Golf Carts in Oswego Streets Discussion Continues

Chances are Oswego won’t be seeing golf carts cruisining down subdivision streets anytime soon.

Village trustees discussed at the committee of the whole meeting Tuesday once more about the legalization of golf carts, after an Oswego resident brought forth a petition to the board in favor of it back in August.

The biggest issue against allowing golf carts are the safety issues, a thought mirrored by several board members.

Trustee Gail Johnson said she wasn’t worried so much about the golf cart driving unsafe, but more about a vehicular driver who doesn’t see the golf cart and hits it.

“As soon as a child is hurt we are going to hear an uproar,” said Johnson. She commented also that of all the golf cart incidents she read about, none were caused by the cart driver.

“When we start talking about safety it’s a slippery slope,” said trustee Scott Volpe. He said that many things are allowed in the streets – bikers, walkers, skateboarders – and none of those things would have the headlights, brake lights and other safety features of the golf cart.

The specifications outlined by the petitioner for safety reasons include that the cart driver must have a valid license, the cart cannot be driven on any street with a speed limit of more that 25mph, the cart can only be driven in subdivision with a HOA and the cart cannon exceed a speed limit of 15mph.

According to Village documents (page 202 of the agenda here), only three local communities out of 35 allow golf carts on their subdivision roads, and one allows them only in private, gated communities and not on village-owned roads.

The meeting ended with the Oswego Police being given the task to look into how communities that do have golf carts manage the ordinance and other safety measures.

Village administrator Steve Jones said the topic would come up once more in a committee of the whole meeting, but there is no indication as to when that might be.