Push for Sidewalk Construction
Gaining Momentum
By Catherine Abel
An idea which has been
around in Tahoe for several years seems to be gaining momentum.
The city council waxed enthusiastic at its April 4 meeting, as did persons in the
audience, at the prospect of installing sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and pedestrian lighting
from the Y to Ski Run.
A traffic specialist from Nevada, working with South Lake Tahoe people, has arranged to
bring in a "city walkability" expert to speak to local leaders.
The only question that remains is where to get the money.
Brad Vidro, head of the city's Public Works department, told the council that the
proposed improvements in the targeted area would cost about $4 million, of which the city
has found funding sources for $1 million. The council agreed to pursue further federal
dollars.
Mayor Tom Davis, who was not at the April 4 session, told the Mountain News that U.S.
Congressman John Doolittle has introduced a bill to pay for sidewalks under the water
quality mandate imposed on Tahoe by the federal government and the TRPA. Sidewalks and
gutters would improve water quality by diverting runoff into filtering catch basins before
it goes into the lake, Davis said. Visitors and locals would also be encouraged to walk
from place to place, he added, reducing pollution from auto exhaust.
Sue Newberry, who works for the state of Nevada's Traffic Safety office, is involved in
a regional committee of western states that is studying the "walkability issue."
Working with Teri Jamin, head of South Lake Tahoe's planning department, Newberry has
arranged for Dan Burton of the nationwide Bicycle Federation to visit South Lake Tahoe and
talk about low-cost ways for cities to improve walking and bicycling feasibility. The
meeting, scheduled for May 2 at Embassy Suites, will not be open to the general public,
Newberry said, but political and community leaders will be invited.
Local resident Suzanne Stone has emerged as a spokesperson in the sidewalk project,
somewhat accidentally. "I sent away for some information offered through Walking
Magazine," Stone said, "and then was contacted by some federal agency. I told
them to get in touch with Tom Davis or Margo Osti."
-- from Mountain News Briefs, April 1997
U.S. Department of Transportation