feature article
jan
2020
GOLF CARTS:
FUN-SIZED TRANSPORTATION
OR MENACE?
S
OUTH HAVEN
— Over the
past three
years golf carts
have become a
common site on
South Haven city
streets during
summer months.
The people who
ride them look like
they’re having fun,
and finding a spot
to park the carts
in the crowded
downtown area
can be much
easier than it is
for standard-size
vehicles.
But some people wonder why golf carts were ever allowed
to operate on city streets in the first place.
The issue was front and center last week with the city’s plan-
ning commission.
“We’ve all heard our neighbors complain about golf carts
and we’re cognizant of the fact that Labor Day has come
and gone and Memorial Day will be coming up. So we have
a few months to look at this (golf cart ordinance) and maybe
tweak it,” said planning commission Chairman Tim Stege-
man.
The city council passed the original ordinance to allow golf
carts on city streets in 2016, according to Assistant City Man-
ager Kate Hosier, and did so with the intention of revisiting
the law to determine its effectiveness.
At Thursday’s meeting she asked planners whether they
wanted to review how golf carts operate in the city.
JANUARY 2020
5