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Golf cart brain
I had occasion to visit family this weekend on a small island accessible only by boat. There are no cars allowed on the island, you can get around on foot, by bicycle, or by golf cart. All the roads on the island are 2-3 metres wide and are gravel. I took my Brompton over on the ferry and used it to get around.
Guess what was by far the most common transportation method on an island that is less than a mile (about 1.5 km, actually) in any dimension. One guess only.
There are perhaps a couple of hundred houses on the island, and a bar. When we went to the bar Friday evening, there were maybe 1-2 bicycles out front, and at least 25 golf carts. No house on the entire island is more than 0.7 miles (1.1 km) from the bar (following the roads, not the straight line distance.) I did see lots of bicycles in sheds and on racks in peoples gardens, but very few being ridden compared to the golf cart traffic.
Apparently until a couple of decades ago, the golf carts weren't allowed, so it was walking or cycling only. I can't imagine how they got on!
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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16 comments
I'm just glad you made it back to tell the tale. Did you find the missing girl?
Oh, well-done. Apparently Christopher Lee's favourite role.
Perhaps people feel more comforable when the wheels are to their sides, not directly in front?
Or maybe just "4 wheels better!"
I'm trying to convince my family member to get something like that. When he bought the place, it came with a petrol powered golf cart, a riding lawnmower, and a small pontoon boat with a two-stroke engine.
I could be wrong but I suspect if everyone is using mowing machines for transport there could be some specific injury risks...
I didn't see anyone doing that, at least. The mowers seem to be used for mowing.
Reminiscent of the good ol'country boy and piss artist George Jones when his then wife Tammy Wynette took away the keys to all his dozen cars so he couldn't go out and get drink; he went missing anyway so she went out looking for him, tracking him down eventually to a bar outside Nashville, about ten miles away, because she saw their new rideon mower parked outside.
Amphibious wankpanzer!
Like Peachtree City, Georgia?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peachtree_City,_Georgia
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pcVGqtmd2wM
Parallel network of paved "paths", where from 15 you can drive a golf cart by yourself. Max speed 20mph.
How many people choose to cycle, d'you think?
Well - US, so very 4-wheel focussed and it seems everything is designed for easy access by 4 wheels big or small. That's probably a lot of it, any other reason?
Similar population to Stirling here. Yes, Stirling has more lumps, it's cooler (and I suspect has places you couldn't safely leave a golf cart...)
However something stands out - population density is about 4 times higher in Stirling (mediaeval obviously). (I'm a little dubious about the figures (Wikipedia) as Peachtree looks more leafy than another similar place here with apparently same density, Dunfermline - not leafy!)
Stirling isn't a "cycling city" either though. Looking across the North Sea we have the unremarkable Dutch Town of Weesp. About half the population of Peachtree, 1.5 times as dense, flat and often a bit warmer than Stirling. I know nothing about this place but I'm pretty confident that has more cycling and less driving than the other places mentioned. One other thing of note is the frequency of public transport here - smallest of the three but very well connected.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weesp
The rules are at least a little better than Peachtree. Carts are supposed to be governed to 15 MPH (24 km/h) which makes the speed more compatible with cycling. I was easily able to keep up with them on my Brompton. Nobody is supposed to be driving one without a drivers' licence, which would require them to be at least 16 years old here, but there were definitely a few 13-15 year olds driving around. There are no police at all on the island.
Comparing population density, the island is fairly wooded and is all single family summer homes with septic systems. There are about 150 homes on 120 acres. Nobody stays over the winter. The only businesses are the bar (a converted cottage) and the ferry (no building, just a dock and a parking lot for golf carts.) There's also a pavilion and a childrens' playground.
Interesting. Sounds like a "residential recreational" kind of place. So all bets are off!
In general I think people will just go with the prevailing culture. Unless of course there are pretty strong motivations for doing otherwise e.g. it is tradition / local law that you can't have a car / drive at all there, it's a place which is "for" cycling and walking.
Population density is important. Or rather the ability for you to get to a wide range of amenities / connect to transport going further afield. In many places in the US this is rather low - sometimes by law! - and Americans do drive a lot (in a feedback loop with availability of car infra and low density places).
However I don't think it's necessarily the most significant factor* in transport choices. Many US (and certainly UK) urban centres would be very suitable for less vehicular traffic... but most people still drive. I think it is the uncontrolled use of private motorised transport that does it. From history we know that once that genie is out of the bottle it will take over at the expense of all other modes.
For example: the Dutch still have a ton of cars, driving etc. They've had to put extra effort and money into reversing the trend of having lots of motor vehicles everywhere. They've needed to both increase convenience for cycling and walking (combined with public transport) AND reclaim space from motorised traffic (and not just for cycling), plus add restrictions to make this less convenient e.g. fairer times at traffic lights, reduced speeds around other modes, less parking etc.
* It may be slightly ahead of "weather" and "hills" though - counter examples for those in Seville (heat), some cities in Finland (snow), NL (wind and rain), Switzerland (hills)...
Drivers gotta drive...
is it particularly hilly?
I doubt there's half a metre of elevation gain over the entire island. Flatter than Amsterdam. The bridge over the canal might be half a metre.
Also, the weather was perfect, 26 °C and clear.
I guess it's harder to fall off a golf cart on your way back home from the bar?!
What a shame they couldn't keep the four wheeled menace out of what otherwise sounds like a lovely place to live.