Peachtree City residents press council to reopen Crabapple Lane golf-cart access, cite lost funds and safety concerns

Dozens of residents urged Peachtree City Council members during the public-comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting to reopen the Crabapple Lane golf-cart connection to neighboring Tyrone, calling the closure discriminatory and costly to the city.

Speakers repeatedly told the council that the gate closing Crabapple Lane disproportionately affects Tyrone residents and families who routinely use golf carts to reach schools, shops and recreational facilities. “What powerful symbolic message are you sending?” asked Ansley Willis, who pointed to historical examples of closures used to exclude groups. Multiple commenters cited studies and trial counts indicating low golf-cart traffic from Tyrone — one speaker said it was "less than a dozen golf carts per day" during a six-month trial.

Several speakers tied the closure to a reported loss of county infrastructure funds. "This matter has already cost the city over $1,700,000," Erin Angelo told the council, a figure other speakers repeated during public comment. Resident Skip Schafer said he handed council copies of a 2023 Department of Insurance/fire-safety investigation and said its finding was that the closure "is in violation of state minimum fire safety standards," arguing the restricted access creates the risk of delayed emergency response.

Advocates proposed technical and administrative fixes rather than full reopening in some cases: retired Army colonel Shane Devrill suggested narrowing the opening with rock barriers so only one golf cart can pass at a time, installing vehicle counters and cameras, and relying on police to report incidents. Other speakers urged returning a golf-cart–only access or restoring the gate to an open configuration to preserve interconnectivity and the city’s unique golf-cart culture.

Council members did not take any immediate action on Crabapple Lane during the meeting’s formal agenda. Staff did accept public comment, and speakers urged council to either reopen the gate or pursue a narrowly tailored technical solution. The item may return to a future meeting or be handled administratively; no formal vote on changing the gate status was recorded during this session.

The public-comment period also included reports of isolated safety and enforcement issues on cart paths, such as untagged carts and an incident at Lake Peachtree that resulted in police taking a report. Residents called for clearer cart-number visibility and consistent enforcement to address those concerns.

The council accepted the public input and proceeded with the evening’s agenda. Residents of Tyrone and neighboring neighborhoods said they will continue to press the issue at future meetings.