-California city has had some success with golf cart project-

OSOYOOS TIMES-April 2, 2008-

By Paul EverestrnOsoyoos Times

The South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce is looking to the province and local governments to get behind an idea of using golf carts in communities to cut down on the number of cars on the road and reduce carbon emissions.
But a number of residents in one neighbourhood in Osoyoos have been improperly using golf carts on town roads for some time.
Dozens of people living in the subdivision adjacent to the Osoyoos Golf and Country Club often travel back and forth between their homes and the golf course using carts they own.
Former club President Tom Martin asked cart drivers to take care when operating their vehicles in an October 2006 newsletter to course members.
This is especially true for those who live, as Hazel has referred to it, on 'Wrinkle Ridge' and drive on the subdivision streets, the newsletter reads.
Martin goes on to point out that using the carts outside the club's property is actually illegal.
And remember, the carts should only be driven directly to and from the course, not used for visiting or touring grandchildren. Operation of these carts on the roads is not legal and our local police have graciously indulged us for years. Let's not lose the privilege.rnAccording to ICBC rules, golf carts are not allowed to be operated on town streets and highways.
A customer who operates a golf cart on-highway contrary to the licence restriction is in breach of their policy, an ICBC document reads. This means that ICBC will not pay any claims for own damage to the golf cart, and could recover any payments made to third parties for injuries or property damage.
In addition, the operator could be ticketed by the police for operating the vehicle contrary to the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, and the vehicle could be towed at the owner's expense.rnThe document said golf carts can only be licensed and insured for operation on public roads if they have to cross a street from one part of a golf course to another, or if it is used on an isolated island where the posted speed limit is 20 kilometres per hour.
Doug Eisenhut, owner of Eisenhut Insurance in Osoyoos, said he's worried someone driving a cart in the neighbourhood will eventually be involved in a collision and the operator could be held responsible.
Somebody's going to lose their house and that concerns me, he said.
The club's general manager, Randy LaRoche, said people are still driving carts in the neighbourhood and the club has not been approached by police or ICBC to try to stop the activity.
Everyone's cast a blind eye to it over the years, he said, adding that the club does not authorize or advocate driving carts in the subdivision.
LaRoche also said the club has taken steps to warn people of the potential consequences of driving unlicenced and uninsured carts on town streets.
Each individual owner has to weigh their own risks, he said. The club has done its duty.rnIn order to set up a community where carts could legally travel public roads, a number of infrastructural changes would be necessary, said chamber President Myers Bennett.
The carts could only be used in designated areas, he said, and special crosswalks and underpasses would be needed.
That's why the chamber is looking for local and provincial government support for the idea while raising public awareness.
This is something we think Osoyoos should look at, Bennett said.
That could really do something for Osoyoos for the traffic on Main Street and gas prices.rnBennett said the chamber envisions cart use on side roads in residential neighbourhoods where the vehicles would travel in special lanes, similar to bicycle paths.
They would not be allowed to use busy roads.
Bonnie Dancey, the chamber's executive manager, said they are approaching the province about supporting the idea because the government has infrastructure funds available for greening projects in B.C. communities.
Right now, she said, the chamber is studying other municipalities, such as Palm Desert, Calif., where golf carts are driven on public roads.
Palm Desert kicked off a five-year, $200,000 pilot project in 1993 where golf carts could use special lanes throughout the city.
After the five years were up the project became law and the city has put down 40 kilometres of cart lanes, with 16 more kilometres on the way.
Cart owners who drive on public roads have to get a licence from the city, said Mark Diercks, the city's transportation engineer.
He added, however, that there are only 120 registered golf carts in the city and many people with unregistered carts use the lanes.
It hasn't really been all that great, he said, adding that he wants to see more people get involved with the project officially.
It's not used as extensively as I'd like to see.rnDiercks did say the cart project has reduced traffic in the city somewhat and that there has only been one crash since the program began and that involved an unregistered cart.
In order to be licenced by the city, Diercks said, carts have to be electric, can't be homemade and must have safety features such as brake lights, indicator signals, seatbelts, a windshield and a back-up buzzer.
Back here in the South Okanagan, the chamber said having golf carts as a secondary mode of transportation in communities such as Osoyoos, Oliver and Okanagan Falls would help curb exhaust pollution and would act as a way to reduce greenhouse gases where B.C.'s new carbon tax may fall short.
I would give up my second vehicle to get a golf cart for getting around the community for shopping or a doctor appointment, Dancey said.
[email protected]