It wasn’t all smooth sailing early on at the Orange Beach town hall meeting on Oct. 1 at the city’s Event Center, but the prevailing issue of the evening awaited.
“We did all the candy and nuts early on to get y’all in a good mood, so now we go to golf carts,” Mayor Tony Kennon said. “How many people are here about golf carts?”
Owners of golf carts and representatives of city neighborhoods where the vehicles are most prevalent made up the largest contingent in the crowd of about 700. Kennon had good news and bad news for them.
“For all of you that love golf carts, I want you to believe and understand there’s a lot of people out there that do not like your golf cart,” Kennon said. “And they call constantly about your golf cart and your kids on golf carts.”
If the police department ignores these complaints, Kennon said, the city puts itself at risk if it fails to enforce state laws regarding golf carts.
“If we get a complaint that is legitimate, a claim about a violation of a law, we have an obligation to investigate and to deal with it,” Kennon said. “A willful disregard for the enforcement of a law creates a liability situation for the city.”
Residents of the Marina Road and Terry Cove neighborhoods east of State Route 161, the north-south connector to the beach, ride the sidewalks there to the south to shop at grocery stores and restaurants. They head north to visit the shops and restaurants at the corner of 161 and Canal Road. Golf Carts or other motorized vehicles are not allowed on the Backcountry Trail except for maintenance crews.
The Bear Point neighborhood in East Orange Beach has a network of crisscrossed streets teeming with golf carts. Golf cart owners gather nightly at a local tiki bar to listen to live music and visit.
On Canal Road itself, there is a steady stream of residents on golf carts from Bear Point to Doc’s Seafood Shack, visiting a handful of restaurants on the road and Sam’s Stop & Shop convenience store. With the three schools now in the same area for this school year, parents can be seen mornings and afternoons dropping off and picking up students on golf carts.
“This is a golf cart community,” Kennon said. “Unfortunately, don’t shoot the messenger.”
Orange Beach is crafting a new ordinance to address some changes in the state law and make the carts compliant in the city. Most likely, carts will have to be retrofitted with lights and a blinker system Kennon said will cost about $650. They will have to be inspected and receive a permit from the city.
The carts are illegal on sidewalks and any street with a speed limit of more than 25 mph. And only drivers with a state license can operate the carts in the city.
Kennon said the city will look for areas like Marina Road, Canal Road and others where golf cart paths can be developed.
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