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Kenner council members raise safety concerns over Vintage Canal path after reports of golf carts and motorcycles
Summary
Councilman Tom Wilmot read a resident's written concern about motor vehicles on the Vintage Canal pedestrian-bike path; council members said they will work with the Kenner Police Department and Chief Keith Conley and consider legislation to address enforcement and signage.
Councilman Tom Wilmot read a written complaint from resident and former state representative Tony Lehi urging the city to address motorized vehicles operating on the Vintage Canal pedestrian-bike path, saying the activity endangers elderly walkers, children, pets and people using mobility devices.
"I have witnessed golf carts rolling at high speeds and a kid riding a motorcycle on 2 occasions at probably 25 miles per hour," Wilmot read from Lehi's statement. The letter also noted that the path is posted with numerous “no motor vehicle” signs but that motorized vehicles continue to use the path.
Councilman Ladd said he shares the concern and reported seeing children riding low-speed recreational vehicles on the path and golf carts traveling on and around curbs. Ladd said the council recently passed a golf-cart ordinance that allows carts on streets, and that those vehicles should not be operated on the pedestrian path. He told the council he would work with Police Chief Keith Conley and the Kenner Police Department to address enforcement and to draft legislation "in the very near future to pinpoint correcting any corrections that need be." (Paraphrase of council remarks in meeting record.)
Councilman Wilmot advised residents who observe violations — including golf carts or motorcycles on the path — to contact the Kenner Police Department so officers may respond. The transcript does not record a formal motion or ordinance adoption during the meeting on this matter; council discussion indicated next steps would include coordinating with police and exploring legislative fixes.
The matter touches a high-use recreational corridor in Rivertown that council members said is a growing quality-of-life asset. The letter read into the record requested increased attention to enforcement because walkers using the path include elderly residents and children who could be endangered by motorized vehicles.
No timeline or firm enforcement plan was included in the meeting record; council members described follow-up work with the police chief and possible future legislation as the next steps.
