STATELINE, Nev. – The Board of Douglas County Commissioners authorised an replace to the 2023 Douglas County Complete Trails Plan on the Board of Commissioners on January 18. 

The Tahoe East Shore Alliance is looking it one other win whereas the interim county supervisor Scott Morgan is looking it a dwelling doc in want of steady work. 

TESA, also called the “Highway Warriors” got here collectively to combat Nevada Division Of Transportation’s Hall Administration Plan which might revert the scenic byway to one thing extra like the unique 2-lane roadway of 1962.

The curiosity of the TESA group was peaked when the plan was first on the agenda in December.

“The identical advisor, with the identical plans, and the bike lanes subsequent to the freeway naturally made us fear that this was a brand new model of the identical plan that Nevada Division of Excessive Transportation proposed for the Hall Administration Plan. It must be a everlasting a part of the plan,” mentioned District 4 resident, Elisabeth Lerhardt mentioned she was happy with the way in which it has been adjusted to make clear that no lane discount could be acceptable.

“I wasn’t invited to the workshops, neither was my neighbor,” Lernhardt supplied public remark relating to an unidentified portion of Douglas County on the lake being ignored throughout Wooden Rogers’ outreach and requested extra transparency and a gathering to debate the lake points which are distinctive to the opposite districts, county-wide.

“We despatched a press launched to the File Courier and Tahoe Tribune June 1, 2023, saying a survey on-line and the July 25 assembly, the most important GID on the lake is KGID so we did a public presentation to that elected board in an open assembly as a result of they characterize the most important inhabitants within the basin, and we wished to listen to if that they had any enter into our plan representing that variety of residents in addition to take public remark,” previous to that Morgan informed the Tribune that social media and bulletins at conferences had been made to ask the overall inhabitants to the open conferences held within the 4 main areas of Douglas County.

The Wooden Rogers consulting firm, employed to help, defined the path’s replace was produced over the course of a 12 months after holding almost 30 conferences between public stakeholders and different collaborating companies with 4 public workshops to gather suggestions on the paths is to “enhance the standard of life whereas additionally enhancing the economic system, and developing with a design and implementation course of,” in keeping with the Principal Planner for Wooden Rogers, Derek Kirkland.

“What number of steps are you going to have within the improvement on this product,” District 5 Commissioner, Walt Nowosad, inquired on the standing of the challenge plan and what number of steps it may be; sometimes there are seven in keeping with the commissioner.

“There’s so many problems,” Morgan continued, to get “from line on the map to motion” will depend upon a number of components however at current, the interim supervisor mentioned, “we’re figuring out the necessity with the overall plan.”

Kirkland defined that prices fluctuate, wants and needs of the neighborhood change as does the know-how. Electrical bikes for instance, change the way in which people entry and use trails creating want for changes alongside the way in which.

Greater than ten companies collaborated to create an “stock” map consisting of all current trails as an with proposed trails based mostly on the suggestions acquired instantly from the neighborhood. 

“Public security has acquired to be a chief concern once we have a look at pedestrian and bicycle,” Mark Gardner, Commissioner for District 3 mentioned that decreasing lanes and “highway diets” aren’t an appropriate a part of the plan and added, “I wish to reassure the general public on this course of, we’re not endorsing that as a part of this plan.”

Gardner interrupted Morgan as he responded asking for him to talk up so it was clear to all stating he will get quite a lot of public remark “my pc simply blows up about considerations in regards to the public security, this board has been very vocal that to cut back lanes to accommodate autos will not be an appropriate plan.” 

“We won’t cut back lanes, we particularly addressed this in two locations within the replace,” Morgan supplied additional clarification, “The plan has at all times been a premiere world class bike path to be as near Lake Tahoe as attainable, by no means has it envisioned to have this bike path on HWY 50 behind k-rail, to get round Lake Tahoe. There’ll and could also be a signalized crossing or in the fitting of means out of necessity however lanes won’t be taken away or lowered.”

“We take significantly our persevering with obligation to maintain a watchful eye over Hwy 50 and different occasions impacting the East Shore,” TESA founder and 12 12 months resident Brett Tibbits informed the Tribune. He added they continue to be cautiously optimistic . 

“I can’t say sufficient good about Carson Valley Trails Affiliation,” mentioned Sharla Hales District 2 commissioner.

She counseled the collaborative group on the profitable work of managing and mentioned, “I exploit the paths, the maps, web site, I don’t know of some other group that has got down to do one thing so large with only a devoted group of volunteers and I can’t thank them sufficient.”