Wrens makes way for traveling in golf carts

WRENS --- Getting around town in a golf cart will soon be much safer in Wrens.

Many leaders in cities across the Southeast are considering allowing motorized golf carts on public streets and sidewalks.

Recently, Wrens officials issued a new city ordinance to provide crossings over state routes for golf carts and other motorized carts. The ordinance also will require carts to be registered and display a decal.

Jimmy Smith, the district traffic engineer with the Georgia Department of Transportation, said Wrens is the first city in his district, which encompasses 28 counties, to request crossings for golf carts. Driving a golf cart or other motorized vehicle incapable of highway speeds is illegal on a state road or sidewalk, and most communities have traditionally adopted the state prohibition.

But the rise in gasoline prices and the growing number of retired baby boomers have sparked an increase in the requests to local governments to allow them.

-- Morris News Service