After tedious

legal research and about a week's worth of test drives by the Peachtree

City Police Department, Police Chief Jim Murray is recommending that low

speed vehicles such as the GEM Motorcar can be allowed on Peachtree City's

golf cart paths with certain restrictions.

The final decision

is up to the City Council, which is expected to discuss the issue at its

meeting Thursday night.

Currently,

the low-speed electric vehicles can only be driven on streets with speed

limits of 35 mph or less. City ordinances governing the golf cart paths

forbid the use of any motor vehicle on the path, but that could change

is council accepts a proposed amendment to the ordinances, which includes

several restrictions on operating the low speed vehicles.

Those restrictions

were developed during the process of researching the vehicles viability

for cart path use after a number of citizens inquired whether they could

be used on the paths, said Police Chief James Murray.

Since the low-speed

electric vehicles are considered motor vehicles by state and federal law,

they must be insured and registered through the state's automobile tag

system, Murray said. Also, GEM drivers must use the low-speed setting

while on the path, which allows speeds of up to 15 mph, Murray said.

Additionally,

drivers will be required to have a state driver's license to operate the

vehicle, Murray said.

Drivers of

the low speed vehicles will also be subject to all other motor vehicle

laws enacted by the state, Murray said. The city cannot adopt a special

ordinance for the low-speed vehicles that would conflict with state laws,

he added.

"You will

have to wear the safety belt and use child restraints," just like

a regular automobile, Murray noted.

The department

has tested both the two-seat and four-seat version of the GEM car, and

officers found that the higher speed is too dangerous due to the various

sight restrictions on some areas of the cart paths, the narrow width of

the paths and the variety of users on the paths, Murray said.

"On the

lower speed we feel it's safe," Murray said of the GEM car.

The chief added

that the GEM car is in many ways safer than golf carts because it is equipped

with seatbelts and other safety features such as turn signals.

Because the

GEM carts could create safety hazards if operated at the higher speed

setting, the department is studying the possibility of increasing its

presence on the path system to make sure the restrictions are followed.

"We just

want to make sure it is safe," Murray said.

The city tried

to expedite its research on the matter so citizens could take advantage

of state and federal tax credits for electric vehicles before the end

of the year, Murray said.

There is a

possibility that the department will acquire one or more of the GEM vehicles

to assist in patrolling the path system, Murray added.

Murray said

the city wants to do its part to encourage environmentally-friendly initiatives

such as the low-speed electric vehicles. He predicted that many Peachtree

City residents will seek to replace their golf carts with low-speed vehicles.

"There

will be more of this in the future, not less," Murray said.

Murray is also

recommending that the city designate certain streets labelled 35 mph or

slower on which the low-speed vehicles would not be allowed. One example

is the northern end of Peachtree Parkway as it stretches from Ga. Highway

54 to Hwy. 74, Murray said.

The path system

extends in that direction, however, so those vehicles can use the paths

instead, Murray said.

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