An Alberta village is urging the province to make it legal to drive golf carts on municipal roads. Nine years ago, a resident of Delburne suffered a stroke, and discovered an innovative way to regain his independence.
“I couldn’t believe it. I was like a baby, helpless,” says Randy Bysterveld. “I couldn’t sit up, I couldn’t do nothing.
“If I had to sit in the house, I may as well be a vegetable.”
Over time, Bysterveld relearned basic physical skills like sitting upright, standing, and walking a few steps. However, he started to realize he’d never regain the mobility he once had.
“A couple of people said if you can’t walk, why don’t you just get a golf cart and ride it around? So I found a golf cart,” recalls Bysterveld.
The cart allowed him to run errands, get the mail, pick up groceries, watch his grandson’s hockey games.
He says, in the beginning, he had some struggles with law enforcement.
- Alberta farmers vow to keep up the fight against proposed motorsports park
- Oilers coach calls McDavid and Draisaitl’s playoff performances remarkable
- Drumheller hoping to break record for ‘largest gathering of people dressed as dinosaurs’
- Valleyview RCMP investigate nude video taken in rec center washroom
“That was it, no more,” he says. “It was like a whole new world. Then it just got shut down.”
Driving a golf cart on municipal streets is illegal, and can come with a fine of more than $2,500. Still, the decision to enforce the law after so many years came as a surprise to Delbourne’s mayor.
“That was really a shocker,” said Ray Reckseidler.
So now, the handful of citizens who used to use golf carts to get around are trying to make do with scooters.
“It’s done the job, but not like this,” complained Bysterveld, pointing to his golf cart. “It’s like comparing a Volkswagen to a Cadillac.”
For him, the golf cart was much sturdier, and offered shelter from the rain and snow. The scooter is getting him from one point to another, but come winter, it could be a different story.
“I won’t ride that in that much snow.”
Mayor Reckseidler sees other potential issues with the scooters.
“We had provided scooters,” he said, but “scooters are not considered a highway vehicle, they’re considered pedestrians, and are limited to sidewalks.
“But our small village doesn’t have sidewalks on every street.”
Now, the village council is hoping to change the rules to make driving golf carts on the roads legal.
“We’re confident that it will be something our aging population would appreciate,” Reckseidler explained.
A municipal bylaw could allow golf carts on the road, but that would open the door to legal issues. For instance, if the province changes the law, liability also changes hands. “A municipality can establish a bylaw to deal with golf carts, but if you extend the privilege to use that as a mode of transportation, then the municipality accepts the liability.”
Many small communities like Delburne don’t have public transit or even taxi service, so council feels golf carts are a good alternative to improve accessibility. Many regions in the United States and even British Columbia have bylaws that allow the use of golf carts on local streets.
Reckseidler took the idea to other mayors at the annual Urban Municipalities meeting for a vote. He says the topic sparked some spirited discussion.
Jokes aside, the resolution passed with 64 per cent support.
“We feel we’d like to open the debate now, by having taken the resolution and received the support of the delegates, it’s now going to be handed over to the minister of transportation,” says Reckseidler.
“On behalf of council and the citizens, we have done our research, both legal and legislative and we’ve found that golf carts are being used in many communities in the United States, even in the province of British Columbia, in Kelowna.”
The mayor and council feel this issue is about more than the law and municipal and provincial legislation; it’s about independence.
Bystervield couldn’t agree more.
“It’s freedom.”
With files from Kendra Slugoski
Comments