Motorized multi-use path on 30A

awesome, i will walk on the motorized multi use path so they can get an idea what a pain it is to have slow traffic in front and no way to pass. I will be watching for fingers and horns...

awesome, i will walk on the motorized multi use path so they can get an idea what a pain it is to have slow traffic in front and no way to pass. I will be watching for fingers and horns...

Sounds like a plan! ;-)

On Walton County web site today. The county is applying for a state grant to do this project.

NOTICE of WORKSHOP - MOTORIZED MULTI-USE PATH - CR 30A

NOTICE of WORKSHOP
Walton County will hold a Community Input Workshop on Monday, October 29, 2012 at 5:00 PM, or soon thereafter, at the Walton County District 5 Commissioners meeting room located 70 Logan Lane in South Walton.
The purpose of this Community Workshop is to discuss a motorized multi-use path along the North side of County Road 30-A from the intersection of CR-30A and CR-83(Blue Mountain Beach) to the intersection of CR-30A and CR-283(Grayton Beach).

Thanks for keeping us posted MizNB.

How will this impact the coastal dune lake?

Seems a waste of money just so a couple developments can take golf carts to the Red Bar.

Have they got the space on the North side of 30A to do this? I would think they would have to infringe on the existing road right-of-way to accomplish it. Also, you can bet that golf carts, that's the motorized vehicles they are talking about, will be more prevalent than they are now and will spill over onto 30A and dangerously impede traffic. I suggest all attend the meeting Monday and let your opinions be known. I'll add my thanks, miznotebook as well.

Andy, what do you mean by 'infringe on the existing road right-of-way??'

ROW's can be used for a lot of things, road widening, parking, bike paths, sidewalks, storm water, landscaping - how do you think the existing bike path came to be? It was existing ROW that was paved over.
If you want the ROW left as it is, just say so. But I am not aware of anything in the law that precludes using it for some sort of path - either for pedestrians, bikes or carts, whichever the county chooses, as long as they comply with storm water and safety stuff.

The plan is for the new path to go on the north side of 30A, the other side from the bike path, and I was told that the county does have sufficient right-of-way for a 10-foot-wide motorized vehicle path there. Apparently a motorized vehicle path on 30A was part of the Genesis transportation plan that the county approved about five years ago. I would think and hope that there would be ways to avoid impacts on the coastal dune lakes. That would be a good question to ask at the workshop.

If there isn't enough ROW much of the land along that corridor is Gryaton Beach State Park. If the new commissioner want to take State Park Land for the profit of developers I will just say "I told you so".

And another thing. The bike path between Grayton and Watercolor is in horrendous shape, the county needs to repair or redo that section before creating new paved paths. They did a half-assed repair awhile bike but it's still dangerous.

I was not very clear as to my meaning in my post. I should have asked, "how close to the existing roadway and dune lakes will the path run"? Another consideration. Kids drive golf carts on the bike path now and it is a dangerous situation. If golf carts are "street legal" I have no problem with licensed drivers driving them on 30A. To build a motorized bike path that anyone can drive on smacks of stupidity. Needless to say, I am against it.

Driving golf carts or street legal carts is illegal for kids regardless of where they are driving them. This would stop immediately if just a few parents were charged with child endangerment for letting their children hit the roads in these things. Notice not much news about the sad circumstances in which Sen. Rubio's daughter (14 or so) was injured in a golf cart accident several weeks ago. I hope she is okay, but her accident should serve as a lesson to others.

I noticed the golf cart business next to John-Johns closed recently....I think speaking out against golf carts on message boards and attending meetings is working.
A "golf cart lane" would encourage more carts and send a message they are welcomed in other areas. "Give an inch and they'll take a mile".

It would also encourage "more under aged children" to drive them.
This is a terrible waste of money and a stupid idea.
Let's start by working on 30A itself....the lines need to be redone again and pot holes causing deaths might be a start!

The plan is for the new path to go on the north side of 30A, the other side from the bike path, and I was told that the county does have sufficient right-of-way for a 10-foot-wide motorized vehicle path there. Apparently a motorized vehicle path on 30A was part of the Genesis transportation plan that the county approved about five years ago. I would think and hope that there would be ways to avoid impacts on the coastal dune lakes. That would be a good question to ask at the workshop.

