An interesting New York Times article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/25/us/atlanta-suburb-golf-cart.html
Free archived version of article:
I’ve driven a golf cart in a community like this and it seemed like a great pollution-free way to get around. Are golf carts allowed on the streets of Brattleboro? Should they be? I was struck by this quote in the article:
“Peachtree City, Ga., has roughly 13,000 households and some 11,000 registered golf carts.”
Power Dynamics
Great article and questions…It’s interesting to wonder if we could accommodate this shift, my hunch is besides being crisscrossed by interstates, having a hefty flow of trucks and big rigs in a hurry, and not a great infrastructure- car vs slower-goers..it’d be a tough sell to legalize here…
The electric bike revolution might kick down some barriers, and carts and e-scooters could get in the mix. But I know from experience some places push back hard, and unity between different modes of movement is hard to achieve.
Re: Power Dynamics
Would a bypass for route 9 and route 30 be possible? If the slow-goers were polite and would let faster cars pass often maybe it could work. Maybe carts that can go 25mph (which is the town speed limit, even if most people ignore it) could be allowed? LSV’s (Low Speed Vehicles) and NEV’s (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) can go 25mph. If the highways could be bypassed it might be possible to ban cars altogether in the downtown. A long term goal perhaps, especially if retail stores continue to disappear.
I'm in...
It seems like golf carts are illegal on roads in VT, but the LSV’s and NEV’s are ok if you register, insure, and license them.
Tiny vehicles would be perfect for around here – short distances, tight spaces, less carbon.
I think all it might take is an ambitious dealer to set up on Putney Rd or Marlboro Rd and have a lot filled with them, and lots of sales and promotions for a year. Right now drivers see lots filled with Subarus and F150s. Give a few away to get them seen and in use. Give a fleet to the school for driver training.
You could do zoning tricks to make bigger cars less favored.
I think just as we are starting to see a bike infrastructure slowly taking shape, becoming friendly for tiny vehicles would create the infrastructure as well.
Imagine how many more small vehicles could fit into a parking lot. You could likely eliminate a few lots if small vehicles were standard. More room for housing!
Also, crime would go down… hard to break into open vehicles. : )
High Liner
Over the last span of years Chris is arguably the most civic minded individual in Brattleboro. However, in this case there might be an ulterior motive. If miles of pathway wending through town are created, it’s only a step from there to put stanchions along the way for a monorail track.
True
I was thinking the tiny vehicle track would look nice raised up above pedestrians… : ) Nice view from up there, too. It could be a covered path, so no plowing needed.