Colleyville City Council considered adding golf cart regulations to allow citizens to drive their personal golf carts on city streets at the May 5 council meeting.
This was a first reading, meaning no vote was taken to finalize golf cart regulations, and Mayor Bobby Lindamood urged Colleyville citizens to email City Manager Jerry Ducay with suggestions for regulations.
“We would invite the public to email us what you do or don’t like and to give us ideas,” he said.
What’s happening?
The council discussed regulations at a previous work session meeting after a citizen brought up wanting some so they could drive their golf carts on city streets, council member Ben Graves said.
“We didn’t just sit around and say ‘let’s bring up golf cart usage,’” he said. “It was brought to us.”
The proposed regulations state that golf carts:
- Must be operated by someone who is at least 16 years old, possesses a valid Texas driver’s license and carries liability insurance
- May only be driven during daylight hours
- Must be equipped with headlamps, tail lamps, front and rear blinkers, side reflectors, a parking brake, mirrors, a horn, a windshield and seat belts for all occupants
- Are only permitted on streets with a maximum speed limit of 35 miles per hour and are prohibited on Cheek-Sparger Road, Hall-Johnson Road and Pool Road
- May not have riders who exceed the seating capacity, and no riders, including pets, are permitted in the driver’s lap
- Must obey all standard traffic signals, park in standard motor vehicle spaces and cannot pass other cars using the same lane
- Must be tagged and insured like regular motor vehicles
- May not be used to tow another vehicle, trailer or a person on a skateboard or bicycle
- Are prohibited on walking and jogging paths
- May cross streets with a speed limit of over 35 miles per hour only at an intersection where there is a four-way stop
“We wanted to ensure that people can enjoy the benefit of having their carts to operate and actually get to some commercial destinations and not be trapped in their neighborhood, but also try to keep things as safe as possible,” Assistant City Manager Adrienne Lothery said.
If a golf cart operator were to break any of these rules, then they would be charged a fine of up to $500, per city documents.
The rules do not apply to carts driven exclusively on golf courses, within gated or private communities, by city personnel for official business, or as part of a city-authorized parade or festival.
The discussion
Council members were concerned that some residents wouldn’t be able to exit their neighborhood using golf carts due to the inability to cross anywhere besides a four-way stop intersection.
“I hate to cut off a whole section of Colleyville from being able to access a business if they wanted to, or a park, or anything,” council member Kimberly Gunderson said. “Because now you’re cutting off a whole section of Colleyville from being able to really do anything but drive up and down their street or around their neighborhood.”
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Scottie Richardson brought up concerns about golf carts being permitted on Glade Road.
“I have a problem with someone going 20 [mph] on Glade Road,” he said. “[Golf carts are] a slow-moving vehicle and [Glade Road] is designated as a high-traffic artery.”
He said the golf carts could be a nuisance to other drivers and a safety concern due to the high amount of traffic.
Council members and city staff also brought up that bikes are allowed to operate on Glade Road at lower speeds.
“I’m not 100% on board with [allowing golf carts on roads] because I think it adds to the police department and safety issues, but a lot of towns are doing this,” Lindamood said.
What else?
Colleyville citizen Kathy Hadley spoke in opposition to the golf cart regulations during public comment.
“I don’t think anybody has any business riding a golf cart on the roads,” she said. “They belong on the golf course where there aren’t cars, and somebody is going to get hurt.”
The golf cart regulations will be discussed again at the next council meeting May 12.