- Video shows the residential pass offered by the Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce.
- Residents living in the mountain communities can purchase a pass, saving time when the snow comes down.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
With snowy weather approaching, residents in the mountain communities are concerned about other things 'descending' on their area.
Snow also triggers the arrival of visitors. But the Chamber of Commerce is offering up a simple solution to the 'seasonal' problem in the form of a pass!
Secretary and Treasurer of the Mountain Communities Chamber of Commerce, Deborah Turner, said, “What the pass does is everyone who is a resident has to prove that they live up here. It’s limited to two per household.
She added, “This is for our residents up here, and it was an idea of theirs and some of our businesses to help get through the congestion that happens every time we have heavy snow.”
Snow also creates long lines and sporadic closures on the I-5.
“Highway Patrol will stop traffic occasionally by the Flying J, they do it out of safety,” Turner said. “They do it to prevent congestion and problems. And they can take that pass, hang it in their rearview mirror, or hold it out the window to Highway Patrol. And what the Highway Patrol then will do is wave them through so they don’t have to wait in lines.”
Passes can be purchased throughout the mountain communities with a few requirements.
Turner said, “They have to get the name, the address, the phone number, proof of residency from either a license or ID card, something that shows that they live up here, and then also proof of their vehicle. These are confidential, so [they] are kept, nobody else sees them..”
Residential passes are available to those living in Lebec, Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Pinon Pines, Pine Mountain Club, Cuddy Valley, Lockwood Valley, Gorman, Neenach, and the Los Padres Estates.
“That’s how we spend from about November to usually February,” said Turner. “And by February, most of them are sold out.”
One of the residents, Dennis Turner, said the pass helps locals trying to get home. “You live up here, you just want to get home. You’re not there to play or whatever. And if you run into those kinds of problems, it’s not fun.”
He says that once the freeway shuts, nobody gets in or out.
With the pass, CHP can help traffic while residents can get a move-on without wasting too much time.
“If you do live here, get the pass,” Dennis Turner said. “It’ll save you a lot of time.”
Passes are sold throughout the mountain communities at Ace Hardware Store, Mountain Memories Association, Rescued Treasures Thrift Store, Don’s Liquor Mart,Ridge Route Museum, Kung Fu San Soo, Code 4 Acupuncture and Herbs, and Caveman Cavey’s Pizza.
But hurry residential pass sales cap out at 900 sales.
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