City of Lincoln considers permitting golf carts on city streets

 

[September 17, 2021] 

On the Monday night voting agenda of the Lincoln City Council will be a call to approve the operation of golf carts on city streets. The agenda item comes after several months of research by city attorney John Hoblit and Alderman Rick Hoefle at the request of Lincoln resident Jack Merreighn.

On May 25th, Merreighn brought the request to the council, that they consider permitting golf carts as an alternative means of transportation in Lincoln. He said that there were other communities that have permitted the carts successfully and he felt that it would be an asset to many members of the community to be permitted to have the carts in Lincoln.

Merreighn said that the carts could be regulated by the city and rules set to assure the safe and responsible operation of the vehicles. He suggested that the city could set speed limits, require proof of insurance and establish a minimum age for operators to help assure the carts were operated responsibly.

Merreighn said he saw the carts as a convenient alternative for those who don’t have other means of transportation and currently walk to the downtown area to do their shopping. He said other communities are embracing the use of golf carts and he thought the city should too.

During that initial conversation Kevin Bateman said that his biggest concern was the fact that there are two state highways that go right through the city. It was his understanding that the carts are not allowed on highways, so it would be pretty difficult for anyone to travel outside of the few blocks that constituted their own neighborhood.

Merreighn said he had researched the legality of the carts and it was true that they could not be operated on state highways. He thought though that perhaps the city could establish legal crossings for the carts like crosswalks with signage to advise motorists of a golf cart crossing ahead.

Wanda Lee Rohlfs said the city has talked about establishing bike paths, and she wondered if perhaps there could be paths for golf carts, keeping them off of, or to the edge of city streets.

Bateman said one thing he would want to insist on is that the carts be equipped with turn signals and other safety devices and perhaps even a strobe light on top to draw attention to the carts on the road.

At that first meeting it was decided that the city did not have enough factual information to proceed with a vote. Rick Hoefle was asked to work with attorney Hoblit to outline some rules for the city to consider at a later date.

Since that time, not a great deal has been said about the golf carts in council meetings until the August 24 Committee of the Whole meeting.

Hoblit said then he had researched the state laws and indeed there would be no usage allowed on state highways. He said this would have an impact on residential areas off of Illinois Route 10, all of Woodlawn Road and Keokuk Street, all of Fifth Street and North Logan, and portions of Broadway and Kickapoo Streets that constitute old Route 66/Business 55.

At the same time, the state does permit golf carts to cross the highway at intersections so areas where the state routes could be crossed would still work for the golf carts. In some areas it would not work at all, such as anyone coming out of the Mayfair addition (N. Kickapoo Street) or out of Campus View Dr. (Lincoln Christian University.)

Also, Hoblit said that the carts used on public roads had additional requirements over a cart used on the golf course. Carts on streets must have a rear view mirror, seat belts, turn signals and more. The carts must also have a permit and pass a safety inspection by local law enforcement.

Once legally permitted, there would need to be a sticker of some type placed on the cart in an area readily visible to law enforcement.

Hoblit said the city could and should charge an inspection fee for the carts to cover the time and effort of the police department. There would also be a permit fee and the city should pass an outline of violations and fines associated with the use of the carts.

It was also recommended that there be rules for the time of day the carts can be used. It was suggested no earlier than 30 minutes before sunrise and no later than 30 minutes after sunset.

Fees and fines were discussed and it was recommended that there be a $100 annual permit fee, $25 inspection fee, and a $250 reinstatement fee or fine if carts were operated illegally.

Steve Parrott said he wasn’t sure why the city needed to inspect the carts because no one inspects cars, not the city or the state. Deputy Police Chief Matt Vlahovich was on hand for that meeting and said that cars are now “standardized” where all that come out of the factory have the same safety features. There is no standardization for golf carts.

Parrott also asked who was getting the license or permit, the driver or the cart?

Hoblit said the cart would get the license and the license or permit would be revoked if there were violations.

That brought up the question of multiple drivers for one cart. If one person violates the law, then all the other drivers in the household would be denied usage; was that fair?

Bateman said again, as he had at the last discussion, that the highway crossings were going to be the big problem. He wondered if there were not a solution that could be found.

He continued on saying that there were a number of questions, and he felt that there needed to be a little more “tweaking” on the ordinance before it was voted upon.

Hoefle and Hoblit agreed to continue working on the ordinance.

On September 14th, the topic came back before the council for what Hoblit and Hoefle were hoping would be the last time. The council discussed the changes that had been made during the “tweaking process.”
 

Perhaps the most significant finding since the last meeting was that the city could request a variance from the state for cart usage on state routes. Hoefle said that he felt that if the city passed the ordinance to allow golf carts, it would be easier for Hoblit to seek and receive that variance. With the variance, the carts would be allowed throughout the city.

Bateman said that since the talks had begun on golf carts, he had received many requests for the city to expand the allowance to include UTV’s, which are utility vehicles with four wheels, a bench seat and steering wheel and a cargo bed on the back. During the discussion, the design of the UTV was pointed out when some wondered if the UTV and the ATV were in the same category. It was explained that ATV’s which are considered all-terrain vehicles typically are defined by the fact that they have a seat that must be straddled and are operated with handlebars instead of a steering wheel. ATV’s would not be permitted with this ordinance.

It was also noted that UTV’s have the capability to travel at higher speeds than golf carts. However, they would still be required to follow the speed limits within the city or face fines.

Rohlfs said she didn’t see that it would make much difference. She said that cars exceed the speed limit and she knows that these UTV’s will as well, but they are not as safe as cars. She has strong objections to permitting the UTV’s.

Sam Downs appeared to object to carts and UTV’s because of the safety aspects. He said that he felt the city was opening the door for people to get hurt and he struggled to get behind that.

Hoefle noted that when the city approved the e-scooters, Downs voted in favor. He said he didn’t quite understand the issue now.

Downs said the scooters would be easier for drivers to get out of the way than a golf cart or UTV would be. He also said that the scooters could go on sidewalks, off the busy streets.

Hoefle didn’t see it that way, and he added that the carts would have an economic impact on the downtown, because people who do generally have to walk to do their shopping could have the option of driving their golf cart.
 

That brought about a question from Bateman about parking. He asked if the golf carts would be able to park two to a space downtown. He said that motorcycles can park four to a space and he felt golf carts could and should be permitted to park two to a space.

Vlahovich was on the phone this week and was asked to weigh in about the UTV’s. He said that yes they were faster; they were also generally bigger than a golf cart and louder during operation. He said they do not have the safety accessories such as turn signals.

The UTV’s portion of the conversation seemed to bog down the possibility of a vote in the near future. Mayor Tracy Welch, attempting to bring some kind of conclusion to the conversation said that as he saw it the city had some options to consider. First, it could pass the golf cart ordinance as is and consider the UTV’s later. Second, the council could put the vote on hold until the UTV’s are researched further and incorporated into the existing ordinance.

Hoefle said that he could see this topic quickly going the way of the “great chicken debate.” He said he was done though. The council could vote on what is in front of them for golf carts, or they could find someone else to work on this project, as he would not be part of dragging it out.

Bateman said then to just drop the UTV’s and the city could move forward with what is done and look at UTV’s later.

The item was then placed on the agenda for Monday, September 20th. As is always the case, the council has the right to table any action item if they feel they are not prepared to make an informed decision.

[Nila Smith]