LEAGUE CITY — Police Chief Mike Jez on Tuesday will recommend city council members ban golf carts from League City’s major thoroughfares, restricting the vehicles mostly to neighborhoods.
Jez said he decided to make a recommendation to city council members after reviewing the state law, which he called “somewhat ambiguous.”
The new law states golf carts can be operated only in master-planned communities, on public or private beaches and on public highways where the speed limit is no more than 35 miles per hour. But Jez said it’s not clear to residents or police officers what defines a master-planned community, making it difficult to enforce the law.
Jez said he plans to present to council Tuesday four options to clarify the law and provide officers with some guidance on how to restrict golf cart use.
He said he will recommend council members restrict golf carts to the daytime and only within one-half mile of the place where the golf cart is stored. Under Jez’s recommendation, golf carts also would not be allowed on major city thoroughfares, including state Highway 3, FM 518 and FM 2094, or arterial roadways, such as Bay Area Boulevard, League City Parkway, Walker Street, Columbia Memorial Parkway, Tuscan Lakes Boulevard between state Highway 96 and FM 646, South Shore Boulevard from FM 2094 to FM 646 and Hobbs Road south of League City Parkway West.
Jez recommends golf carts be allowed to cross the arterial roadways at a perpendicular angle.
Golf cart usage has become increasingly popular in the city, but residents don’t seem to understand the law, Jez said.
Officers found children without a driver’s license driving the vehicles and residents using the carts on sidewalks. League City residents also drive the carts at night, don’t buckle up their children and drink while driving, Jez said.
“I want to clear up any confusion about this,” Jez said.
He said he also will present council members with three other options:
• Prohibit golf carts on roadways where the speed limit is greater than 30 mph and on any state-numbered roadway or road designated by council;
• Restrict the use of golf carts to residential streets of 30 mph or less. Permit golf carts to be used to and from the golf course, but only within a one-half mile of the course in the daytime only; and
• Prohibit golf carts on all public roadways.
League City City Council members will consider the golf cart policy at 6 p.m. Tuesday at council chambers, 200 W. Walker St.
Galveston City Council members on Thursday agreed to form a committee to study where in the city golf carts should be allowed on the streets. Tiki Island does not plan to restrict golf cart usage, other than the restrictions laid out in law. Bayou Vista is reviewing the state law.
