Golf carts becoming major safety issue in Walton County

[kriscad]

You are going to see more electric LSV's... the wave of Electric is coming and its going to get worse.

What needs to happen:

1. Increase speed limits for those LSV's... 30-35 mph vs most you see now can only go 20-22 mph.
2. Mandatory seatbelt laws on them.
3. Increase signage (No Carts Here)
4. The companies that are renting and selling them, need to do a better job of educating their customers.
5. Carts driving on 98, need to be ticketed and impounded.

 

[Matt J]

You are going to see more electric LSV's... the wave of Electric is coming and its going to get worse.

What needs to happen:

1. Increase speed limits for those LSV's... 30-35 mph vs most you see now can only go 20-22 mph.
2. Mandatory seatbelt laws on them.
3. Increase signage (No Carts Here)
4. The companies that are renting and selling them, need to do a better job of educating their customers.
5. Carts driving on 98, need to be ticketed and impounded.

1. Do you mean minimums? Need to change state law.
2. Already mandatory and ticketable if not using.
3. Just added last year.
4. Who would enforce this?
5. Already are.

 

[James Bentwood]

You are going to see more electric LSV's... the wave of Electric is coming and its going to get worse.

What needs to happen:

1. Increase speed limits for those LSV's... 30-35 mph vs most you see now can only go 20-22 mph.
2. Mandatory seatbelt laws on them.
3. Increase signage (No Carts Here)
4. The companies that are renting and selling them, need to do a better job of educating their customers.
5. Carts driving on 98, need to be ticketed and impounded.

Agree with you on all except more sigange. Sign pollution makes Scenic SoWal not scenic. People don't read them and the more signs the more they ignore. Signs don't help and don't make people smarter.

For no. 1 I assume you mean raise the posted limits. That seems like a good idea. Pandora's box was opened and can be closed again. Cart rentals and sales will raise cain and migh even sue. But if speed limits ar raised because of safety then that's that.

Are we OK with LSVs that can attain 45mph speeds in the future?

 

[Poppaj]

Agree with you on all except more sigange. Sign pollution makes Scenic SoWal not scenic. People don't read them and the more signs the more they ignore. Signs don't help and don't make people smarter.

For no. 1 I assume you mean raise the posted limits. That seems like a good idea. Pandora's box was opened and can be closed again. Cart rentals and sales will raise cain and migh even sue. But if speed limits ar raised because of safety then that's that.

Are we OK with LSVs that can attain 45mph speeds in the future?

And this is proved to be true just by the sheer number of political signs trashing every corner and open spot of turf along our roadways.

 

[TinaMidland]

That has literally failed half a dozen times

That has literally failed half a dozen times.

In what way failed a dozen times? Please give more info

 

[Jimmy T]

Things really started changing on the west end of 30a when the big rental companies emerged and began providing golf carts as part of the rentals, and the speed limits were decreased to 35. If we were to somehow make the rental companies share the responsibility and liability for their clients using golf carts, that would be a start. But I don't ever see that happening. I also don't see the county raising speed limits. Our hands are tied with regard to state laws. I'm afraid we're stuck with the unsafe golf carts on 30a and our law enforcement will have to beat the burden of enforcing the laws, and our emergency management will bear the burden of the injuries that will inevitably happen.

 

[Matt J]

In what way failed a dozen times? Please give more info

Trolley service both free and paid has been tried since the early nineties. Literally ever effort has failed due to lack of interest. I was a consultant to two efforts. Basically our general clientele views it as public transportation which has a negative connotation to begin with. No matter how you dress it up people would rather use their own transportation methods which is why bikes and golf carts reign supreme.

To be fair the last effort was spear headed just before the pandemic, but it received a very weak welcome for the month it ran.

 

[bob1]

Things really started changing on the west end of 30a when the big rental companies emerged and began providing golf carts as part of the rentals, and the speed limits were decreased to 35. If we were to somehow make the rental companies share the responsibility and liability for their clients using golf carts, that would be a start. But I don't ever see that happening. I also don't see the county raising speed limits. Our hands are tied with regard to state laws. I'm afraid we're stuck with the unsafe golf carts on 30a and our law enforcement will have to beat the burden of enforcing the laws, and our emergency management will bear the burden of the injuries that will inevitably happen.

Put speed limits at 40 for 100 feet between towns. Keep them off the main roads.

Golf carts on main roads with cars, trucks and big rigs. Where else in America is this stupid?

 

[Matt J]

Put speed limits at 40 for 100 feet between towns. Keep them off the main roads.

Golf carts on main roads with cars, trucks and big rigs. Where else in America is this stupid?

Bay, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa....

 

[Lake View Too]

Trolley service both free and paid has been tried since the early nineties. Literally ever effort has failed due to lack of interest. I was a consultant to two efforts. Basically our general clientele views it as public transportation which has a negative connotation to begin with. No matter how you dress it up people would rather use their own transportation methods which is why bikes and golf carts reign supreme.

To be fair the last effort was spear headed just before the pandemic, but it received a very weak welcome for the month it ran.

I heard something awhile back that suggested that the county should try to get involved in a "ride on demand" service, like Uber or lift, but run by the County. A fleet of maybe 20 small SUV's, possibly based at the parking lot north of Grayton, would be a thing visitors would use much more than a trolley.