It was a bumpy

ride, but eventually the Peachtree City Council agreed to allow electric-powered

motor vehicles on the city's cart path system during the last council

meeting of the year Thursday night.

But they can't

be driven in high speed mode, which allows speeds up to 25 mph. The Global

Electric Motorcars can only be allowed at the low setting, with a top

speed of 15 mph.

At first, several

council members said they had several concerns and wanted to study the

issue more. Carol Fritz said she worried about the ease of switching between

the low and high speeds, which can be done with the push of a button while

the cart is moving.

Annie McMenamin

and Steve Rapson said they wanted to wait and get more public input. But

several GEM owners (and prospective owners) pressured council to adopt

it before the end of the year to take advantage of a $5,000 state tax

credit that may not apply after Dec. 31.

And Police

Chief Jim Murray lauded the safety features of the vehicle, which include

seat belts and turn signals.

On a regular

golf cart, "When somebody hits a tree with a child in their lap,

it's going to crush a child," Murray said, adding that he has been

predicting such an incident for years.

The only true

dissenting voice against the GEM came from a member of a local running

club who wanted the vehicles to be modified so they could only run at

the slower 15 mph speed before they are allowed on the cart paths.

Even at the

25 mph speed, the carts would be slower than some of the golf carts on

the path system today, many of which don't have great braking systems,

said Murray.

The GEMs are

designed to be used on the roadway also, which is why they have the higher

speed setting. But by federal law, they can only be driven on roads with

speed limits of 35 or less, which would effectively keep the cars from

maneuvering around the city without access to the golf cart paths, Murray

said.

Murray said

the GEM cars will be easier for officers to regulate on the path system

because they are technically motor vehicles and are subject to all motor

vehicle laws, which means citizens need driver's licenses to operate them.

Also, by having

state-issued car tags, it will be easier to catch speeding offenders because

witnesses who approach police with complaints can testify in municipal

court, Murray said.

City Attorney

Rick Lindsey said the city could prosecute drivers violating the speed

limitations, but he asked council for time to do a little more research

before he gives a proposal.

The Police

Department test drove a two-seater GEM and a four-seater model for a week,

Murray said. At one point during his presentation, council members made

several quips about him becoming a spokesman for the GEM company.

But when all

was said and done, council unanimously agreed to allow the GEMs on the

cart paths along with an ordinance to regulate the vehicles on the path

system.

It didn't hurt

that several council members had test driven the GEM themselves, including

Dan Tennant and Carol Fritz.

"It handles

exactly like a golf cart," Tennant said.

"They

really are cool," Fritz said.

Rapson said

the true issues council will face with the GEM in the future are enforcement

issues.

Mayor-elect

Steve Brown and Councilman-elect Murray Weed both said after the meeting

that they would not have approved the GEM for the cart paths based on

the information at the council meeting.