After more than a year of work, it’s finally here. This Thursday, July 11, 2019 at 6:00pm, at City Hall, the city staff will present the first reading of the ordinance amendment to Article VI, Chapter 74 – our Dunedin Golf Cart Ordinance. Just as with any other change that happens in our city, this too will be presented, opened for feedback, then presented again at a subsequent commission meeting for the final commission vote.
This is one of the largest and most comprehensive amendments to the golf cart ordinance since its inception. You can expect to see these major points:
- A new east Dunedin Golf Cart Zone, adding nearly all the area north of SR-580, east of CR-1 to Belcher Road, up to Brady Dr.
- At least three new legal crossings of CR-1, north of 580.
- A new crossing of Alt. 19 at San Jose Dr.
- Final resolution on the south pathway into Highlander Park, and the two access bridges.
- Changes to protect pedestrians, the park’s green-space, child safety, and to preserve neighbor peace at south Highlander Park.
- Fixes that restore navigation for residents in the Lake Haven, Angle Road areas
- The addition and definition of “shared roadway” zones on south Patricia and Virginia. These modifications strike a careful compromise that fix crossing issues and allow navigation downtown, without placing carts on long stretches of high-volume roads like Virginia and south Patricia. Both low-speed cart drivers and normal vehicle drivers will appreciate this sectioned approach as a way to enjoy your freedom but reduce the impact to normal vehicle drivers traveling at higher speeds.
- Clear and definitive resolution on the intersection of Broadway, Main St. and Alt. 19 (by Strachan’s Ice Cream). The guessing ends, everyone will be on the same page.
- Changes to help improve child passenger safety on street-legal carts.
- An expanded legal cart zone for the Scotsdale area, with ability to legally navigate to the downtown core.
- The reduction of traffic on Victoria Dr. – neighbors on Victoria will appreciate this; your golf cart shocks and suspension will appreciate it too. You will however still be able to legally travel on Victoria if you want to see the sunsets or reminisce at the Victoria Street crater.
- A new and far more detailed golf cart zone map.
- The crown jewel: A legal crossing of Skinner/580 at Bass Blvd. using the traffic signal.
If these matters are important to you, then please choose to be there and represent your interest.
This amendment proposal incorporates more than a year of public input and effort on part of city staff, cart-driving and non-carting residents, Dunedin Goes Carting volunteers, city commissioners, Parks & Rec. management, a County Commissioner, traffic consultants, and others. It equally addresses safety, navigational improvements, use-compromises, and will ultimately create a Dunedin that is 93% navigable by street-legal golf cart. This is truly a strategic improvement in our city’s evolution of being the town that everyone shares and wants to live in, play in, and preserve. Your voice counts.