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Escanaba council adopts resolution allowing golf carts on designated streets with safety limits
Summary
The Escanaba City Council on Feb. 19 adopted Resolution 26-03 authorizing operation of golf carts on specified public roadways under MCL 257.6578, with age, speed and time-of-day restrictions and local exclusions for high‑traffic streets.
Escanaba — The Escanaba City Council voted Feb. 19 to adopt Resolution 26-03, allowing the operation of golf carts on designated city streets under Michigan Compiled Laws MCL 257.6578. The resolution sets operator and equipment rules and allows the city to exclude high-traffic streets.
The resolution, presented by city staff and traffic-safety personnel, permits operation only by licensed drivers age 16 or older, limits carts to streets posted under 30 miles per hour, and caps golf-cart speeds at 15 miles per hour. Operators must use approved signaling; if a cart lacks blinkers, bicycle-style hand signals are acceptable. The resolution also prohibits sidewalk operation and bars golf-cart use within the restricted nighttime window described in the proposal (from a half hour before sunset to a half hour after sunrise).
Director Smith, who summarized traffic-safety committee input, said the city is eligible to adopt the ordinance because its population is under 30,000 and that the committee recommended allowing carts on a limited set of streets. "We get a lot of calls about people driving them, sometimes in a way that's safe, sometimes in a way that's not safe," Director Smith said, arguing the resolution would reduce officer time spent responding to routine reports by defining lawful operation.
Council members discussed enforcement and neighborhood access. Staff noted that officers will use discretion for first-time or clearly responsible operators, and repeat unsafe behavior can be cited as a local civil infraction with fines starting at $50 and increasing up to $250 or more. The city also listed several higher-traffic streets that would generally be excluded from permitted golf-cart operation, and staff said the list could be refined if needed.
The council moved and voted to adopt Resolution 26-03. The resolution includes authority to restrict additional streets locally and to set equipment and age rules consistent with state statute MCL 257.6578. The measure takes effect according to the city’s implementation timeline and will be enforced by the public-safety department.
Council members and staff said they expect to monitor seasonal usage and return with ordinance refinements if the need arises.
