Bike lanes approved for Highway 50 project in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE -- To the delight of bicycle advocates, a project to widen a two-mile section of Highway 50 at the South Shore now includes Class II bicycle lanes.

Caltrans representative Tom Brannon updated the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Tuesday on the status of Tahoe projects, including Highway 50 improvements.

Beginning in 2010, the project will widen both sides of the road between Ski Run Boulevard and Trout Creek Bridge and install Class 2 bike lanes, which are lanes designated for bicyclists with a painted line and a bicycle symbol. Walkways will also be improved, along with landscaping and lighting on the mountain side of the highway.

On the lake side of the road, Caltrans will make improvements for the disabled.

“This is an example of collaboration when all stakeholders come together,” said Ty Polastri of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition.

Brannon said he and Polastri met with other Caltrans staff, and they agreed to establish Class 2 bike lanes in the widened section of the highway. Polastri explained to Caltrans officials how important the lane designation was to the bike community.

And bicycle enthusiasts want progress to continue.

Polastri argued that bicycle improvements are part of Caltrans’ mission. To prove his point, he read a Caltrans document that stated Caltrans “views all transportation improvements as opportunities to improve safety, access, and mobility for all travelers in California and recognizes bicycle, pedestrian, and transit modes as integral elements of the transportation system.”

Brannon said the Class 2 bike lanes will transition back to Class 3 bike lanes — where the road is a recommended bike route but a lane is not designated. He said the switch would occur at an intersection so bicyclists would have time to notice it.

Others agree that the community needs bike lanes. Shay Boutillier, Bike to Work Week organizing committee member, said the 2008 Bike to Work Week was the most successful one since the event started three years ago.

A registered 464 cyclists logged 15,551 miles from May 12-16, compared to 255 local cyclists who logged 6,890 miles in 2007.

Boutillier said they surveyed bicyclists, and 90 percent said they would be able to commute more efficiently if there were bike lanes on Highway 50.

Karen Fink, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency associate transportation planner, said Class 2 bike lanes on Highway 50 are part of the agency’s master plan for the Lake Tahoe Basin. She encouraged the city and Caltrans to put in bike lanes at the same time as the storm drains to be more efficient.

Fink added that the bike lane on Pioneer Trail is attractive and was another good step forward.

South Shore bicycle advocate Tom Wendell said having bike lanes is important for the quality of life in town, and for attracting visitors. He said Summit County, Colo., has Class 1 bike lanes — dedicated paved trails separated from the road — that are cleared year-round. That community is at an elevation of 10,000 feet.

“We are dependent on recreation as our life blood,” Wendell said. “The more we can enhance it, the better off we’ll be.”

Types of bike lanes

Class 1:

Dedicated paved trails that are physically separated from the road. This provides the safest means of bicycle travel.

Class 2:

Bicyclists share the roadway, but have a lane designated by a pictograph and a continuous stripe showing the lane. Because some separation from traffic exists, it provides more safety for the bicyclist.

Class 3:

Bicyclists also share the road with automobiles, but no lane is designated for bikes. It is a recommended bicycle route that’s designated with a bikeway sign. Since no lane is designated, it has higher potential for safety issues.