By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
The RM of Corman Park will soon carry out a public consultation to gauge interest in a bylaw that would permit the use of golf carts on low-volume municipal roadways, particularly those that serve defined residential or recreational areas like hamlets and subdivisions.
During the September 8 public works committee meeting, councillors voted 5-3 to accept a report on a potential new golf cart bylaw for information and to direct administration to carry out a consultation to obtain feedback on the bylaw.
Reeve Joe Harvgrave, Division 5 Councillor Arthur Pruim and Division 6 Councillor Steven Balzer voted against the motion. Division 2 Councillor John Saleski was absent.
The motion was then approved as part of the consent agenda during the September 22 regular council meeting.
Director of Infrastructure and Planning Hayder Lateef said council originally directed administration to investigate the requirements for allowing golf carts to operate on roadways during the July 7 council meeting.
Lateef said that in May 2023, the Saskatchewan government announced changes that would allow municipalities to broaden the use of golf carts on public roads.
Specifically, Section 113.1 of the Traffic Safety Act allows municipalities to permit golf carts to operate on a highway (or a portion of a highway) through a bylaw, which must be approved by the Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) Administrator.
In this case, golf carts are specifically defined as vehicles meant for transporting golfers and golf equipment, cannot travel faster than 24 kilometres per hour, and must weigh less than 590 kilograms. They are restricted to roadways that are identified in the bylaw and cannot operate on a provincial highway except when crossing them.
Drivers must hold a minimum of a valid Class 7 Driver’s Licence and carry a minimum of $200,000 in third-party liability insurance. This proof of insurance must also be provided when requested by a peace officer.
They also cannot operate on roadways with a speed limit greater than 50 kilometres per hour, must display a slow-moving vehicle sign and can only operate on roadways from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset.
As well, the municipality must inform SGI of any collisions involving golf carts and if there were any injuries or fatalities.
Besides the 50 km/h speed restriction, Lateef said council can consider a number of factors when allowing golf carts on certain roads, such as width, condition of the shoulder, sight lines and intersection locations, proximity to provincial highways and potential conflict with agricultural or commercial operations.
Lateef said that if council wished to consider a bylaw, administration recommended their use be limited to low-volume municipal roads serving defined residential or recreational areas.
“That would be roads within hamlets or subdivisions near golf courses,” he noted.
That said, council had three possible options after accepting the report: take no further action, conduct a public consultation or proceed directly to bylaw development. Administration favoured the second option.
“As golf cart use is anticipated to be limited to primarily residential areas, the focus of the public consultation would be on hamlets or subdivisions. But of course, council could expand the consultation,” Lateef said.
He noted administration also consulted the Corman Park Police Service (CPPS) prior to the September 8 committee meeting. They wanted to acknowledge that informal golf cart use, sometimes involving minors, was already occurring in the RM, and that knowledge should guide any consultation or designation of roadways.
Otherwise, CPPS supported doing a consultation and carrying out an education campaign primarily aimed at parents or residents of hamlets and subdvisions prior to any bylaw rollout.
As well, CPPS indicated that administration and council should consider whether any prospective bylaw should include any e-bikes, e-scooters or other chargeable conveyances.
Council Comments
Division 4 Councillor David Greenwood, who put forward the motion to have administration carry out a consultation, said he originally brought this matter to council’s attention at the request of a ratepayer who wanted to use his golf cart on municipal roadways and not be in contravention of any bylaws.
Division 1 Councillor John Germs expressed concern that this conversation was sparked by one ratepayer with a concern, noting the situation certainly isn’t anything like down in the U.S. where you see golf carts everywhere in senior-dominated communities.
“I don’t know how big of an issue this is,” he said.
Greenwood said he had spoken to CPPS Chief Robert Duttchen and he indicated there were a lot of golf carts in use throughout the RM, particularly by youth.
Balzer said he was “dead set” against moving forward with a bylaw on the basis of one ratepayer’s request, citing the costs associated with a consultation.
Division 3 Councillor Lyndon Haduik suggested they could leave the matter up to hamlets to decide if they want golf carts on local roadways. However, Lateef pointed out that hamlets would still need an RM bylaw to allow or restrict golf carts in their communities.
Hargrave said he never sees people using golf carts in his area, adding that he believed they were potentially opening up a can of worms because registered golf carts would require some kind of highly-visible identification so that complaints about their improper use could actually be made.
Greenwood originally included e-bikes and similar conveyances in his motion, noting that he believed these devices need to be regulated. After the discussion, he amended his motion to remove any reference to e-bikes and scooters.