Now that we’ve closed out the first year of our parking program, we wanted to provide an update on what went well, what we’ll continue to refine, and where we will still need your help.
Most importantly, we want to share our heartfelt thanks for your participation and willingness to try something new. Our community has once again demonstrated that by working together, we can address challenges like traffic congestion with new ideas and make a tangible difference.
WHAT WENT WELL
Less Gridlock
Significantly improved traffic flow with measures that prevented complete standstills, ensuring smoother travel for our guests and the local community.
“My husband and I have lived on Olympic Valley Rd for 18 years. In recent ski seasons we have been unable to leave on weekends because we could never get back due to the horrendous traffic. We are so thrilled to see that the traffic has disappeared!! The parking reservation system has given us our weekends back. Thank you!”
Olympic Valley Resident, 2/11/24
Incentivized Park & Ride Program
With a commitment to sustainability and behavior change, the Park & Ride initiative was highly successful, which jumped dramatically from 500 participants in the 2022-23 season to nearly 5,000 this season! To support this shift:
- Guest Incentives: We offered a $10 voucher for guests who choose Park & Ride as a thank you for enhancing the resort experience while promoting eco-friendly transportation.
- Subsidization Efforts: We’ve invested $90,000 to subsidize the Park & Ride program, underscoring our dedication to reducing traffic congestion.
- Employee Carpool Rewards: The employee carpool initiative reduced the number of cars, taking 5,914 off the road, averaging 3.5-3.6 employees per car, by incentivizing employees to carpool with food vouchers. This contributed significantly to local traffic reduction and environmental conservation.
More Skiers Per Car
Together, we’ve achieved a 154% increase in the average number of people per car during reservation periods (From 1.3 – 3.31 people per car), which significantly eases parking congestion through effective carpooling and shuttle strategies. Nice work!
Bus Participation
Our ski buses to Palisades Tahoe from Sacramento and the Bay Area hosted:
- 116 buses with 4,887 riders this year
- Ridership is up 49% from last season!
Mountaineer Service
A favorite way to get to the mountain for those that live or stay within Olympic Valley or Alpine Meadows is the Mountaineer. This on-demand shuttle service saw huge success this winter season:
- Passengers 73,249 – 20% increase from last season
- Rides 34,277 – 22% increase from last season
- Cars off the road – 3,578 21% increase from last season
- Average Wait Time 11 minutes – 27% decrease from last season
- Rides Shared = 70%
WHAT WE’LL WORK ON
- Our parking program is here to stay, with plans to continue a mix of free and paid parking and we are committed to refining where possible to reduce friction points in the process.
- We will continue to address egress challenges, particularly after peak skiing hours, and when the weather allows, we’ll continue to operate a third-lane system (two ways out, one way in) to help with traffic flow.
- We’ll continue to refine and improve our parking reservation system, ensuring it accommodates all guests and employees weekly, factoring in weather conditions and events.
- We will continue to improve our destination stewardship plan by working with our local tourism industry and work in partnership with the community.
WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP
Consider commuting differently / Rethink Your Ride
In a spirit of collective responsibility and environmental stewardship, we humbly encourage everyone to consider carpooling, using Park & Ride, or taking public transit. Together, we can significantly reduce traffic congestion and make a positive impact on our region’s accessibility.
Spread the Word
Help spread the word on what we’re doing and what you’re personally doing to improve traffic challenges in Lake Tahoe. There’s still work to be done, and every conversation at home or within the community about our collective progress is a step forward.
Partnership Appreciation
We’d like to give a heartfelt thank you to our mountain community and our incredible partners—Forest Service, CHP, NTCA, Visit Truckee-Tahoe, Caltrans, Nevada County and Placer County—who have gone above and beyond in their support. Their invaluable contributions have been instrumental in the positive strides we’re making together toward alleviating traffic concerns around Lake Tahoe.
