AUBURN, CA (MPG) -- Thanks to new hand-held technology devices, Placer County staff reported strong summer parking enforcement numbers in North Lake Tahoe at last week’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Following an update about the program, staff requested a purchase of new technology to further enhance enforcement.

Implemented at ski resorts last winter and in the Kings Beach area this past summer, the county’s Parking Management Program in North Lake Tahoe continues to expand with the goal to reduce traffic congestion in the region.

As recommended in the Resort Triangle Transportation Plan and adopted by the board in 2020, the first phase of the Parking Management Program was initiated to better manage existing parking supply for the Kings Beach commercial core and some residential streets, known as “the Grid,” that experience high volumes of summer visitor parking. In June, the board directed the county to move forward with program implementation, including a pilot program for paid parking at the county’s Christmas Tree parking lot that operated from Aug. 6 to Sept. 30.

Additionally, at that meeting the board also approved a contract to utilize the Citation Processing Center for parking citation processing and payments. This action allowed enforcement officers to switch from time intensive, written paper parking tickets to automated electronic parking citations. It also shifted parking enforcement from the Placer County Sheriff’s Office to Placer County’s Public Works enforcement team to reduce the use of law enforcement resources in eastern Placer.

By using hand-held parking enforcement devices this past summer, staff improved efficiency, reduced errors and allowed for better data tracking. From July 1 to Sept. 30, the county’s enforcement team issued 1,266 parking citations, which was more than eight times the number of citations from 2023 (153). Approximately 16% of those tickets were issued as warnings only with $0 totals. Nearly 63% of tickets were issued for parking in a restricted area posted as “No Parking.”

A key program goal is to achieve better turnover of premium parking spaces adjacent to commercial businesses in Kings Beach, many of which are located along the state highway. However, staff highlighted that only 1.5% of tickets were issued for parking in a time-limited zone.

“Our team recognizes the important role of parking enforcement to ensure our local businesses see a steady stream of customers, but our team can only be in a few spots at once,” said Public Works Deputy Director Rebecca Taber. “We’re hopeful that leveraging new technology will enhance our ability to be more efficient and therefore provide better service to the community.”

In addition to the hand-devices, staff also requested adoption of new parking tracking technology at last week’s board meeting to improve data collection and enforcement. The board voted unanimously to authorize the county’s purchasing manager to obtain two mobile license plate recognition technology units at a cost not to exceed $100,000.

The county can now purchase a pair of Genetech AutoVu SharpZ3 units, currently used by California Highway Patrol vehicles. Each unit includes four cameras that will be installed on the county’s parking enforcement patrol vehicles along with software to monitor, capture and analyze license plate information. The license plate data is hashed and anonymized to ensure private information is not tracked or kept on any county or vendor servers.

Funding for these units comes from the county’s and North Tahoe Community Alliance’s TOT-TBID Dollars At Work program.

Placer County’s Public Works and Community Development Resource Agency established a policy for automated license plate recognition usage and privacy. This policy assures the collected data will be used solely for the purpose of adaptive program management, enhanced enforcement and compliance with the county’s parking regulations.

Staff anticipates returning to the board in March 2025 with results of this past summer’s initial phase of the Kings Beach Parking Management Implementation Plan, including the outcome of the paid parking demonstration and recommendations for future actions.

Placer County strongly encourages residents and visitors in North Lake Tahoe to take advantage of numerous and free public transportation options that help reduce traffic congestion in the region, which include TART bus service and TART Connect, an on-demand micro-transit service. The region also has a variety of park-and-ride options. Learn more about regional transit by clicking here.

Learn more about parking management here: https://www.placer.ca.gov/8857/Parking-Management-Program.