Spearheading transportation solutions for Tahoe Millions of cars clogging roadways robs locals and visitors of an enjoyable Lake Tahoe experience. Worse still, traffic degrades the clarity of Tahoe’s famed cobalt blue waters. How? Cars crush winter traction materials into fine sediment that enters the Lake through stormwater runoff. Increased traffic also hastens the deterioration of our road surfaces, producing additional dust and asphalt particles entering the Lake. Tailpipe pollution settles onto Lake Tahoe, providing nutrients that feed excessive algae growth.

Transportation plans take years to implement, but Tahoe needs solutions now. League experts are advocating for pilot programs to reduce traffic, such as a private/public project that would provide a frequent and reliable shuttle system for South Lake Tahoe between Ski Run and Stateline.

This summer, the League collaborated with LimeBike to bring bike sharing to South Tahoe, providing a fun and convenient alternative to sitting in traffic. Riders use smartphone apps to unlock and rent bikes anywhere with LimeBike’s dockless system. In its first months, visitors and locals made over 11,000 trips on LimeBikes. The bikes are GPStracked, providing data on where people are biking. Average bike rentals were brief, short trips, meaning they likely took cars off the road.

Learn more about the bike share pilot at keeptahoeblue.org/bikeshare.

Read more stories about protecting Lake Tahoe in 2017 in our 2017 Newsletter (PDF).