Carts could be hitting the road in Vermilion
Steve Fogarty | The Chronicle-Telegram
VERMILION — Golf carts could soon be whizzing around town, but no one will have to be on the lookout for hooks and slices.
City Council is considering legislation that would permit golf carts to be used by residents and vacationers alike, but it’s doubtful they will be allowed on major roads such as U.S. Route 6.
“With our being a tourist-type town, we have a lot of boaters and others in marinas who have said they’d like to be able to ride a golf cart to the beach,” said Dan Roth, an at-large councilman who chairs the Streets, Buildings and Grounds Committee. “Some people already use them in the Lagoons.”
The uncertainty over gas prices is another factor that could make carts an attractive alternative for people looking for a cheaper way to tool around town. The most likely scenario would allow golf carts only on streets with a 25 mph speed limit. This would mean they could be used in residential neighborhoods, downtown, where parking spaces can be tough to come by, and as far east as Linwood Park.
“They probably wouldn’t be permitted east of there (on Route 6), where the speed limit gets up to 40 (and eventually reaches 50 mph),” said Roth, who proposed the legislation with the city’s Ward 3 councilman Steve Holovacs.
Just as with cars and other vehicles, golf carts would have to be registered, display license tags and be subject to inspection by police.
Similar legislation has been approved in Wakeman and Sandusky.
Police Chief Robert Kish said details would have to be ironed out, but his primary concern is ensuring the carts and their drivers, let alone other traffic, remain safe.
“The concern would be on Liberty Avenue (Route 6). We want to keep them off major roads and anywhere there’s a 50 mph speed limit.”
Kish agreed with Roth that the city’s being known as a vacation spot would make golf carts attractive to visitors as an easy, quick way to travel around “and transport items from motels to boats and that sort of thing.”
Nick Mayer, a retired Vermilion police chief, thinks the idea has merit. For a number of years, Mayer’s hobby has been fixing up and selling golf carts that come to him after years of service at area golf courses. He believes the lightweight, maneuverable vehicles will gain in popularity as the price of gas rises.
“They’re highly efficient for someone who has only a short distance to go.”
Traveling at a speed of 15 mph, a cart could get up to 40 miles on a gallon of gas, Mayer said. Electrically powered carts are good for about 10 miles per charge. “They make no noise, and they don’t pollute.”
And they’re not as expensive as a car.
“New carts typically cost $6,000 to $7,000, but you can get a used one with lights, a top, a windshield and other features for $2,000 to $3,000.”
The ordinance will be discussed further in committee before it comes to a final vote before council, according to Roth. And even if the motorized carts are eventually permitted, it’s unlikely to cause any traffic jams.
“I don’t think that all of a sudden there’s going to be a lot of them hitting the streets,” Roth said.
Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.
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Filed by Steve Fogarty | The Chronicle-Telegram September 5th, 2008 in Local and State. Popularity: 3% |
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