Golf carts would be allowed on concrete paths 8 feet or wider throughout most of Port St. Lucie during daytime hours under new rules being considered by the City Council.
But they would not be allowed to operate on city streets, other than to cross an intersection, the council decided Monday.
Low-speed vehicles that meet state motor vehicle safety standards will continue to be allowed on city streets with a speed limit of less than 30 mph because that’s permitted by state law, the council decided.
The council agreed to move forward with their initiative to regulate golf carts and low-speed vehicles, which travel less than 25 mph. A key goal is to prevent crashes with regular vehicles.
The City Council also agreed to develop a trails master plan that would identify all the concrete paths 8 feet or wider in the city and propose places where more paths should be built.
City Manager Russ Blackburn said he would provide the council with an update on the proposed golf cart and low-speed vehicle regulations during the annual summer retreat.
A proposed ordinance would be drawn up based on those discussions, Blackburn said.
People are already allowed to drive golf carts on private roads in gated communities like St. Lucie West and Tradition, Police Chief John Bolduc told the council. Under the new rules, residents could drive their golf carts on 8-foot-wide paths leading to nearby shopping centers.
“The 8-foot or wider sidewalks allowed a lot of connectivity between the private roadways in St. Lucie West and Tradition and the commerce centers,” Bolduc said. “Not so much out on the east side of the city because we don’t have the 8-foot sidewalks.”
Mayor Greg Oravec called for council members and city workers to identify “where we want some 8-foot-plus multi-modal trails and sidewalks connecting and what are the strategic destinations that we want to connect.”
“We don’t have a good network to date,” Oravec said. “We’re not connected with that 8-foot-plus multi-modal path currently, something for us to work towards.”
Councilman John Carvelli said, “The question of the day is how are they going to merge with pedestrians and city traffic?”
“We have to clearly define the areas they can use the vehicles because people are going to take latitude and think they can move into this road or that road and cut across,” Carvelli said. “It has to be clearly marked with the proper signage so people realize they’re not supposed to be off those trails.”
