At issue:
Can golf cart safety be improved in Peachtree City?
Jill Howard Church for the AJC
Published 20 May 2017
With school letting out and summer
weather beckoning, Peachtree City’s multi-use paths, streets and parking lots
will be buzzing with golf carts. There are more than 10,000 registered gas- and
electric-powered carts in the city, cruising through more than 100 miles of
paths.
In January, the Peachtree City
Police Department reported a 33 percent increase in cart-related accidents in
2016, mostly involving teenagers. Social media posts in Peachtree City often
cite incidents in which (mostly young) golf cart drivers blow past pedestrians
without slowing down. This can be especially hazardous for dog walkers if the
animals are on longer, less visible retractable leashes.
The city’s updated brochure
regarding golf cart use includes multiple safety warnings. Carts are not
supposed to go more than 20 mph, and drivers are required to use a “horn or
other audible signal” when approaching pedestrians from behind. Unlike
pedestrians, golf carts do not have the right of way in crosswalks, paths or
roads. Violators can be fined or face other consequences.
In February, city resident Susan
Buekes approached the mayor, city manager and City Council asking that horns be
made mandatory on all carts, saying that Title 40 of the Georgia Code requires
horns on any personal transportation vehicle driven at night. City Manager Jon
Rorie replied that the current ordinance requiring audible warnings is
sufficient, and that horn use would be hard to enforce. The city is handing out
free bicycle bells (that can also be used on carts) with a reminder sticker
reading, “Audible Signal Required.”
Rorie said that horns alone cannot
guarantee pedestrian safety, particularly if someone is using headphones or
earbuds and can’t hear audible warnings. “Pedestrians also bear some of the
responsibility for their safety on our paths,” he wrote Buekes. “Some common
sense and sound judgment is also required.”
Peachtree City residents, are you
concerned about safety on the paths? Is more regulation or better courtesy
needed? Send us your thoughts at communitynews@ajc.com by Thursday for publication next Sunday.