Bike paths can transform a community to be safer, healthier and contribute to its economic and environmental sustainability, with more than 49 miles in the Tahoe Basin, according to Bike Tahoe.
The Lake Tahoe Basin currently has 49.85 miles of shared-use paths (separate from the roadway) with Dollar Creek outside Tahoe City (2.2 miles), Sand Harbor to Incline Village (3 miles), Ski Run Blvd. to El Dorado Beach in South Lake Tahoe (less than 1 mile), and Incline Way in Washoe County (about .3 miles) currently under construction, according to Bike Tahoe. Looking ahead, the regional plan for the Basin calls for another 25.71 miles to be built over the next 5 years.
Bike Path Cruising LakeTahoe USA from We Bike Tahoe on Vimeo.
Here are some projects that are in the planning process:
- SR 89/50 in Meyers. Roundabout implementation start 2018, completion 2021. This includes adding to the bike path network.
- Sierra Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe will add about .6 miles of path
- Tahoe Valley Greenbelt in South Lake Tahoe will add 1.6 miles of path.
- Al Tahoe Safety and Mobility Enhancement Project in the next few years will add 1.9 miles.
- Meeks Bay to Sugar Pine Point will add just less than 1 mile.
In Tahoe, most bike paths either pass through or are adjacent to high concentrations of residential areas, commercial lodging properties, schools and shopping areas. According to Ty Polastri of Bike Tahoe, in South Lake Tahoe it is just 5 miles from Stateline, Nev., to the wye at the intersections of Highways 50 and 89 with nearly flat terrain the entire distance.
Similar bike path systems in Tahoe City and Incline Village, Nev., make biking to work, school or for play from home or lodging highly feasible and beneficial to the environment, economy and community.
Helping mitigate some of these health and environmental impacts is a campaign lead by Bike Tahoe in collaboration with the Nevada Commission on Tourism. It is a campaign encouraging more bicycle use among residents, businesses and visitors.
One of the campaign’s key elements is a series of bicycling videos available for use by any business, agency and organization or public. The most recent video is on Bike Path Cruising that highlights some of the most popular bike paths traveling through the residential and commercial corridors of South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, and Genoa, Nev. | biketahoe.org
