Opinion: Nevada pulling out of TRPA would hurt transit at Tahoe
By Carl Hasty
The Tahoe Transportation District is on the brink of becoming an unfortunate casualty of legislation proposed to withdraw Nevada from the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Compact with California. The unintended consequence of Nevada Senate Bill 271 will be a direct threat to over $400 million programmed over the next five years for vital transportation improvements that will connect communities within the Tahoe Basin and further protect the clarity of Lake Tahoe.
SB271 was introduced by Nevada state Sens. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas, and James Settelmeyer, R-Capital Senatorial District. The bill is co-sponsored by Assemblymembers Kelly Kite, R-Minden, Pat Hickey, R-Reno, and Randy Kirner, R-Reno.
Carl Hasty
I attended the recent hearing on the bill and understand the frustration with the state of California and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency expressed by the committee. When such frustration leads to hurried action, more problems can be created than solved. There are clearly problems to be resolved, some sooner than others. We welcome the spotlight that the bill shines on these problems, but we are concerned it may cause more uncertainty and confusion and eliminate worthwhile projects. Rational discussion involving all parties, and a timeline for resolving major issues, may be a more constructive way to proceed.
In 1980, Public Law 96-551 passed by Congress amended the 1969 Compact between Nevada and California which established the TRPA. Article IX of this law created the TTD as an independent agency within the Compact. TTD is charged with facilitating and implementing safe, environmentally beneficial, multi-modal transportation programs and projects for the entire Tahoe basin in Nevada and California.
A primary funding source for TTD projects comes from the Federal Highways Administration through the Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization, a federal transportation planning authority tied to the Compact in 1997. Should Nevada withdraw from the Compact, the flow of these funds would cease because the TTD and TMPO would no longer exist.
The 2010 Maximum Daily Load Report published by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the California Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region, documents that 70 percent of fine sediment and particulates clouding Lake Tahoe are a direct result of the region’s 20th century transportation system.
TTD’s outlook is to the future. The projects proposed and developed by the agency and its many partners are vital to protect and enhance Lake Tahoe while improving mobility in the 21st century and beyond. Those living and working in the basin and visitors from all over the world will be losers in the long run if projects are put on hold or never completed.
The TTD currently operates BlueGo, a bi-state transit service and has several projects in the planning and development stage. Those projects include a bikeway on the Nevada side of Tahoe, anchored by a roundabout and related improvements at the intersection of Highway 28 and the Mount Rose Highway; Highway 50 Stateline Community Revitalization project, a centerpiece for the transformation of Stateline South Shore in Nevada and California; and the Highway 89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization project in Tahoe City. TTD is currently evaluating feasibility for a Lake Tahoe aquabus, a trans-lake passenger ferry service between the north and south shores, and potentially connected to smaller water taxis for shorter trips.
These projects will benefit all Nevada and California residents and visitors. However, without a fully functioning TTD and TMPO, there is very little likelihood that any of them will be accomplished.
Carl Hasty is executive director of the Tahoe Transportation Department.
We have all heard about our budget problems. This is one part of the solution, defunding wasteful programs. We have wasted so much money on inefficient government programs that now they must be cut. I don’t think anyone particuluarly likes this but, we just can’t afford luxurious programs like this any more. Some of us who have seen TRPA operate since it’s inception, believe that they strayed from their charter and purpose and, therefore, overreached. There are financial consequences to overreaching. Perhaps this can serve as a warning to other government programs: become more efficient or perish! Enough.
There is no doubt that the TRPA has over stepped its original charter and changes or a “re-set” of their focus is greatly needed. The fact however that this movement will cease to allow TTD to operate is unacceptable and will have much of the same effect as the TRPA has on all of us now, NEGATIVE… With no TTD our people, workers and visitors will be without transportation they have come to rely on, especially with the continued rise of fuel costs. Douglas and Nevada should consider the impact they will cause it’s voters and tax payers. Typical Government reaction, the talk before thinking everything through. I suggest they slow down and look at all the effects and then make a good, well rounded plan. What seems good on the surface has fingers that can harm our local people who are important.
The TMPO and the TTD are valuable assets to the region. In most cities, the regional planning organization typically focuses on air quality, water quality, and transportation. Sacramento has SAECOG for example. Their main focus is to assist local agencies in programming projects at the State and Federal funding levels. As a homeowner who who owns a property that was buildable under CTRPA, but is not buildable under TRPA I have been one of many that have been impacted significantly by the ridiculous rules and regulations. But the TTD and the TMPO are very different. These divisions of the TRPA have done a great job at securing and programming needed funding for projects here. Much of the funding for the highway project that is to begin this summer came from funding secured by the TMPO. Bike trails, intersection upgrades, bus stops, roadway improvements are all programmed by these folks. Many of the roadway enhnacement projects around the basin could not have been completed without them.
