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Council advances restrictive golf-cart ordinance in 4-3 vote after safety debate
Summary
The Wichita City Council placed a new golf-cart ordinance on first reading 4-3, allowing limited daytime use on certain low-speed streets with licensing, insurance and age requirements; police raised safety concerns about operation near arterial streets, downtown and shared-use paths.
The Wichita City Council voted 4-3 on Jan. 16 to place a new ordinance allowing limited operation of golf carts on city streets onto its first reading, establishing a tightly restricted framework that drew sharp discussion over public safety and enforcement.
City attorney Sharon DeGraft presented the draft ordinance and said state law generally bars golf carts from roads with posted speeds over 30 mph unless a municipality permits them. The draft adopted by the council allows golf carts on specified city streets that are not arterial and have posted speed limits of 30 mph or less, prohibits operation in a defined downtown core, and bans use on sidewalks, walking trails and bike paths. It also would prohibit crossing arterial streets; staff recommended an April 1 implementation date to allow licensing systems to be prepared.
Police Captain Stevens of the Wichita Police Department advised caution. He told the council golf carts “are not built and made like your typical manufactured motor vehicle” and expressed concern that collisions with higher-speed motor vehicles, especially on arterial streets, could be fatal. He described downtown traffic flow, visibility and arterial streets as primary safety reasons to exclude the downtown/core area from cart operation.
Key elements in the ordinance as drafted and discussed at the meeting: - Drivers must be 18 or older and hold a valid driver’s license. - Golf carts must display a slow-moving-vehicle triangle and a city registration decal; staff proposed a $75 annual registration fee and a decal issued by the finance/treasury office. - Proof of liability insurance is required for registration. - Operation is limited to daylight hours (30 minutes after sunrise to 30 minutes before sunset). - Golf carts may not be driven on sidewalks, walking trails or dedicated bike paths, and they are barred from highways and arterials; the draft does not apply to ATVs, micro trucks or similar vehicles.
Council debate split along safety and enforcement concerns. Supporters, including Vice Mayor Johnston and Council Member Glasscock, said the ordinance brings currently illegal local activity into a regulated framework and reduces repeated calls to police from neighborhoods where golf carts are commonly used. Opponents, including Council Members Ballard and Tuttle, said police advised against the change, cited enforcement burdens and urged caution about expanding motorized uses on neighborhood streets.
Vice Mayor Johnston moved to adopt the ordinance as written and place it on first reading. The motion passed on a 4-3 roll call; the transcript records the outcome but did not list individual yes/no votes in the public record excerpt.
The ordinance remains a first-reading item; if advanced to subsequent readings and final passage it would include an April 1 implementation date to allow staff time to set up registration and decals and to prepare public outreach. Any changes to allow crossing arterial streets at marked crosswalks or to modify hours, fees or age limits would require additional council action.
