City considers legalizing golf carts on city streets

Drive around Southwest Florida, especially in the McGregor area, and you're likely to see golf carts on the roads and sidewalks.? But what many people don't know is it's illegal.

"You see more and more over the past year, we've seen more in our neighborhood and we find it to be an excellent way of making a very great community and residential situation," says Fort Myers resident Jamie McCormick.

The problem is that driving them on city streets and sidewalks is illegal and their use is not highly enforced.?

Something Jamie McCormick has witnessed firsthand.

"I was stopped once and told not to use the golf cart on the sidewalks of McGregor. From what I've heart there have been a number of golf cart users who have been stopped and asked not to use them. Today we heard there's some fines being issued as well but I have not been fined myself."

The city of Fort Myers is looking into ways to make the four wheel vehicles legal, since state statutes leave the decision up to local government.

"We want to be deliberate, judicious and have a meaningful discussion into what the appropriate policy is," says Fort Myers Mayor Randy Handerson.

Fort Myers' policy would up some of the state statutes, like the driving age of 14 to 16. It would also require golf cart drives to have a driver's license, insurance, registration and annual inspections among other rules.

"Most if the ones that we see operating a being driven by very young children, most appear to be 8 or 10 years old. They don't know the laws and I'm concerned about liability issues," says Fort Myers resident Fred Davies.

"We'd like to see responsible adults people with licenses, people who know the rules of the road using the golf carts," says McCormick.

The city of Fort Myers is considering making golf carts legal from the Caloosahatchee?to US41 to Colonial Boulevard. It's a project that would cost close to $2 million to complete because of signs and construction.

"If they going to break the law then obviously there has to be enforcement otherwise people pay no attention to the law," says Davies.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45934597/ns/local_news-fort_myers_fl/

pittsburgh steelers charles barkley beyonce hines ward troy polamalu james harrison james harrison