Marysville’s Public Service/Public Safety Committee is moving forward with recommendations to allow golf carts in the city.
However, not everyone is happy with the proposed guidelines.
At its recent meeting, the committee finalized the recommendations to take to council. The committee recommended allowing golf carts and other low speed vehicles on nearly all the city streets with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less. The carts would be allowed to cross streets with traffic going up to 35 miles per hour.
“You can really navigate through a good portion of our community,” City Manager Terry Emery said.
He added carts can, “navigate pretty easily around the core of the city.”
“We think this is a good solution,” Emery said. “We think it meets the desire of some of our residents who have brought this to council members.”
Officials said, however, that certain streets with a 25 mile per hour limit should not have carts on them. Those streets include:
– Maple Street from Elwood Avenue to Third Street.
– Delaware Avenue from Cherry Street to Charles Lane.
– Collins Avenue from Milford Avenue to Palm Drive.
– Ninth Street from Milford Avenue to Plum Street.
– Fifth Street from Grove Street to Coleman’s Crossing Boulevard.
– Main Street from First Street to Eighth Street.
“It is just not safe, as we see it, for these vehicles to get out on these streets,” Emery said.
In Marysville, mini trucks and utility vehicles are permitted on certain roads under certain conditions, but golf carts and other low speed vehicles are prohibited on city streets.
Lori Richards, who lives in the Quail Hollow subdivision, asked why Maple Street was on the list of prohibited streets.
“We feel that particular stretch should be prohibited,” Public Service Director Mike Andrako said.
Richards explained she wants to go into town, but can’t go anywhere except her neighborhood if she cannot use Maple Street.
“It is restrictive in that area,” Richards told the committee.
She said she already drives a utility vehicle on that street and does not use it when the street would be busy with school traffic.
“It is not our intent to limit anybody, but we want to create a safe circumstance,” Andrako said, noting that the street has many vehicles, a lot of student drivers and several other streets that feed it.
Richards said she feels Maple is a safe street. She questioned why she could ride a bike on the street but not a vehicle.
“I consider it (her utility vehicle) safer than my car,” Richards said. “I think it should be treated like one.”
Resident James Frederick said that in his neighborhood at least five residents already drive golf carts around the community.
Mike Keaton, who lives in Scott Farms, questioned if, in the future, there could be a way to get from his neighborhood to Mill Valley or to the rest of the town.
Andrako said he can envision a time when Route 4 will be a city street with sidewalks and a lower speed limit.
Council member Alan Seymour asked Andrako to look at traffic counts and examine reports from the mentioned streets. He said that if the data supports it, the streets could be opened.
Council member Deb Groat said the legislation will, “not make everybody happy but safety is the concern.”
The committee said the legislation will require all vehicles to be titled and to have a certificate of inspection. Under state law, only licensed drivers may drive a golf cart or other low-speed vehicle and only on a street for which the posted speed limit is 35 miles per hour or less. The vehicle must be inspected and registered and must have certain safety equipment, including properly working brake lights, head lights, tail lights, turn signals and a windshield.
Many communities have legislation allowing the carts, but add specific regulations about when and where they can be used and regulating specific details about the cart safety.
“In our revisiting, what we did was go to a lot of communities and saw what their practices were and took what their practices were and took what their best practices are,” Emery said.
Seymour said he would like to see the city consider adding a requirement for seatbelts.
Groat and Seymour agreed to sponsor the legislation, only for the purpose of getting it to council for further discussion.
“I am not convinced this benefits the city,” Seymour said. “Does it add value? I am not sure. I think it adds more burden.”