Wednesday, December 19, 2001
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Wednesday, December 19, 2001 |
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Electric vehicles OK for PTC cart paths By JOHN
MUNFORD
It was a bumpy ride, but eventually the Peachtree City Council agreed to allow electric-powered motor vehicles on the city's cart path system during the last council meeting of the year Thursday night. But they can't be driven in high speed mode, which allows speeds up to 25 mph. The Global Electric Motorcars can only be allowed at the low setting, with a top speed of 15 mph. At first, several council members said they had several concerns and wanted to study the issue more. Carol Fritz said she worried about the ease of switching between the low and high speeds, which can be done with the push of a button while the cart is moving. Annie McMenamin and Steve Rapson said they wanted to wait and get more public input. But several GEM owners (and prospective owners) pressured council to adopt it before the end of the year to take advantage of a $5,000 state tax credit that may not apply after Dec. 31. And Police Chief Jim Murray lauded the safety features of the vehicle, which include seat belts and turn signals. On a regular golf cart, "When somebody hits a tree with a child in their lap, it's going to crush a child," Murray said, adding that he has been predicting such an incident for years. The only true dissenting voice against the GEM came from a member of a local running club who wanted the vehicles to be modified so they could only run at the slower 15 mph speed before they are allowed on the cart paths. Even at the 25 mph speed, the carts would be slower than some of the golf carts on the path system today, many of which don't have great braking systems, said Murray. The GEMs are designed to be used on the roadway also, which is why they have the higher speed setting. But by federal law, they can only be driven on roads with speed limits of 35 or less, which would effectively keep the cars from maneuvering around the city without access to the golf cart paths, Murray said. Murray said the GEM cars will be easier for officers to regulate on the path system because they are technically motor vehicles and are subject to all motor vehicle laws, which means citizens need driver's licenses to operate them. Also, by having state-issued car tags, it will be easier to catch speeding offenders because witnesses who approach police with complaints can testify in municipal court, Murray said. City Attorney Rick Lindsey said the city could prosecute drivers violating the speed limitations, but he asked council for time to do a little more research before he gives a proposal. The Police Department test drove a two-seater GEM and a four-seater model for a week, Murray said. At one point during his presentation, council members made several quips about him becoming a spokesman for the GEM company. But when all was said and done, council unanimously agreed to allow the GEMs on the cart paths along with an ordinance to regulate the vehicles on the path system. It didn't hurt that several council members had test driven the GEM themselves, including Dan Tennant and Carol Fritz. "It handles exactly like a golf cart," Tennant said. "They really are cool," Fritz said. Rapson said the true issues council will face with the GEM in the future are enforcement issues. Mayor-elect Steve Brown and Councilman-elect Murray Weed both said after the meeting that they would not have approved the GEM for the cart paths based on the information at the council meeting.
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