Off the greens: Golf carts allowed on town's roads

BERTHOUD - Earlier this year, as Jim Carter and his wife Ruth drove through New Mexico on their move to Berthoud, they made a big purchase.

They bought a golf cart from some friends.

Three years ago, Jim was in a car accident that made driving a car near impossible. The golf cart suited his needs perfectly.

"We said, 'Oh! That is perfect for Colorado,'" Ruth remembered.

But according to Colorado law, perfect it is not.

"We learned as we were unloading (the golf cart) that it was not permitted to drive it on the street," Ruth said.

So Jim and Ruth headed to the Berthoud Police station to see what could be done. They found an ally in Police Chief Glenn Johnson.

"They're a very good way to get around town, very efficient and they fit into some of what our country needs right now," Johnson said.

Even though state law doesn't allow golf carts on the road, it does give towns and cities the power to permit them on local streets.

In September, the town's Board of Trustees voted to open Berthoud's roads to "Neighborhood Electric Vehicles" (NEVs) - the technical name for a street legal golf cart.

"We had headlights already," Ruth said while talking about the modifications needed. "We had to get taillights, break lights and turn signals."

They also needed a "slow moving vehicle triangle" on the back.

The two now zip around town gas free and gawk full.

"(The people) just say, 'Oh, nice ... cart,'" she said. "They don't know quite what to make of it."

There is one state highway in Berthoud NEVs can't drive on, but are allowed to cross.

The city north of Berthoud, Loveland, is currently considering allowing NEVs on its roads.

However, the city attorney's interpretation of state law is giving Loveland's city manager pause.

That interpretation says that even if Loveland's city council lets NEVs hit the roads, they still wouldn't be able to cross state highways.

Loveland's state representative, Don Marostica (R), is planning to introduce a bill next year that would take out any interpretation by stating that NEVs could indeed cross state highways.