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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2015 - 2016
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 23, 2016 02:06 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator John C. Rafferty, Jr. |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Expanded Use of Golf Carts Pilot |
| In the near future, I intend to introduce legislation that would pilot the expansion of the use of golf carts on private roads and public-highway crossovers that maintains the safety of drivers and accommodates the growing interest of using golf carts as a form of transportation. There is a Homeowners Association in my Senatorial District that is expressing their interest in the ability of their members to travel on private roads within their boundaries and to crossover properly-marked public highways to reach other parts of the community within their boundaries. The application of using golf carts as a form of transportation is a growing trend across the country to create a less-costly means of travel within a small distance. My legislation will mirror aspects of Florida’s comprehensive legislation on the operation of golf carts on certain roadways that has been in existence since the 1980s. To ensure the safety of drivers, my legislation will make it the responsibility of a Homeowners Association (or other type of formal homestead community) to create their own safety provisions (e.g. age to operate, in-house registration, liability coverage, etc.) that are initiated by the municipality and approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (in concert with the local law enforcement) since police officers do not have jurisdiction on enforcing the laws on private roads. Furthermore, the safety of drivers is of concern when golf carts would be driven over public highways (excluding federal-aid highways), which is why my legislation would also call for the need to install properly-marked crossings for golf carts to travel across. My legislation would be a pilot for three years with an evaluation conducted by PennDOT to review any safety concerns or any needed updates to determine the feasibility of continuing the use of golf carts as a secondary means of transportation within a community. If you have any questions, please contact Nolan Ritchie at (717) 787-1398 or via email at nritchie@pasen.gov. |
Introduced as SB1357