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Board backs staff work on pilot shuttle to ease South Yuba River congestion and safety issues
Summary
Supervisors supported development of a pilot shuttle to reduce dangerous roadside parking and improve safety at busy South Yuba River access points. Staff will pursue a pilot, seek grant funding and partner with local transit and hospitality stakeholders; the county will try to repurpose an air‑quality grant as seed funding.
Nevada County supervisors authorized staff to develop a shuttle pilot aimed at reducing dangerous roadside parking and improving safety at South Yuba River crossings, with an eye toward grant funding and public–private partnerships.
Supervisor Hook explained that heavy visitation since 2020 has produced illegal parking, vehicle break‑ins and unsafe pedestrian crossings along Highway 49. The supervisor proposed a seasonally run shuttle that would pick up visitors at organized parking lots and drop them at river access points, similar to an existing summer shuttle in Coloma.
Why it matters: Board members said the current situation places pedestrians at risk and impedes emergency access. Several supervisors emphasized the public‑safety rationale for trying a shuttle pilot rather than leaving the status quo in place.
What the board directed: Staff were asked to develop a pilot program, explore funding (including repurposing an air‑quality grant), partner with local transit providers and hospitality stakeholders, and aim for a phased launch that could begin in summer (staff mentioned a July 1 target if grants and logistics allow). The board also discussed enforcement and education measures to complement a shuttle.
Timeline and next steps: Staff said a pilot would likely take about 18 months from planning to full evaluation (roughly one partial season and then a full summer season) and that results would be returned to the board after the pilot period. The board authorized staff to seek grant funding and led outreach to partners; there was a specific direction to explore loaning or repurposing the county’s air‑quality grant as initial seed funding.
Ending: Supervisors supported the pilot concept and asked staff to proceed with development and partnership building; no county general‑fund appropriation was approved at the meeting.
