South Lake Tahoe is in for a busy weekend of tourists. Labor Day weekend is here.
Crowds of people are expected to head to South Lake Tahoe. The Mayor says it is expecting it to get crowded, despite the pandemic. This has some local residents concerned. So some of those residents took to the streets in protest to voice their concerns.
"This is the large hurrah. Everyone is coming in for the end of summer. There are illegal campfires. The beaches have been packed which is a real health and safety issue for the COVID problem," said local resident Jeffery Spencer.
A technical issue has also come up, creating gridlock in neighborhoods.
"The Waze and Google Maps, and things like that. It will give you a faster route to their destination. Those don't really work here in Tahoe," said South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Wallace.
"Yeah the Apps take people off the main highway, route them to through the neighborhoods, just to put them back onto the highway. There is only one way in and one way out. The apps are causing gridlock in our neighborhoods. The neighbors can't get to work. They can't get to doctor appointments. They can't get to church," said Spencer.
Spencer joined protestors along Highway 50 heading into the area from California. He says it once took him 9 hours to get his mother from church to home, 11 miles away. So he's got a suggestion to solve the problem.
"Restrictions throughout the area. So you can't turn during the peak hours. Like 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays and holidays. That will take the map apps off the algorithm. That will keep people out of the neighborhoods. That will allow the residents to conduct their lives normally," said Spencer.
Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Wallace says unfortunately the local government can't do that on Highway 50.
"We cannot stop traffic on a federal highway. That is not within our purview. That's not within our purview at all, nor in the city's or the county's," said Wallace.
Instead, she recommends people traveling in Tahoe stay off the GPS Apps and stay on the main roads instead.
Wallace says COVID-19 restrictions are in place in South Lake Tahoe. So you'll want to bring your mask and socially distance, because the city is ticketing and fining for violations.
