Resident urges limits on golf carts, motorized devices on Commons Park paths

A Royal Palm Beach resident told the Village Council on Jan. 16 that allowing golf carts to be used by able-bodied people on Commons Park pathways would worsen conflicts among users and that enforcement of existing rules is already lacking.

"I'm not talking about golf carts for disabled people that can't get around otherwise. I'm talking about golf carts being used by able-bodied persons, on the paths in Commons Park," Carl Silverman said during the public-comment period. Silverman told the council he lives in Greenway Village South across from Commons Park and has decades of experience working on trails projects, including helping convert an 11-mile abandoned railroad corridor to a multiuse trail in central Pennsylvania.

Silverman said Commons Park already has "a lack of enforcement of etiquette and rules," and described specific concerns: unleashed dogs, bicyclists who "almost never give any kind of warning before they zip past you," and a proliferation of motorized devices including motorized skateboards, e-bikes and scooters. "There needs to be some better enforcement of this," he said.

The council did not debate or vote on a change to park vehicle policy during the meeting. The clerk noted the speaker's contact information had been collected and that such concerns are the kind of subject the council discusses; no staff directive or formal action to change park rules was recorded in the meeting excerpt.

Ending

The council closed public comment after Silverman's remarks; any formal consideration of golf cart policies or enforcement measures would require placement on a future agenda and staff analysis.