Revised rules of road

It’s a frequent practice in Liberty Lake. Residents drive their golf carts around town – to the grocery store, to the park, to the farmers market and even to the golf course.

Resident Lisa Pederson, 39, said she takes the kids to the park in her cart and to the grocery store. She said it’s more convenient and more economical. She said she takes the cart out at least once a week.

“To be honest, we don’t even really golf,” she said.

Liberty Lake Police Chief Brian Asmus said the city adopted its current ordinance about five years ago. Residents had been driving their golf carts on city roads not only on the golf course and some problems were turning up – kids were driving them, parents held their babies on their laps – and they wanted to find out what their options were.

They learned that the state didn’t even have a legal definition of a golf cart and set about to come up with their own city ordinance.

But on July 1 the state passed a new statute that will change Liberty Lake’s ordinance soon.

“There is no provision for underage driving,” Asmus said.

The city can create golf cart zones under the new state law and Asmus said the Public Safety Committee will soon create a hybrid of the city ordinance and the new statute for the trails in Liberty Lake.

He said the full City Council may vote on the new ordinance sometime in September, so realistically, many who use golf carts may not see the changes until next spring.

The old ordinance allows operators to drive the carts as long as they abide by the rules of the road, are 16 years old and have a drivers’ license, or are 12, 13, 14 or 15 years old, as long as they have someone sitting in the front seat who has had a drivers’ license for at least five years. No one younger than 12 is allowed to drive a golf cart on city streets. Operators couldn’t drive the carts in a negligent manner, couldn’t hinder or obstruct the trail system in Liberty Lake and couldn’t drive the cartson city roads from a half an hour after sunset to a half an hour before sunrise unless the vehicle had proper lights.

Violators of the ordinance could be issued a $250 fine, but Asmus said he couldn’t remember any citations issued in the last five years.

The city has never asked residents to register or license their golf carts, so Asmus isn’t sure about the number of residents who use their carts for anything other than golf.

“But it’s a lot,” he said. After gas prices jumped significantly two years ago, he noticed an increase in the carts on the road.

Liberty Lake’s ordinance was one of the first in the state and Asmus said other jurisdictions have called to receive advice to set up their own ordinances.

“Cities can be more restrictive (in their ordinances) but not less restrictive,” Asmus said. “There’s no way for us to get around that.”

Probably the biggest difference between the new state law and the city’s ordinance is that it requires operators and passengers to use seat belts if they are on the road.

“You don’t have to license or insure (the vehicle) but you have to have seat belts,” Asmus said. Carts must also have reflective decals and rear-view mirrors.

Operators under the new state law must be at least 16 years old and have completed drivers’ education, or have previous experience as a licensed driver.

Those drivers, such as Pederson, will have to make decisions about their carts.

“I think we would go ahead and get the seat belts,” she said. “I think it’s safer.”