WEST POINT — Golf carts may soon become legal in a community in West Point, decades after residents started riding them.
The West Point Town Council voted on the golf cart issue on Aug. 26 following pressure from some residents and a petition of about 130 signatures.
Council voted 4-3 to proceed with obtaining Virginia Department of Transportation safety approvals for a golf cart ordinance in the Country Club Estates area. Members also narrowly voted to advertise a public hearing for the ordinance for the golfing community.
However, council members voted 4-3 against working with VDOT to assess whether golf carts should be allowed in other parts of the town.
Councilman James Pruitt said many residents of the Country Club Estates area erroneously believe it’s legal for them to ride golf carts on highways.
“We have a neighborhood who, since the 70s, thought golf carts were legal. The residents in that neighborhood have owned golf carts, have been driving golf carts since the 70s and we have now found the laws changed, and nobody realized it and that activity is illegal. I’m not against opening up other parts of the town to golf carts … but I think the first step is to address what everybody thought was legal and wasn’t,” Pruitt said.
Assistant Town Manager Steve Hudgins said a town can designate any road that “meets the code’s specifics on speed” for a golf cart ordinance. He said VDOT has the power to overrule a designation. Roads should have a speed limit of 25 mph.
Hudgins said local authorities should consider the “speed, volume and character” of traffic on designated highways.
He said the County Club area could make a case for a golf cart ordinance. “For the rest of the town, there’d be a lot more to do.” VDOT wants the town to prove there fewer than 1,000 vehicles a day in the Country Club area.
“You’d have to get consultants to do traffic counts. There’s a certain percent of trucks that are allowed on any road … VDOT is going to require some degree of proof,” Hudgins said.
Town Manager John Edwards said some residents are already riding golf carts unlawfully in parts of the town, on sidewalks, and crossing King William Avenue. “That’s an issue today. It might get worse,” he said.
Council members spoke of support from residents in other parts of the town for a golf cart ordinance. A petition attracted more than 130 signatures.
“I think it is something we need to look more at, but we also need to keep the town safe,” Mayor Jack Lawson said. “It’s a want, but not a need.”
“This is not going to happen overnight. Nor should it. This is a safety concern, and my number one job on this council, in my opinion, is to keep this town safe,” Lawson said after the vote.
Other council members warned of public safety concerns posed by golf carts if they were used more widely in the town.
“When it’s car versus golf cart, the car wins every time,” said Councilman John Ragsdale.
During an earlier meeting, Town Attorney Andrea Erard said about 600 people lose their lives every year in the United States in golf cart accidents.
David Macaulay, Davidmacaulayva@gmail.com
