Illegal parking on Lake Tahoe’s East Shore ongoing despite max enforcement
Provided
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Nevada Highway Patrol is writing citations and towing vehicles on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe — but nothing is slowing down illegal parking.
Even with maximum enforcement in effect on State Route 28 between Incline Village and U.S. Highway 50, NHP says there has been no improvement.
NHP cracked down this summer by giving motorists the maximum penalty after they were receiving emergency calls everyday about gridlock and illegally parked vehicles that were blocking travel lanes on SR-28.
“When you park in no parking areas or over the solid white lane line (aka the fog line), you create serious congestion and jeopardize the safety of passing motorists, cyclists, recreating pedestrians, small children and animals. Lately, this has also led to road rage and brandishing calls,” NHP said in a press release earlier this month.
To put the issue in perspective, last year NHP wrote 231 citations for illegal parking on this stretch and Nevada State Park Rangers wrote 600 citations.
This year those numbers have skyrocketed. As of last week, NHP has issued over 650 citations and park rangers wrote another 2,000 just this year.
NHP also towed at least 50 vehicles parked in the travel lane since maximum enforcement went in place at the end of July. This past weekend, park rangers wrote more than 100 citations and towed several vehicles.
Towed vehicles go to the respective company’s tow yard. The owners of towed vehicles receive $528 citations for impeding the travel lane.
“This maximum enforcement period will continue since the illegal parking and parking in the travel lane continues,” said NHP Public Information Officer, Trooper Hannah DeGoey in an email. “We’re taking this enforcement seriously because our goal is to avoid a preventable crash or pedestrian fatality from the overwhelming number of drivers parking illegally and impeding the travel lane.”
NHP recommends people going to the area to arrive early, park legally and have a backup plan if the area you want to visit doesn’t have parking.
The Tahoe Daily Tribune is a sister publication to the Sierra Sun.
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