Are golf carts a hazard?

EAST COUNTY — Manatee County is considering amending its ordinance for golf cart-usage on Whitfield Avenue, Tara Boulevard and El Conquistador Parkway — but some residents believe that plan is in the rough.

The proposed amendment, which the Manatee County Commission is scheduled to discuss in a public hearing at its Oct. 6 meeting, would strip these three streets of their designation as golf cart roadways.

The county widened the part of Whitfield Avenue near Palm-Aire Golf and Country Club to add bicycle lanes.

Bill Eifert, a former president of the Palm-Aire Communities Council, at that time was heavily involved in getting the county to widen the road and is now confused why the county has changed its mind. He said the roadway was widened, in part, to accommodate golf carts.

“It distresses all of us that something that had worked so well is being proposed to change for no real reason,” Eifert said.

The county reviewed streets in the ordinance, and based on field observations and data collection, determined that golf cart usage on these roadways is not appropriate, said Sage Kamiya, Manatee County deputy director of traffic management, in an email to the East County Observer. Due to an influx of population within these communities and the impact of the population to traffic conditions, county staff recommended these two streets be taken off of the golf-cart designation list for safety reasons. The county held workshops with the different neighborhoods earlier this year, in the spring, but residents still question why this amendment is on the table.

Before the road was widened, the golf cart users would have to drive on the sidewalks. It was a safety concern because some areas of the sidewalk drop off into drainage ditches on either side, making passing difficult. If golf carts drove on the street, cars had to swerve into the oncoming lane to pass the bike or cart.

“It was not a safe situation for anybody,” Eifert said. “What will we gain by this (change) except to create a safety problem?”

With Whitfield Avenue being a main thoroughfare for commuters and residents on foot, bike, car or cart, Eifert doesn’t like the idea of taking a step backward.

“To make that an unsafe situation, when we went to such lengths to make it a safe roadway – we don’t think it makes sense,” — Bill Eifert.

Part of the county’s proposal would designate parts of the Palm-Aire sidewalks as golf cart-friendly; Kamiya said this part of the proposal would not require these sidewalks to be widened if approved.

Karen Clark, president of the Tara Master Association, said that both the Tara Preserve and Tara Golf and Country Club communities utilize Tara Boulevard with golf carts. Residents use the carts not only to travel back and forth between the two communities, but also to go to the grocery store and other shops near the area.

Clark is concerned about the impact on both communities’ parking problems. During peak season, golfers have to park on the street because the lots get full, she said. With golf carts, residents can commute from home to the course without worrying about finding a parking spot.

“There are so many cars and not so many parking spaces,” she said.

She said the Master Association is spreading the word about the upcoming public hearing, and she hopes to have a presence at the meeting to show the communities’ disapproval of the proposal.

A related ordinance amendment also allows for the use of golf carts on particular sidewalks, including on the east sidewalk on Whitfield Avenue from Gardens Drive to north of Lakeside Woods Circle, as an alternative to roadway use in the Palm-Aire neighborhood.