For about the past 10 years, golf carts have grown in popularity as a form of neighborhood transportation. Forty percent of golf cart sales are for "individual use" away from the course, according to Bob Bethuram, a partner at Heartland Golf Cars and Equipment, a dealership in Martinsville.But...
"They're very convenient," he said. "You just get on them and go. And they don't take a lot of fuel."
A growing number of states from California to Florida have passed legislation authorizing local jurisdictions to permit general on-road use of golf carts subject to speed and operational limitations.
Indiana law does not contain provisions for the licensing of golf carts, and the Bureau of Motor Vehicles has refused to register [Delbert] McCoy's new toy.Full article
"From our end, we don't register those kinds of vehicles, and there's nothing he could do," said Adam Garrett, a BMV spokesman.
While most golf carts do not qualify for operation on highways and interstates, each city or town has the option to designate certain roads for their operation.
Muncie has no streets designated for golf cart operation.
I rather like the mental image of people scooting around on town streets in golf carts or similar vehicles. It seems simultaneously fun, funky and practical.
Of course, there are golf carts and then there are golf carts/cars and then there are custom golf carts and then there are more industrial carts, and I suspect that's just scratching the surface.
A bit of googling shows me that an entire industry/subculture may have grown up while I wasn't looking. Some of these vehicles are called golf cars (instead of carts) and some are called NEVs (apparently short for Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) and they run the gamut from plain Jane to replica scaled-down Hummers, thank you very much. Too fun.
Of course, if you'd rather, you can drive around in a four-wheeled "bike" (would that technically be a quadcycle?).
No comments:
Post a Comment