Politics & Government
Golf Carts On Way To Being Street Legal in Temple Terrace
Residents who want to park their cars and cruise city streets in their golf carts can begin registering with the city in October.
Starting next year you won’t have to confine your golf cart to the links.
The Temple Terrace City Council approved a measure allowing golf carts on city streets starting Jan. 1, 2013.
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Currently, golf carts are only allowed to be driven to and from the .
The approval only applies to city streets, however. You won’t be able to legally ply state or county roads such as 56th Street or Fletcher and Fowler avenues.
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And you have to use the golf cart tunnels to cross Bullard Parkway.
Other than state, county or federal roads, the streets of Temple Terrace will be the open road for golf carts.
But if you want to tool around Temple Terrace in a golf cart, you need to register with the city starting Oct. 1. There is a $10 annual fee and the city will issue a decal each year to show the machine is street legal.
In addition, the golf cart has to be mechanically sound with common-sense things like proper brakes, steady steering, good tires, a rear view mirror and red reflectors. You’ll need other equipment if you want to be on the road after dark.
You also need a valid driver license and you have to follow normal driving regulations, such as no open containers of alcohol and obeying traffic signs. Police will issue tickets to violators.
You can get more information at City Hall, the Family Recreation Complex, the Temple Terrace Public Library and the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club. You can also call the Community Development Department at 813-506-6460.
The new rules will let residents keep their cars parked for trips to stores, restaurants and for visits.
Allowing golf carts on city streets is part of a long-range plan by the city to reduce reliance on cars for residents to get around. The plans include emphasizing more access for residents to use bicycles, walking, shuttle buses and even scooters.
The city is the first in Florida to receive a designation as a Multimodal Transportation District, said Michael Dunn, city spokesman.
In part, the designation means the city developed plans to convert money that would have gone to improve roads for automobiles and spend it on improvements for ways to get around other than cars, according to Walk Friendly Communities, an effort sponsored in part by the Federal Highway Administration to recognize communities that improve pedestrian safety.