popular stretch of highway.

The Nevada Department of Transportation added new No Parking signage this year to show drivers where it is unsafe to park.

Agencies around the lake are telling a version of this message repeatedly - be safe, park smart.

This rampant illegal parking on all roads with access to beaches and trails on both the California and Nevada sides of Lake Tahoe is not addressed the same as parking fines are not created equal, yet.

Nevada partners were able to get the fine for tickets on SR28 changed through the Washoe County courts. Parking in a "No Parking" zone comes with a $305 ticket and parking over the fog line has a $538 fine, plus tow fees. California fines are determined by the CHP, Superior Court and Department of Transportation.

NHP will hold another round of maximum parking enforcement along SR28 this coming weekend. NHP Trooper Hannah DeGoey said many drivers have told her the costly tickets they issue are "just part of the trip" expenses.

In El Dorado County the parking ticket can come with a $30-$50 fine, something many don't even hesitate to accept due to the convenience it is affording them by a good parking spot, even if it is a dangerous one.

CHP Officer Ruth Loehr said the same as DeGoey, those being ticketed are willing to pay and don't bat an eye at the cost.

Officers savvy with the law can make it a little more impact on the wallet, just as Nevada did with equating illegal parking along SR28 to a moving violation.

A search for the premium parking spot is endangering others. Pedestrians already have a very short shoulder to walk on at many points around Lake Tahoe, and they are forced into the lane of traffic when cars are parked illegally. The cars sticking out over the fog line put many in danger.

Help may be on the way to the SR89 corridor, but it won't happen right away. Multiple agencies are working on the SR 89 Recreation Corridor Management Plan where a goal is to control traffic and change the way people travel through that area.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is one of those agencies working on the corridor plan. Their Sustainability Program Manager Devin Middlebrook says ticketing is one way to control traffic and they will be looking at an increase in fines. He said the tickets will be just one of the tools that will go along with the main goal is infrastructure and physical barriers to lead vehicles where they should go to park.