I have one for use on Put-in-Bay.  I filled the tank up in the spring and it still has 1/4 left...granted I am never driving very far, but I do use it alomst every weekend. 

 

Mine doesn't go close to 42 mph, maybe 25.  But you do have to watch it while braking and turning.  Still it's not really a whole lot different than driving around on a motorcycle or scooter among amongst regular traffic and its not like you're making 42 mph turns in your regular vehicle, or that you don't turn differently in your sports car vs. your truck or take more caution when braking in a van compared to a compact car.  I could see it working in limited areas...I'd love to use it in downtown Cleveland as an altenative to the bus.

Urban scenes would be fine, but I'm worried about seeing them in suburbanized areas, where traffic speeds are far faster. For instance, I could not imagine riding a golf cart near West Chester or even in some of the suburbs inside Interstate 275, so definite boundaries need to be set on where they can ride it at.

My mother-in-law lives in "The Villages" in Florida and that's what almost everyone down there uses for local errands.  Of course, the whole complex is built around almost 18 golf courses. But they co-exist pretty well with cars and there are even areas where there are separate lanes for carts. 

I live in Peachtree City Georgia. We have an estimated 80-120 miles of golfcart paths in town, with over 10,000 registered golf carts. This is not a retirement community. We have 7 elementary schools, 2 middle and 2 high schools in our city.

If you visit the local high school, you"ll see hundreds of golf carts in student parking.

There are bridges and tunnels all over town for easy access to everything you can do.

For the fourth of july, there is even a huge parade with over 150 golf cart floats

It's GREAT!

 

 

That's really interesting!!! I do think that in urban neighborhoods we are going to see an explosion in the use of NEV's (neighborhood Electric Vehicles), which are just a bit bigger than a golf cart.

 

Here are a couple of links:

 

http://avt.inel.gov/nev.html

 

http://www.eaaev.org/eaalinks.html

 

The applications are obvious...running to the grocery store, for example. Anyplace too far to walk to, an errand which will load you down with too much to carry.....

Oh wow, that is a LOT of golf carts! Maybe this is more widespread than I had previously thought.

 

Are those paths also open for cyclists?

Yes they are. The Tour de Georgia has kicked off here a few times too.

 

Oh wow, that is a LOT of golf carts! Maybe this is more widespread than I had previously thought.

 

Are those paths also open for cyclists?

My mother-in-law lives in "The Villages" in Florida and that's what almost everyone down there uses for local errands. Of course, the whole complex is built around almost 18 golf courses. But they co-exist pretty well with cars and there are even areas where there are separate lanes for carts.

my in laws used to live in the villiages wanna be community down the road in Leesburg. There was quite the hierarchy of golf carts. Some of those things were really tricked out. All in all I think it is a great idea, assuming they actually do get good mileage.

here it comes again -- national park(ing) day 2008.

 

humanize a parking spot near you!  :clap:

 

cleveland, w25th st

 

http://www.parkingday.org/

 

http://parkingdaynyc.org/about

 

 

I wanna do that but I want to rent a few spaces in a car lot and invite a few people over for beers. It's private property so it wouldn't be drinking in public.

There should be a few locations in Cincinnati.  Here is the dedicated blog with all the info:

http://www.cincinnatiparkingday.blogspot.com/

 

Reclaiming some park(ing) space

Submitted by Marc Lefkowitz on September 19, 2007 - 11:48am.

Posted in Green infrastructure Public art | Marc Lefkowitz's blog

 

 

Park(ing) Spaces 2008 is this Friday, Sept. 19 with citizens from 76 cities participating. As far as we know, no teams from Cleveland are planning to participate. The following post is from 2007.

 

Last year at this time, artist Don Harvey and SPACES Gallery, as part of its Street Repairs exhibit, helped organize the takeover of three parking spaces in Cleveland—temporarily (we fed the meters) converting them from asphalt to green space.

 

After scoring a parking spot on Prospect Avenue near Mike the Hatter, our group quickly unloaded the materials that would comprise our park. First came plastic sheets to protect our rolls of sod from motor oil, then we plunked down potted shrubbery to establish our space. The two other groups found parking spots in the Warehouse District and on W. 25th Street, creatively decorating with lounge chairs made from shopping carts and plastic porch furniture.

