INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — With the completion of the East Shore Trail last summer, thousands of visitors have flocked to Incline Village to bike, walk or run along Lake Tahoe.

Ninety new parking spaces were added on State Route 28 near Ponderosa Ranch Rd. but those spots are also used to access the Flume Trail and the Tunnel Creek Cafe. With those spots filling up quickly, visitors have been parking illegally along SR 28 and Nevada Highway Patrol is writing hundreds of citations and the Nevada Department of Transportation is adding additional signage.

“Roadside parking in the area can limit sight distance for vehicles exiting residences to the south of Lakeshore Boulevard,” a press release from the Nevada Department of Transportation said. “The roadside parking also can limit emergency vehicles from using the shoulder to navigate around highway traffic during response.”

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According to NHP Public Information Officer Hannah DeGoey, between NHP and Nevada State Park rangers, 221 parking citations were written over the Fourth of July weekend.

“NHP alone writes approximately 120-130 citations on an average summer weekend so the Fourth of July weekend wasn’t something out of the ordinary,” DeGoey said. “The Tahoe troopers tell me that the park rangers issue a similar number of citations alongside them.”

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To combat the parking issue, six new “No Parking” signs were added on the lakeside of SR 28 from southern Lakeshore Blvd. to approximately 300 feet south.

Public roadside parking is already prohibited on many areas of SR 28 south of Incline Village, including on roadside shoulders between Sweetwater Road and Lakeshore Blvd. Illegally-parked vehicles can be towed from no parking zones and drivers ticketed with a maximum $305 fine.

More than two and a half million vehicles a year travel on SR 28 and as many as 2,000 pedestrians and bicyclists park near the roadside on peak days.

So while the new signs are hoped to enhance safety, the issue of where to park is still top of mind for locals and Tahoe officials.

The Tahoe Transportation District along with Nevada State Parks is working on expanding parking at Spooner Summit and providing a shuttle between to and from Incline.

TTD is also attempting to purchase the old elementary school in Incline to build a mobility hub to accommodate the potential shuttles, although many Incline residents oppose the purchase.