I agree there are areas of 30A that LSV's should be prohibited from(But the golf cart path proposed is a good compromise), perfect example is the stretch between the grayton caution light and blue mountain, and a couple of more stretches are questionable, but overall, most of 30A is riddled with both tourists and locals, walking, biking, jogging. If you want to worry about real safety, quit complaining about golf carts in these highly congested areas and just slow down, thats safer for everyone. I disagree that 30A is a rural highway, anyone who is in a hurry should make their way to hwy 98, you can get to it within a matter of minutes from anywhere on 30A.
OK. I'm struggling with the words here.
It's rude to call someone "aloof." But, I can't accuse a person who claims to have come here his whole life of being "misinformed."
However you would describe that comment, the substance of the statement is inaccurate.
These are two trips from a couple of 30A residential areas to (or from) Seaside.
From the condos at Red Fish Village to get (a delicious) brunch at Great Southern is about 4 miles on 30A. It is about 10 miles on 98.
The distance between Watersound and Seaside is about 4 miles on 30A. It is about a 15 mile trip taking the 98 route. In one direction, it involves 2 left turns at very long lights.
Try floating the idea of these detours to the UPS/FedEx guys... or Sysco, or the Coca Cola truck...
Seaside<-->Watersound is actually, probably, the most troublesome portion of the highway for golf cart traffic. And, its also the most likely to become 35mph the whole way. But, anyone who has driven the stretch from the intersection of Eastern Lake Road to WSWB knows that is a part of 30A where drivers speed up quickly. If I had to guess where the inevitable golf cart carnage will occur on 30A, its probably going to be in the Eastern Lake/Deer Lake area.
This is a common occurrence during the season... Family staying in Watercolor rents a 6 seat cart. Some time during the week, they get the idea to go to Watersound, Alys Beach, Rosemary, etc. (I guess, like many people, they have no concept of the scale of the highway.) So, they pile into the cart... not the safer and torquier SUV they came down in. Sometimes kids -little kids, months removed from car seats- are in the rear facing back-most seats, holding on to a metal bar. And, either because of the weight of 4-6 people, or the fact they could easily throw their children from the cart, or because the batteries are gassed, or because of the steep incline in Seacrest, they travel ten (10!!!) miles an hour for some or all of 5-10 miles. I've seen "near misses", on almost a daily basis, traveling that stretch.
Beach Buggys said:I agree there are areas of 30A that LSV's should be prohibited from(But the golf cart path proposed is a good compromise)
When you ask for the moon, and expect people -who were just fine before you came along- to meet you halfway, it isn't exactly a compromise.
A good example of a compromise is to allow "LSVs" on roads where the speed limit is 35, even though LSVs/NEVs/golf carts can only go 25mph.
It's not a compromise to say, "When they lowered the speed limit from 45 to 25 in the middle of Grayton State Park, that was just a little too low, maybe the limit should be 35mph." The implication being that a golf cart can then travel that stretch. If it were a question of 45mph or 36mph, I think it would be a horse of a different color. And I think the readers would agree with that.
Why are we even talking about building a cart path in the right-of-way when there already is a bicycle path? A business model that requires a community- not the community where the business owner lives- to go to great expense in order to make that business successful is not something I can support.
How can the statements "30A is such a beautiful and scenic road. You just need to slow down a little" and "We need to pave an extra 15 feet along 30A come from the same people?"
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