By DAVE SCHULTZ
A citizen’s request for a review of rules pertaining to non-traditional vehicles on Bluffton streets will get a review from Mayor John Whicker’s administration.
John Baumgartner spoke at Tuesday evening’s meeting of the Bluffton Common Council, asking that UTVs — Gators and the like — be allowed on city streets in the same way that golf carts are.
Golf carts have been legal on city streets for several years, with some restrictions — lights and turn signals, insurance, and that they not be driving on state highways or on streets where the speed limit is above 30 miles per hour.
However, other classes of vehicles, such as ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) and UTVs (identified as utility terrain vehicles or utility task vehicles), have not been allowed on city streets. Baumgartner said they are allowed on streets in Ossian and Decatur, among other places.
He said the vehicles often have roll cages and doors. “They are 1,000 times safer than any golf cart that drives down the street,” he said. He added he is especially bothered about safety when he sees a golf cart going down the street and a passenger in the rear-facing seat is holding a child in his or her arms.
Whicker took paperwork from Baumgartner about other communities’ UTV restrictions and said he would pass it on to City Attorney Tony Crowell for his input.
daves@news-banner.com
