jan
2020
feature article
She got an earful of comments – many related to
safety.
“The biggest thing I see is the number of people
they can fit onto a golf cart. It’s amazing. It’s like
a clown cart,” said planner Michael Neiss. “Some-
thing’s going to happen. ... We’re not a retirement
village, we’re a city. Do we really need golf carts?”
Planner Clark Gruber said he has observed
carts driving in bike lanes, while planner Rosalie
Plechaty said it’s not unusual for golf cart drivers
and passengers to be drinking alcoholic bever-
ages, or driving their vehicles in city parks and
public lawns.
According to Hosier, the city’s ordinance directly
aligns with the state’s law for the operation of
golf carts on city streets. Among other things:
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They can only be driven on city streets from
April 15 to Oct. 15;
Drivers must be at least 16 and have a valid
driver’s license;
Drivers have to signal when turning;
Drivers have to drive as far to the right of the
road as practicable;
Carts can only be driven on streets with speed
limits of 30 miles per hour or less;
Carts cannot go faster than 15 miles per hour;
Carts cannot be driven on state trunklines or
Blue Star Highway, but can cross them if
necessary;
Carts cannot operate from half an hour before
sunset to half an hour before sunrise;
Cart owners must register their vehicle and
display a tag issued by the South Haven Police
on their vehicle.
But some planners say rules simply aren’t being
followed.
“I don’t mean to be Scrooge, but it (the ordinance
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WWW.GOLFCAROPTIONS.COM
allowing golf carts) ain’t working,” Neiss said.
“There are a lot of kids driving the golf carts,”
Plechaty said.
“They’re parking wherever one can find a spot,”
Gruber said.
Hosier noted that when people register their
carts and obtain tags from the police, they also
are given a list of rules and maps where they can
drive their carts within city limits.
When police do stop golf cart drivers for infrac-
tions, they often spend more time educating the
drivers about golf cart rules, before automatically
issuing tickets.
However, some tickets are given each summer,
according to Hosier.
“Police issued three tickets this summer,” Hosi-
er said. One of the tickets was issued for a cart
driver operating their cart while intoxicated, she
indicated, while others were for cart operators
driving in bike lanes.
“They have been doing quite a bit of education,”
Hosier said.
But some of the planners think the police should
start issuing more tickets.
“Education should be over,” Neiss said. “We need
to start enforcement.”
Plechaty agreed. “Maybe the education period is
over,” she said.
City planners made no decisions, saying more
discussion is needed on the matter, with input
from the police department.