Golf Carts on the Roads in SoWal
- Thread starter luckylady
- Start date
-
Trouble logging in? Send us a message with your username and/or email address for help.
Let me say this as simply and succinctly as I can. Golf carts and LSVs on 30A are a BAD, BAD idea!
Freeport doesn't have these problems. 30A, being so sought after does suffer terrible congestion, or beautifully slow traffic depending on how you look at it.
I see 30A at a crossroads, and the congestion is a flash point. 30A will continue to get much more dense over the next 20 years. What was once a veritable highway in vast stretches will no longer be anything resembling a highway, save for sparing seasonal related patches.
One thing you could do is build elevated or underground freeways along 30A and ultimately as odd as it sounds that's probably the only way to solve for the congestion problem and LSV annoyance in what has become (for the most part) a cohesive resort area.
The other way to solve for congestion is to move out of the area to a milieu less desirable to the multitudes.
For me, I prefer my congestion to come with little LSV's as opposed to Nissan Armada's, despite the extreme annoyance that results when LSV drivers feel self righteous enough to not pull over and let traffic pass wherever they are holding things up by more than 5MPH on certain remaining stretches of roadway.
We've debated this years ago, and since that time I think LSV usage is probably up well over 300% in 6 short years.
All that's needed now to make 30A LSV friendly from Watercolor to Rosemary, is a little one mile 35MPH wormhole at the last little shrinking stretch that's still posted above 35MPH.
That last shrinking stretch, well, some fondly call her the Deer-Lake-Bahn. This once vast, now 1200 yard straightaway of purpose built extreme speed driving get-out-da-way pleasure, stands like a strong willed lady, determined not to bough to the fun seeking pleasure seekers who would reckon that "30A' is a state of mind and place, with perilous disregard for what once was, or perhaps actually wasn't.
So the Deer-Lake-Bahn remains, shrinking but not shrunk, boughed but not broken, and for extra assumption of risk danger, positioned closer to the kiddie bike path through this stretch than a sochi toilet is to the other sochi toilet. Like a milk bone curtain, she dares thrillseekers to pay whatever tax they may incur to shoot the bahn to fulfill their dream (not everyones clearly) that 30A is what they view it as.
Mr. Lake View Too, tear down this milk bone, it is not non GMO certified !
Sincerely,
The Coalition For Questioning the Need for the DeerLakeBahn.
Last edited:
The choice is not between LSVs and SUVs. There is a wide selection of small vehicles that can be operated at the posted speed limits and meet crash test standards.
And because they are real cars, people do not let children drive them, think it okay to drive them on the bike/pedestrian path, or have toddlers and pets hanging off them on the highway.
And because they are real cars, people do not let children drive them, think it okay to drive them on the bike/pedestrian path, or have toddlers and pets hanging off them on the highway.
People let children drive them, yes they do, on the bike path of all places.
actually you have a great point. i'm not sure i'm comfortalbe with pets hanging off these things.
take back all I've said. Let 70 MPH freedom reign !!!!!
I'm beginning to think that robertsondavies is actually a troll in sheep's clothing and we are feeding into him and his ridiculous observations.
For the record the troll forgot that LSV's are also not permitted between 283 and 83 (Grayton and Blue Mountain Beach respectively) or between Western Lake and Grayton. This is due to speed limit restrictions. The idea that an LSV could go from Rosemary to, let's just say, Stinky's and back is both fool hardy and restricted by physics.
Just to throw it out there...
No one rents LSV's or Golf Carts in PCB. It was tried years ago and between liability and maintenance most business's gave up.
I'm wondering if most of the local rental places even have liability insurance? Possibly a recent no fault divorce and now a common law wife holding all the assets?
Just to throw it out there...
No one rents LSV's or Golf Carts in PCB. It was tried years ago and between liability and maintenance most business's gave up.
I'm wondering if most of the local rental places even have liability insurance? Possibly a recent no fault divorce and now a common law wife holding all the assets?
I agree, don't really need to go west of Watercolor too often, we'll use our Armada or Rover to go to Red Bar because parking is so easy there as it is. West of Watercolor can remain for the brave, density between Western Lake and Elmo's is going to take a few decades to justify 35MPH the whole way.
re: divorce, sheltering assets etc. I would agree that this is the best way to operate/own any kind of business renting vehicles, particularly if you rented scooters or jetskis and even LSV's. Having said that, insuring them is probably a great business too, as people on 30A have their own liability insurance that covers them, that insurers would first subrogate their claims to. Unfortunately underwriting and experience has been that insuring LSV's is actually extremely cheap, particularly for owner operators - probably not so much for rental operators - and they are probably being gouged given the large subrogation likelihood when you rent to overinsured affluent people in south walton.
