Out-of-towners

Tahoe authorities send message to 'out-of-towners' as snow approaches

By Andrew Chamings

As snow heads to the Tahoe Basin Wednesday night, the California Highway Patrol has a message for those planning on visiting the mountains for the New Year. 

"The California Highway Patrol would like to remind locals and out-of-towners alike to not park along highways to play in the snow while traveling through the Sierra," CHP South Lake Tahoe wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday. 

Alongside the warning, the agency posted a version of the "bubbles girl" meme with the text: "Watch out for out-of-towners, they think it's safe to sled near the highway."

CHP told SFGATE they routinely receive dozens of calls reporting bad behavior on the roads, including vehicles blocking roadways, illegally parked cars, pedestrians walking along snowy roads and even sledding onto busy highways. 

"We've seen it all," CHP South Lake Tahoe public information officer Ruth Loehr said over the phone. "It's gotten worse since COVID. All of sudden, we have people in spots they're not supposed to be."

"Last year we had someone sled off the mountain and smack their noggin onto Highway 50," Loehr said. "This was an adult, not a child. A grown woman who slid into traffic and hit her head on the roadway. Thank god no cars were coming in that lane."

Loehr says that CHP wrote over 100 tickets and towed several cars parked illegally at Echo Summit and around Emerald Bay over Christmas weekend. 

"They just stop when they see snow and play there, and it's a domino effect. One car stops to go sledding, everyone does it," she said. "People don't want to pay for parking so they stop by the side of the road, literally in front of a sign that says 'no parking, tow away zone.'"

As for using a meme to get the message across, Loehr confessed that was her handiwork. "I'm terrible at it," she laughed. "I can't compete with Truckee."

Whether because of bad decisions or inclement weather, emergencies on the roads leading to Tahoe are a serious issue. CHP Truckee said they received over 700 emergency calls in one day during last winter's storms. This year, they're understaffed as snow approaches. “We’re so short-staffed this year,” Truckee CHP Officer Carlos Perez told SFGATE in November. “We’re going to do everything we can, obviously. But it’s all hands on deck. We’re going to feel it.” 

Snowfall has been scant in the basin this year, with the snowpack sitting at only 28% of the average as of last week — a fraction of last year's record-setting winter. The coming days are forecasting a glimmer of hope for those planning on hitting the slopes, with one to two inches of snow predicted for Donner Pass and other mountain passes. But CHP urges visitors to make smart decisions. 

"It's all about safety, I can't stress that enough. We don't want you to park here as it's unsafe for you to do so, "Loehr said. "We don't want anything bad to happen to anybody, that's why we're out here every single day."