This is a boondoggle. What I understand is that the Genesis plan advocated a golf cart path down most of 30-A. The section in question is one of a few stretches where this will be possible given space limitations. Essetially, the construction group is plucking 'low hanging fruit' to build this path that nobody is really looking to have built. Stretches of 30-A where continuing the path will be difficult, ie Blue Mountain, etc. are not even being considered due to logistics. Thus, this path is really just a little fragment of a project that is unlikely to ever be completed. Literally, a golf cart path to nowhere. It will be built because Genesis said it would be good and there is space, in this one area. And someone stands to make money (shocker). So hooray.

Driving golf carts or street legal carts is illegal for kids regardless of where they are driving them. This would stop immediately if just a few parents were charged with child endangerment for letting their children hit the roads in these things. Notice not much news about the sad circumstances in which Sen. Rubio's daughter (14 or so) was injured in a golf cart accident several weeks ago. I hope she is okay, but her accident should serve as a lesson to others.

Unfortunately you have to get someone to enforce the laws.

And what is to stop people from walking on the "motorized path" causing interactions, possibly confrontational when kids are involved? Posting another sign (god forbid ) that the tourons will ignore does no good and the police will never get involved even if they see an infraction. I can also see when carts passing each other, swing out in the roadway for clearance, or to avoid walkers, and cause problems with cars on 30a. Another really, really stupid idea from our all knowing and in the pocket of developers county government.
Oh, saw an LSV driving on 98 near Camp Helen the other day. This cart thing is getting out of hand quickly.

I noticed the golf cart business next to John-Johns closed recently....I think speaking out against golf carts on message boards and attending meetings is working.
A "golf cart lane" would encourage more carts and send a message they are welcomed in other areas. "Give an inch and they'll take a mile".


If you're talking about "Electric Cart Co", they did not close but moved to the strip mall nearby and appeared to have expanded.

Let me say it as succinctly as I can. This is a bad, bad idea.

Our parking lots and intersections are not set up for the addition of golf carts, we already have semi-trucks, construction vehicles, little children on bikes, confused/altered tourist in large SUVs. It's getting ridiculous.

I am still trying to figure out why on earth a golf cart path is necessary in the first place (I guess I really just don't understand why golf carts are necessary in a non- golf community). And the bigger question- why is a recommendation from a 1995 study being considered over infrastructure improvements that are years behind - like the improvements and regular maintenance of the multi- use paths.

Is the family who demands that a golf cart be part of their vacation experience really the demographic we want here?

Can we get hold of the cart in your picture Augie? I think it would be a good idea to place it in some conspicuous place along 30a. Maybe it would be instructional for parents,etc. of the folly of mixing these things with cars on a narrow road like 30a.

I am still trying to figure out why on earth a golf cart path is necessary in the first place (I guess I really just don't understand why golf carts are necessary in a non- golf community). And the bigger question- why is a recommendation from a 1995 study being considered over infrastructure improvements that are years behind - like the improvements and regular maintenance of the multi- use paths.

Is the family who demands that a golf cart be part of their vacation experience really the demographic we want here?

Like I said above, this is low hanging fruit for a construction company to generate some revenue. The Genesis plan was adopted, therefore, the path is felt to be needed. Money apparently exists to fund the construction (I'm not 100% sure about this but maybe a competitive grant and not truly county money, but I am not sure about this). To my knowledge nobody (local or tourist) is requesting the path be built as a quality of life project or something that will enhance the area. It is a little money grab by the construction company. The topic of using money to improve the Western Lake path (where someone is going to get killed without widening) came up and it was stated the cost would far exceed that needed to pave a little flat asphault path over empty land.

My take was that there was not a whole lot that could be done to stop the path if money is secured to build it. Unless the public flooded the organization that distributed the grant with letters and calls begging the money not be released for the purpose.

Others will want to share travel on the new mini highway as well.

On the funding, it was stated at the workshop that it would be through DEP's Greenways and Trails program. The county wouldn't be asked for any money but would be required to provide a 20-percent match with in-kind services.