Yes, change or eliminate TRPA and leave planning to the local agencies in conformance with environmental goals like most cities and counties in the country do. But DO NOT eliminate the TMPO or TTD. They do provide a valuable resource for the local agencies and are critical in the transportaition funding element of the basin.
Where is the strategic thinking in all of this? After all these years of disatisfaction with the TRPA all we can offer up is a knee jerk reaction without a clear understanding of what injuries we are about to inflict upon ourselves.
No wonder orgs like the League have such an advantage… they think out their strategies, secure funding and take a long term approach. If Grego is so passionate about all of this he should resign as city council and form a non-profit to further the revamping of the TRPA and fight the League.
TTD has been a disaster! It’s gotten less people to use public transit and gotten more people into cars!! This just makes the case for Nevada to pull out of the TRPA! Please NV, hurry up and pull out of the TRPA so the joke that is known as BlueGo (that after how many years still can’t get it right?!) will dissolve!!
Come one conservatives…. think this through. Your brains have been teabagged.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with ‘Parker’ – Mr. Hasty talks about $ 400 million in jeopardy, just after his recent lament that ‘funding is now not lining up as it should’. . .
As to running BlueGo, I’m not so sure I would want to lay claim to that, under circumstances surrounding a $ 2.5 million shortfall and the litigation that goes along with that.
Truth is, TRPA’s #2 charge is ‘reducing automobile usage’, and the term bureaucrat has not gotten a positive reprieve in decades, given the fact that transit is now worse than at any time in memory.
How does an agency with a dozen board members create a $ 2.5 million shortfall ? – by not knowing what they’re doing, that’s how !!
In an auto-centric place like Tahoe, it is easy to miss the transit situation (having to once again rely on whatever “hoopty” of a vehicle you can to get around on time), so TTD being a ‘subsidiary’ of the TRPA doesn’t speak well for the seriousness of their accomplishment, but only says they are worried about continuing to be funded at all. . .
The Tahoe Transportation District is an independent agency from TRPA. Since TTD assumed operation of Bluego last fall, there’s been increase in ridership and they’re working within a realistic budget. To me, it seems seems like a good organization. The federal funding that is tied to the bi-state agreement would be lost if Nevada pulls out and therefore no Basin transportation projects. That’s the last thing Tahoe needs right now, to lose even more jobs and funding. There are solutions to balance business and environmental needs. How about some elected officials who choose vision for the overall good?
Satori, sorry you feel it’s ‘unfortunate’ that you have to agree with me! Have my other comments been that off the wall? But at least someone else sees the flawed logic in Mr. Hasty’s opinion piece!
And Michele, TTD may have raised the low bar of ridership that it inherited? But the disaster of BlueGo was formed through the heavy pressure that the TRPA was able to exert on the various businesses and local governments in our community!
Ms. Matthews needs to do her homework – the TTD was buried within TRPA for a long time before deciding to “branch out” with TTD a few years back (relative to the length of time TRPA has existed), and hired their first Executive Director in Richard Hill.
The controversy at that point was in becoming an MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization), a designation usually reserved for populations of 250,000 – but of course Tahoe being “special” (with full-fledged support from all four of the CA/NV Senators), we “won” that designation.
Were we then positioned for better funding ?
As all these occurrences were over a decade ago, with spotty results, TRPA can not seem to get the traction needed to fulfill its’ # 2 charge, “reducing automobile usage”, if it ever can.
It’s current Director (Manager”) was Deputy Director of the TRPA for way over a decade, and was hired back specifically to extract funding from various (now hurting) sources.
What does that tell you ?
Especially since he has already implied that funding was now “unreliable” – are we being primed for further downgrades ?
As most ‘metropolitan’ transit systems are heavily subsidized, Tahoe cannot seem to inject itself into that mix, as their Board ending up $ 2.5 million upside down suggests.
It would seem that the only way to end up so far in the hole, would be in thinking that funding was coming, which didn’t materialize, as someone probably promised. . .
I’ll repeat her question back – How about some elected officials who choose vision for the overall good (?)
They are indeed in short supply, starting with the fact that no one associated with the TTD is “elected” – there are elected folks on the Board, but elected to other, presumably more successful endeavors.
But not to the TTD.
To Parker:
The use of the word ‘unfortunately’was not used iny other context except one: we could be and indeed should be doing so much better than we are, especially with that No. 2 charge of of “reducing automobile usage”. . .
The Lake deserves better. . .
Totally agreed Satori! I was just trying to inject some self-deprecating humor into this blogosphere!
If only some ‘officials’ could use some “self-deprecation”, perhaps they wouldn’t put out such mediocrity with a straight face, thereby. allowing less hubris and more responsiveness. . .
To parzphrase Reagan: “Ms. Marchetta, tear down those (silos) !!! . . .