Friday, December 14, 2001
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Friday, December 14, 2001 |
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Low-speed electric vehicles OK for PTC paths with restrictions, police recommend By JOHN
MUNFORD After tedious legal research and about a week's worth of test drives by the Peachtree City Police Department, Police Chief Jim Murray is recommending that low speed vehicles such as the GEM Motorcar can be allowed on Peachtree City's golf cart paths with certain restrictions. The final decision is up to the City Council, which is expected to discuss the issue at its meeting Thursday night. Currently, the low-speed electric vehicles can only be driven on streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less. City ordinances governing the golf cart paths forbid the use of any motor vehicle on the path, but that could change is council accepts a proposed amendment to the ordinances, which includes several restrictions on operating the low speed vehicles. Those restrictions were developed during the process of researching the vehicles viability for cart path use after a number of citizens inquired whether they could be used on the paths, said Police Chief James Murray. Since the low-speed electric vehicles are considered motor vehicles by state and federal law, they must be insured and registered through the state's automobile tag system, Murray said. Also, GEM drivers must use the low-speed setting while on the path, which allows speeds of up to 15 mph, Murray said. Additionally, drivers will be required to have a state driver's license to operate the vehicle, Murray said. Drivers of the low speed vehicles will also be subject to all other motor vehicle laws enacted by the state, Murray said. The city cannot adopt a special ordinance for the low-speed vehicles that would conflict with state laws, he added. "You will have to wear the safety belt and use child restraints," just like a regular automobile, Murray noted. The department has tested both the two-seat and four-seat version of the GEM car, and officers found that the higher speed is too dangerous due to the various sight restrictions on some areas of the cart paths, the narrow width of the paths and the variety of users on the paths, Murray said. "On the lower speed we feel it's safe," Murray said of the GEM car. The chief added that the GEM car is in many ways safer than golf carts because it is equipped with seatbelts and other safety features such as turn signals. Because the GEM carts could create safety hazards if operated at the higher speed setting, the department is studying the possibility of increasing its presence on the path system to make sure the restrictions are followed. "We just want to make sure it is safe," Murray said. The city tried to expedite its research on the matter so citizens could take advantage of state and federal tax credits for electric vehicles before the end of the year, Murray said. There is a possibility that the department will acquire one or more of the GEM vehicles to assist in patrolling the path system, Murray added. Murray said the city wants to do its part to encourage environmentally-friendly initiatives such as the low-speed electric vehicles. He predicted that many Peachtree City residents will seek to replace their golf carts with low-speed vehicles. "There will be more of this in the future, not less," Murray said. Murray is also recommending that the city designate certain streets labelled 35 mph or slower on which the low-speed vehicles would not be allowed. One example is the northern end of Peachtree Parkway as it stretches from Ga. Highway 54 to Hwy. 74, Murray said. The path system extends in that direction, however, so those vehicles can use the paths instead, Murray said.
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