Online map helps to bike around Tahoe

Those navigating the roads and paths around Lake Tahoe on two wheels now have an interactive option for finding their way. Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition unveiled a new interactive online map in August, a multimedia tool it hopes will improve biking in the region.

“The concept behind it was to create an interactive tool that would be useful for people for route finding, but also for giving feedback to the Bike Coalition, TRPA and other people who make bike infrastructure decisions here in town,” said coalition board member Sherry Hao. “We’re really hoping that it will be a valuable tool.”

The Bike Coalition created the interactive map to meet the needs of the local biking community, and it includes directions, elevation profiles and location information — while allowing for feedback. The coalition already has the paper Lake Tahoe Bikeways map, available for free both online and at area bike shops and participating organizations.

“It’s a merging of two needs that we saw. The more data we can create around biking the better,” Hao said. “This can be a resource for people to start sending that information so that we can figure out problematic areas that might not be safe for bikers around Tahoe.”

Locals and visitors alike can use the map accessible via computer or mobile device to plan trips based on destination and routing preferences. Users can also report unsafe conditions or collisions and incidents, request bike parking in areas that lack it and even share locations of construction sites potentially difficult to bike around.

“We hope this will be a helpful resource for both residents and tourists of all skill levels, from families with small children out on a casual ride to competitive cyclists riding around the lake,” said coalition board member Chris Carney in a press release.

“The map supports the Lake Tahoe Bike Coalition’s efforts to promote bicycling as a fun, convenient, healthy and safe transportation choice,” Carney added.

The interactive map was made possible through a grant from Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s On Our Way program, which provides funding to enhance area streets and neighborhoods. As a result, the map created through collaboration with Blinktag is currently limited to roads with bike lanes and multi-use paths.

“We’re seeing this as the first phase,” Hao said. “We had to keep it to existing, official bike facilities. In the future, we can move into a more nuanced and comprehensive bike map.”

The interactive map is available online at map.tahoebike.org. For more information on Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition and a digital version of its paper map, visit www.tahoebike.org.