Golf carts on the road legally?

EPHRATA - A proposed Grant County ordinance would allow golf

carts on the road in three areas of the county.

The three areas are Desert Aire, Sunland Estates near The Gorge

Amphitheatre and Sunserra near Crescent Bar.

EPHRATA - A proposed Grant County ordinance would allow golf carts on the road in three areas of the county.

The three areas are Desert Aire, Sunland Estates near The Gorge Amphitheatre and Sunserra near Crescent Bar.

Representatives from Grant County public works, sheriff's office, auditor's office and prosecutor's office met to discuss the ordinance.

Jack Bielinski, Sunland Estates Home Owners Association's executive secretary, started the process four years ago after he received an $1,100 ticket during a beach clean-up event for driving his golf cart on the road.

After receiving the ticket, Bielinski started lobbying the Legislature to change state law, allowing people to drive golf carts in areas designated by the city or the county. The law went into effect in June.

"It's more convenient to jump into a little tiny golf cart," Bielinski said. "It's just a friendly way of meeting people and greeting people ... It's eco-friendly and I would rather listen to a golf cart go buzzing by than a truck."

The ordinance calls the Grant County Sheriff's Office to inspect and register the carts. The process costs $50 per cart. The ordinance allows a $250 fine.

"I'm not sure what we're going to set up schedule-wise. We'll have to wait until everything is in place, but we'll probably be scheduling at least a couple of inspection days at each community," Undersheriff Dave Ponozzo said. "Probably before May, depending on how quick this can get set up."

The carts are restricted to streets with a 25 mph speed limit. The proposal initially limited them to daylight operation, but Bielinski asked them to extend the hours to include nighttime use.

Ponozzo said if the carts are equipped with headlights, he doesn't have a problem with people using them at night. He said only two of the three areas have golf courses, and in Sunland Estates, people are using the carts to visit other people.

"They want to go visit their neighbors at 10 p.m. ... Crescent Bar is along the same lines. Desert Aire, on the other hand, I think most of the people down there when they're using their golf carts, they're actually out (golfing,)" he said.

Ponozzo added if the county left the limitation in, the Grant County District Court judges would dismiss the tickets.

"I don't say that out of disrespect, but that is just what's going to happen," he said. "We'll have wasted our time, wasted our money enforcing a law that's not going to be upheld."

The group also discussed a provision in the proposal stating people driving the carts must be "16 years of age and must have completed a driver education course or have previous experience driving as a licensed driver."

Ponozzo said the language creates problems with enforcement, since deputies aren't going to know whether someone completed a driver education course or has previous experience driving.

"You have to have a permit to even take a driver education course, so they should at least have a permit," Auditor Dave Firebaugh said.

Public Works Director Derek Pohle said the carts are going to be on the same roads used by other vehicles, so the requirements should be the same.

"Quite frankly, guys, from an enforcement standpoint, if you're going to leave it at every person operating a golf cart must be at least 16 years of age. I think you either stop it there or you say they have to have a driver's license," Ponozzo said.

Commissioner Richard Stevens suggested shortening the requirement to being 16 years old and having a valid license.

Commissioners Cindy Carter and Carolann Swartz asked Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lee Pence to change the section so it reflected the same rules a regular driver would have.