I have changed my stance on the golf carts somewhat. Let me be clear-I hate to see tourists, especially little kids looking to become the much anticipated first fatality of golf cart versus motor vehicle incident, putt-putting around where they shouldn't be. With that said, the cow is out of the barn so to speak, the little annoying buggies are here to stay. And for some reason, the tourists love to rent the damn things.
The real battle we have left at this point is demanding some sort of regulation to prevent the proliferation of yet more Bubbas Rentin' Buggies to the point that the only real distinction between the companies is price point. I have to suspect there are golf carts that are street legal as well as cheap piece of crap extra slow and dangerous golf carts that are street legal. If we are to tolerate golf carts on our highways, (yes, highways built for cars not toys) then we should at least have an expectation that the fleet is of a higher quality, for our own sanity and our visitor's safety.
So how do we accomplish this? I would propose that our BCC and TDC work together to devise a program where there be a limited number of vendors renting these things. Perhaps Watercolor is blazing the path here by mandating a sole vendor for rental golf carts in their community. By limiting the number of groups renting these things out, I think it would be easier to ensure some accountability from the vendors as far as terminating rentals early from renters who are noted to be operating the carts recklessly or illegally. We should demand zero tolerance of that behavior (and the police seem generally uninterested in enforcing existing no-nos). Conversely I feel like this would benefit the visitor as she most likely would be renting a higher quality cart from a vendor that isn't worried about being undercut by others offering up the cheapest carts on the market. Perhaps the BCC could have a lottery for vendors who want to rent the things, and only outfits that have a fleet of minimum quality carts could apply. A vendor who obtained a county permit to rent them would be held to very specific high standards, and if unable to do so, their renting operation terminated.
As far as locals who choose to buy and operate carts here, I don't think any special provisions need be made. That should sit well with those selling the carts locally (and I believe Robertsondavies was found to have such an interest some years ago on another golf cart outrage thread). I will freely admit, the golf carts are fun to drive. I wouldn't mind having one to take to the beach where I live in Seagrove, but would never dream of doing anything other than crossing 30-A on the thing, not going east or west. Robertsondavies rightly points out there are plenty of suburban moms crazed on pink wine operating humongous SUVs that will kill anyone in a golf cart, local or otherwise.
Those are just my thoughts. I'm not sure how we would move forward with this, but we should. Bellyaching about the things for the last three years has resulted in nothing more than a proliferation of crappy carts being rented by crappy carpetbagging absentee vendors. We all deserve better than that!
The real battle we have left at this point is demanding some sort of regulation to prevent the proliferation of yet more Bubbas Rentin' Buggies to the point that the only real distinction between the companies is price point. I have to suspect there are golf carts that are street legal as well as cheap piece of crap extra slow and dangerous golf carts that are street legal. If we are to tolerate golf carts on our highways, (yes, highways built for cars not toys) then we should at least have an expectation that the fleet is of a higher quality, for our own sanity and our visitor's safety.
So how do we accomplish this? I would propose that our BCC and TDC work together to devise a program where there be a limited number of vendors renting these things. Perhaps Watercolor is blazing the path here by mandating a sole vendor for rental golf carts in their community. By limiting the number of groups renting these things out, I think it would be easier to ensure some accountability from the vendors as far as terminating rentals early from renters who are noted to be operating the carts recklessly or illegally. We should demand zero tolerance of that behavior (and the police seem generally uninterested in enforcing existing no-nos). Conversely I feel like this would benefit the visitor as she most likely would be renting a higher quality cart from a vendor that isn't worried about being undercut by others offering up the cheapest carts on the market. Perhaps the BCC could have a lottery for vendors who want to rent the things, and only outfits that have a fleet of minimum quality carts could apply. A vendor who obtained a county permit to rent them would be held to very specific high standards, and if unable to do so, their renting operation terminated.
As far as locals who choose to buy and operate carts here, I don't think any special provisions need be made. That should sit well with those selling the carts locally (and I believe Robertsondavies was found to have such an interest some years ago on another golf cart outrage thread). I will freely admit, the golf carts are fun to drive. I wouldn't mind having one to take to the beach where I live in Seagrove, but would never dream of doing anything other than crossing 30-A on the thing, not going east or west. Robertsondavies rightly points out there are plenty of suburban moms crazed on pink wine operating humongous SUVs that will kill anyone in a golf cart, local or otherwise.
Those are just my thoughts. I'm not sure how we would move forward with this, but we should. Bellyaching about the things for the last three years has resulted in nothing more than a proliferation of crappy carts being rented by crappy carpetbagging absentee vendors. We all deserve better than that!