“I know people are frustrated. They’re hugely frustrated. I’m frustrated. So, how do we solve these issues together?” –Placer County Supervisor Cindy GustafsonÂ
It seems traffic near North Lake Tahoe ski resorts has only gotten this worse this year along Highway 89 and Highway 267 and there are no clear resolutions to the ongoing problem. KCRA spoke with Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson who believes the issues stems from several factors including steady snowfall, more people working remotely, buying season ski passes versus day passes and not carpooling. With more folks not feeling obligated to money’s worth out of a day pass and more inclined to take a few runs and bounce, roads are more often gridlocked and parking lots are at capacity:
“So, people ski a little bit, they leave but often, they want that flexibility of having their personal vehicle there and then they pop back on the road. So, the ski areas tell me they’ve doubled the amount of traffic for the same people on the mountain.” –Placer County Supervisor Cindy GustafsonÂ
The problem was recently addressed at a special joining meeting of the North Tahoe Regional Advisory Council and the Olympic Valley Municipal Advisory Council attended by 150 people in person and 180 people online.
Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson says local governments, ski resorts, California Highway Patrol and Caltrans will have to continue to have joint discussions on solutions including more park-and-ride lots, more officers directing traffic and earlier warnings for drivers when resort parking lots are full. She anticipates having another public meeting to go over options in the next month or two.
Expect to really feel the crunch this weekend if you’re headed up Highway 89 to Olympic Valley where Palisades Tahoe will be part of the Audi FIS Ski World Cup Tour. Leave early, be patient, don’t plan on getting anywhere fast.