News : Council OKs new golf cart ordinance: $5 fee and 16-year-olds allowed to drive

After a brief discussion Thursday, the Vinton City Council voted unanimously on the long-debated issue of golf carts, agreeing to a new policy that allows licensed drivers age 16 and above to drive golf carts on most city streets.

Golf cart owners will have to pay a one-time $5 registration fee at City Hall after the ordinance goes into effect. The council’s vote was the first reading of the required three for a new ordinance.

Safety regulations in the new ordinance – adopted after Mayor John Watson vetoed the previous one – include the following: All riders must be seated at all times on the seats (no sitting on the lap or between the legs of another passenger). No more than three people may ride in the front seat, and no more than two in the back seat. All riders must be seated and no parts of their bodies may extend beyond the sides of the cart.

Proof of insurance is also required; carts are only allowed between sunrise and sunset.

Carts are not allowed on Highways 218 or 150, although they are allowed to directly cross those road ways. Carts are also prohibited on the East 4th Street Boulevard between 3rd Avenue and 9th Avenue.

Careless operation, driving while intoxicated and towing are also prohibited, as is trespassing on private property without the permission of the owner of that property.