Golf Carts A Possibility In Milton, Input Sought By City

MILTON, GA — What do think about people driving golf carts in Milton, particularly in the Crabapple area?

Now is your chance to weigh in to help the City of Milton better understand the public’s opinions on Personal Transportation Vehicles, or PTVs, which are often associated with golf carts. This information will feed into a PTV plan being developed for the Crabapple district that could lead to the state allowing these vehicles to cross Ga. 372, both Crabapple Road and Birmingham Highway, the addition of PTV-friendly features like parking or lighting, and changes to a city ordinance that could affect PTV driving citywide.

To have your voice be heard, complete the online survey.

PTVs, or personal transportation vehicles, have become increasingly popular as people seek smaller, alternative ways to get around places. The Crabapple area, specifically, contains a growing number of restaurants and shops to go along with parks, schools, and other destinations, like City Hall or the Milton Library.

Motor vehicles with at least four wheels, that cannot go faster than 20 miles per hour, are not heavier, without occupants, than 1,375 pounds, and cannot safely transport more than eight people qualify as PTVs. Power wheelchairs and all-terrain vehicles, for example, do not.

The state of Georgia has laws regulating PTVs – for example, their operators must have a valid driver’s license to operate one on a public road and such “low-speed vehicles” are prohibited from driving on federal highways. Local governments, though, can have their own ordinances as well as add elements to make things safer and better for PTV drivers.

One Georgia regulation that impacts downtown Crabapple is a prohibition on driving PTVs on state routes, such as Birmingham Highway and Crabapple Road. Municipalities can formally apply to ask the State to allow PTV crossings – something that requires, first, an area PTV plan that these survey results will help inform.

Among other topics, the city’s plan will look at Crabapple-area streets suitable, and not, for PTVs, recommend parking and other amenities, suggest ideal crossing sites, and develop a signage and road-marking strategy. It will also explore the prospect of golf carts, and other PTVs, sharing multi-use paths with pedestrians and bicyclists. The citizen survey results help inform recommendations on all these PTV-related matters.

If you have questions about this survey, upcoming plan, and PTVs generally in Milton, email the City’s Engineering Project Manager Robert Dell-Ross at Robert.Dell-Ross@cityofmiltonga.us. Related law enforcement questions can be directed to the Milton Police Department at PDinfo@cityofmiltonga.us.