In a recent social media post, Alpharetta reminded residents that golf carts and similar vehicles are generally not allowed on public streets and sidewalks.
The city did note two exceptions.
For gated neighborhoods with private streets, the use of golf carts is determined by the property owner (typically the Home Owners Association).
The second exception includes a class of vehicles Georgia has named Low-Speed Vehicles or LSVs. An LSV is a 4-wheeled electric vehicle with a top speed between 20 to 25 mph. An LSV must have headlamps, front and rear turn signals, tail lamps, stop lamps, reflex reflectors, rear and exterior mirrors, a parking brake, a windshield, a VIN number, seatbelts, an “amber strobe light,” and a reversing alert sound before being issued a license plate. If all those requirements are met, Georgia law allows LSVs to be operated on any public road with a speed limit of 35 mph or less, subject to the same traffic/operation laws as an automobile.
Overall, the city expressed concern, “the simple fact of the matter is that our streets are not designed to safely accommodate golf carts. That means the risk of “conflicts” between cars and golf carts on those streets is high, and the golf cart will always come out the loser in a collision with a car. More importantly, the passengers in the golf cart would likely suffer serious injury; possibly even fatality.”
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