PORT RICHEY, Fla. — The city of Port Richey has unveiled a pair of new traffic signs likely to make some folks pretty unhappy.
The signs prohibit golf carts, which have become very popular there, from crossing a busy stretch of US-19.
Some have described the action as a wall separating them from places they want and need to get to.
“It makes no sense,” Bert Carlson said.
For Carlson, riding around in a golf cart isn’t alternative transportation. It’s his only transportation.
“It's my only way around town without Ubering,” he said. “And who wants to Uber five blocks to go to a restaurant?”
That’s why Carlson and some of his fellow golf-carting neighbors are furious about newly uncovered signs prohibiting golf carts from crossing at the corner of Grand Boulevard and US-19.
It’s a similar safety measure to the one taken by neighboring New Port Richey at several intersections along this same stretch over the past year.
“If people actually followed the lights and traffic signals they can do it safely,” said Mike Braun, who works nearby. “But everybody's in a rush or they figured they can make it and they wound up getting injured in the process.”
West Florida Battery, which also sells and services golf carts, is within eyesight of the new signs.
But for lots of their customers, it's now an inconvenience as they are unable to reach the store.
“Yeah, we have a trailer for people who are on the other side that we can pick up the golf cart and bring it back here for service and repairs,” owner Gregg Miller said.
“My pharmacy is at Walmart,” Carlson said. “I'm literally two blocks from Walmart. But 19 is in my way. They're saying I can't drive my golf cart. Two blocks across 19 to go to Walmart. It just makes no sense. None.”
Port Richey is planning a month-long education campaign and has not written any tickets just yet.
But, in a community where golf carting is so popular, folks like Carlson can't understand why they are being treated any differently than pedestrians, bicyclists, or even folks on electric scooters.
“That's another question,” Carlson said. “Why is it just golf carts? You can cross with anything. A lawnmower!”
The prohibition might not be permanent.
The city, Pasco County and FDOT are all working on a solution, knowing that for many folks this is more than just an inconvenience. That solution could mean adding turn lanes on US-19 or perhaps a dedicated crossing, but that will cost money and likely time for discussion about who should pay for it.
The city of Port Richey has applied to FDOT to have the intersection designated as a safe place for golf carts to cross.
Until more information is gathered for FDOT to make that decision, they say the signs will remain in place.
Enforcement is set to begin on December 1.