How many golf carts are registered in Peachtree City?

People in Peachtree City, Georgia are pretty adamant that golf carts are a viable and responsible mode of transportation. Peachtree City is just a bit south of Georgia’s capitol, Atlanta, and Peachtree’s residents travel freely along 100 miles of golf cart paths. It has a population of 38,000 living among 13,000 households, but boasts 10,000 registered golf carts, according to Slate. If you live in Peachtree and don’t ride a golf cart, it’s possible you’re the odd one out.

The foot paths used by residents were once reserved for pedestrians, bicycles and scooters. But when people started driving golf carts, the practice stuck. The city eventually paved the footpaths and made the multi-use paths 10 feet wide, which encouraged more people to drive golf carts when going on short trips.

Photo: Peachtree City Convention And Visitors Bureau

The trend is now spreading, as Slate reports. In states all over the country, golf carts are already popular alternative vehicles: Florida, California, Arizona and North Carolina.

Not only are golf carts popular among older drivers, but they’re also popular among younger ones, too. Peachtree City Mayor, Kim Learnard, says that 16 year-olds can legally operate golf carts, and teens use them in the city to visit friends nearby. I would really love to see what the golf cart tuner culture is like.

Photo: Davis Turner (Getty Images)

Slate cites a 2015 Harvard study that says golf carts could be the future of transportation, a cleaner alternative to mass public transport and EVs. Slate goes on, saying golf carts are propulsion-method agnostic:

Carts can be either gas-powered or electric, typically costing around $10,000, give or take a few thousand. They generally weigh 500 to 1,100 pounds and travel under 20 mph, making them significantly lighter and slower than a car. A roof provides protection from the sun; an optional plastic enclosure can keep users dry when it rains.

These are all good points, and they highlight how golf carts could be a viable alternative to cars in the right places, but I can’t help think that the list of golf cart pros is overlooking what the rest of the world already knows: that smaller vehicles are much better — and eco-friendlier — than modern cars.

Kei cars come to mind, but those can be pricy. I’m talking about two and three-wheel vehicles. Motorcycles, which weigh less than golf carts, can be either ICE-powered or EVs and can be as easy to operate as bicycles. Maybe I’m biased, or maybe not. Some of the largest and busiest city streets have been familiar with the actual value that motorcycles, scooters and rickshaws represent.

Peachtree City is a good step, but when are we going to see American cities copy Southeast Asia? Where is the Georgia city where motorcycle crash rates are much lower because everyone else is riding on a motorcycle? I’d argue the only thing bikes can’t do that a golf cart can do is fit four people because they’re only safer around other golf carts. You’re not going to feel safe surrounded by big trucks and SUVs. I like the project Peachtree City has going, but I’d love it if there were motos. Come on Georgia, let’s see some love for two-wheelers, too.

Golf cart owners who live outside the Peachtree City limits may soon pay even more for the privilege of using the city’s paths.

City Manager Jon Rorie announced at Thursday’s City Council meeting that a proposed fee change would raise the annual user fee for non-residents from the current $100 to $150 per cart, in addition to the $15 annual registration fee. Rorie said the increase is meant to offset the cost of maintaining the paths, although only about 1,000 carts are currently registered outside the city. The non-resident fee was last raised from $60 to $100 in 2016. No fees are charged for pedestrian, bike or other non-cart use of the paths.

Residents of unincorporated Fayette County pay a $12 five-year fee to use golf carts outside Peachtree City; the county has reciprocal registration only with Fayetteville and Tyrone. The fee change will be part of the budget vote at the Aug. 1 council meeting, and would take effect with the 2020 registration renewals.

Tyrone residents will have reduced access to Peachtree City’s golf cart paths, and all non-city residents will soon pay more for the privilege. The City Council voted 5-0 Thursday to close Crabapple Lane to vehicular traffic at the city border, effective Dec. 1, with golf cart access to be cut off next June 1. The unpaved road is owned by Fayette County but straddles the Tyrone border before crossing into Kedron Hills, whose residents have complained about cut-through traffic. The decision would force Tyrone to build a new path, most likely along Dogwood Trail toward Ga. 74, for similar access.

City Manager Jon Rorie justified the action by noting that the city spends more than $3 million a year to maintain its 100 miles of paths, saying there should be more “tax equity” for non-residents to use them. The council then voted to raise the annual fee for non-resident golf cart permits to $250, an increase of $100.

Peachtree City residents paid $45 in 2019 for a cart permit valid through 2022. Tyrone charges its residents $15 for a cart tag and offers reciprocity to those registered in Peachtree City, but not vice versa. Unincorporated Fayette County requires all users of its paths to have a $12 decal good for five years, and has reciprocal agreements with Fayetteville and Tyrone but not Peachtree City.

Connectivity has become a bigger issue now that more paths, bridges and tunnels are being added to provide access to schools, shopping centers and other areas along the city’s borders.

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