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Introduction

Mono County is a rural county located on the eastern side of California's Sierra Nevada range.
The county encompasses an area of 3,103 square miles and hosts a total population of 10,825
(1999 Department of Finance Estimates). The County has one incorporated area, the Town of
Mammoth Lakes, which contains approximately half of the county population. During periods of
heavy visitation, however, the Town's population is estimated to peak at more than 35,000.

Approximately 94 percent of the County is public or quasi-public land administered by the U.S.
Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the State of California, or the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power. As a result, tourism and recreation is the major industry in the
county. Approximately 80 percent of all employment is directly, or indirectly, associated with this
industry. Annually, more than six million visitor-days of use occur on public lands in Mono County.
The majority of these visitors travel to and through the county on the highway system.

Communities in the unincorporated area of the county are scattered throughout the region,
primarily along or near U.S. Hwy. 395 and State Hwy. 6. Communities along Hwy. 395 include
Topaz, Coleville, Walker, Bridgeport, Mono City, Lee Vining, June Lake, Crowley communities
(Long Valley, McGee Creek, Hilton Creek, Aspen Springs and Sunny Slopes). Each of these
communities is small, rural in character and oriented primarily to serving recreational and tourist
traffic. Communities are oriented towards residential and agricultural uses.

Several Mono County communities are experiencing growth pressures, Mono Basin, June Lake
and the Long Valley Communities are experiencing increasing development pressures due in part
to the increasing development in the Town of Mammoth Lakes.

Benton, Hammil and Chalfant, located along Hwy. 6 in the Tri-Valley area, are experiencing similar
development pressures from Bishop in Inyo County and, to a lesser degree, from the Town of
Mammoth Lakes. The Tri-Valley also experiences far less recreational and tourist traffic than the
rest of the county.

Transportations Issues

The goal of the Mono County Regional Transportation Plan is to provide and maintain a
transportation system which provides for the safe, efficient, and environmentally sound movement
of people, goods and services, and which is consistent with the socioeconomic and land use
needs of Mono County. The primary transportation mode is the existing highway and road system.
The Bikeway/trail component of the transportation system has become an increasingly important
mode of circulation, particularly in Mammoth Lakes. Air travel is a mode of travel capable of
assuming a larger role in the future as the Town and county continues to make necessary
improvements to the existing airports.

As recreational use increases in the County, particularly in Mammoth Lakes, congestion and air
pollution problems will become more acute. Mammoth Lakes has been classified as a nonattainment
area for State ozone standards, and for State and Federal PM-10 standards. In the recent update
of the Regional Transportation Plan and its approval of several large resort development, Mammoth
Lakes has placed a greater emphasis on transit and pedestrian improvements, rather than road
improvements, to address the congestion and air quality problems.

The need to provide transit for transit dependent persons and others continues to grow. The rural,
sparsely populated nature of Mono County makes it difficult to provide equitable transit services to
the various communities. The LTC has recently expressed an increasing interest and involvement
in providing efficient transit service to county residents and is in the process if updating its transit
plan. In addition, the LTC continues its participation on the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation
System (YARTS), which is initiating transit service to Yosemite Valley from gateway communities
such as Lee Vining.

Due to Senate Bill 45, the role of the MCLTC has significantly expanded. This legislation provides
the MCLTC additional responsibilities for project monitoring with significant, additional and
discretionary funding for transportation projects and increased transportation planning
responsibilities.

Organization of the Mono County Local Transportation Commission

The Mono County Local Transportation Commission (MCLTC) is the designated Regional
Transportation Planning Agency for Mono County. Its membership includes three members of and
appointed by the Town of Mammoth Lakes Town Council and three members of and appointed by
the County Board of Supervisors. The Director of Caltrans District 9 serves as an ex-officio
member of the MCLTC. The Mono County LTC acts as an autonomous agency in filling the
mandates of the Transportation Development Act.

The primary duties of the MCLTC consist of the following:

Every four years, prepare, adopt and submit a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), and
every two years prepare a Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) for the
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the California Transportation Commission;

Annually, review and comment on the Transportation Improvement Plan contained in the
State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP);

Provide ongoing administration of the Transportation Development Act (TDA) Funds.

Annually, prepare and submit the Overall Work Program; and

Periodically allocate funds for Transportation Enhancement Activities (TEA).