Alberta golfers squeaking out their last rounds before winter hits might not have to put their carts away quite yet.
The Alberta government announced Thursday that golf carts can now be driven on roads in seven rural communities under a new five-year pilot program.
The government made changes to the Traffic Safety Act earlier this year to permit and regulate motor vehicle transportation pilot projects.
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said in a release Thursday that pilot programs like this show Alberta is "forward-thinking" when it comes to transportation.
"Off-highway vehicles ... and e-bikes have been popular with Albertans for years, and pilot projects like this one hold the key to unlocking new modes of transportation for everyone," Dreeshen said.
The town of Coaldale, Alta., about 230 kilometres south of Calgary, is one of the municipalities now permitting golf carts on certain roads.
It's nothing new for residents in the town's Land-O-Lakes subdivision, who had been allowed to drive carts to the area's golf course for nearly 40 years before the municipality realized in 2022 that it was against provincial law.
Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn says the pilot program is welcome news.
"It’s a win for everyone involved – Coaldale residents, municipal enforcement officers, our local golf course, Coaldale town council and the Government of Alberta," Van Rijn said in a release.
The Summer Village of Whispering Hills, about 165 kilometres north of Edmonton, is also allowing golf carts on its streets.
Mayor Curtis Schoepp says the pilot will save time for residents and police.
"In the summer village right now, we probably have about 60 golf carts running around and they're illegal to drive on the road," Schoepp said. "So whenever RCMP come by, they stop and send them home."
"But really all they're doing is just driving to their neighbour's 100 feet away or to the beach or whatever, right? So this just makes it more convenient."
Schoepp says the village's associated golf cart bylaw will permit golf carts throughout the community and no roadways will be restricted.
Residents 14 and older will be allowed to be behind the wheel, and there must only be as many people as there are seats in the cart at any given time.
"They're quiet, they're slow, they're safe," he said.
The other municipalities piloting the use of golf carts include the villages of Acme and Linden, the town of Delburne, Lacombe County, and the summer village Half Moon Bay.
The government says the results of these pilot programs will be used to inform future policy and if there are safety issues that need to be addressed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press
