Peachtree City enacts new golf cart rule

Golf cart drivers must come to a complete stop on Peachtree City’s multi-use paths before crossing any road, according to a newly adopted ordinance.

The text of City Ordinance 78-96 states, “The driver of any vehicle on the recreation path system shall, prior to leaving the recreation path system to enter or cross a public roadway designed for automobile traffic, stop as though a stop sign were present and yield the right of way to any traffic on said public roadway that is within the intersection or so close thereto as to create a hazard.” The city has posted a video demonstrating the new rule at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D05qaLGh2RE&feature=youtu.be.

The same mandate also applies to bicycle riders. Although city law requires vehicular traffic on roads to stop for pedestrians already in crosswalks, car drivers should not stop for golf carts about to cross the street because carts do not have the right of way; doing so can cause accidents and injuries.