 

Next, we kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pant legs, lounged in a hammock, threw impromptu picnics, chatted with bystanders and generally had a blast. The best part was the look on people’s faces. A very simple act of “civil disobedience” opened minds about how cities are “supposed” to look. Of course, (Park)ing Day didn’t radically change Cleveland. But, maybe it can serve as a reminder to expect more from our cities and suburbs. We all want a little more conveniently located green space to break up the asphalt landscape or to reduce the monotony of strip malls.

 

To see images from Cleveland (Park)ing Day 2006, go here: http://www.gcbl.org/image/tid/143

 

Go here for more information and to see the cities participating this year: http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=22100&folder_id=3428

"As far as we know, no teams from Cleveland are planning to participate. "

 

Boooo!

^Sorry, some people gotta work for a living.

^Thank you cranky grampa, I wasn't insisting you yourself have to do this.

 

Seriously, this is what grad students are for.  Or Cleveland Public Art, for whom this would be part of work.

 

It's no big deal, but it is one of the more conspicuous and fun ways to draw attention to land use and transportation issues.

Cincinnati will have 6 locations throughout Downtown and Over-the-Rhine (4 of which are in the Gateway Quarter...

 

Cincinnati PARK[ing] Day Locations

http://cincinnatiparkingday.blogspot.com/2008/09/cincinnati-parking-day-locations.html

 

PARK[ing] Day is Friday, 19 Sep. This list of all participating Cincinnati-area locations will be updated continuously, so please keep checking back. If your PARK[ing] spot is missing from this list, contact us at cincinnatiparkingday [at] gmail [dot] com with your details. All addresses and times are approximate:

 

Coffee Emporium

110 Central Parkway

between Walnut and Clay

all day

 

Park+Vine

1109 Vine St.

between Central and 12th

all day

 

City Roots

1133 Vine St.

between Central and 12th

all day

 

Outside

16 East 12th St.

between Vine and Jackson

all day

 

Iris Book Cafe

1331 Main St.

between Woodward and 14th

mid-afternoon

 

Classical Glass

1333 Main St.

between Woodward and 14th

mid-afternoon

 

^Show-off! 

 

Great work, Cinci!  It will be hard for motorists to miss seeing at least one with so many locations.  Post some photos if you can...it's great for sharing ideas of what to do with those 20 square feet for next year's event.

"^Thank you cranky grampa, I wasn't insisting you yourself have to do this."

 

*Ahem*, that would be Resident B!tch:

 

 

And yes, I think it would be great if the folks at GCBL could get something organized and am rather surprised that they haven't.

Sounds like a fun event:

 

Park(ing) Day Columbus

http://www.parkingdaycolumbus.org/

 

Definitely some fantastic ideas as far as possible themes. I love the idea of being able to putt-putt all around downtown!

 

 

 

 

 

Parking spots will morph into parks

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080918/NEWS01/809180400/1168/NEWS0101

 

Where there's usually parking, on Friday there will be sod, coffee and lemons. Businesses in Over-the-Rhine are joining National PARK(ing) Day, turning spaces in front of their stores into mini, temporary parks from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

The goal of the event, sponsored by the nonprofit National Trust for Public Land, is to celebrate parks and show the need for more.

 

The Civic Garden Center is providing sod for the otherwise asphalt spots.

 

Among the locations: City Roots, 1133 Vine St.; Coffee Emporium, 110 E. Central Pkwy.; and Park + Vine, 1109 Vine St. Go to www.cincinnatiparkingday.blogspot.com for updated sites.

 

Dan Korman of Park + Vine said he plans to have a lemon - yes, just lemons, not lemonade - stand.

Two more Cincinnati locations have been added to the list bringing the total to 8 spots.

 

DOWNTOWN:

impromptu cornhole

Walnut St.

between 4th and 5th

all day

 

OVER-THE RHINE:

Coffee Emporium

110 Central Parkway

between Walnut and Clay

all day

 

Park+Vine

1109 Vine St.

between Central and 12th

all day

 

City Roots

1133 Vine St.

between Central and 12th

all day

 

Outside

16 East 12th St.

between Vine and Jackson

all day

 

Iris Book Cafe

1331 Main St.

between Woodward and 14th

mid-afternoon

 

Classical Glass

1333 Main St.

between Woodward and 14th

mid-afternoon

 

 

CLIFTON HEIGHTS:

Arab social area

in front of Panera

120 Calhoun St.

between Ohio and Dennis

2-7 pm

 

http://cincinnatiparkingday.blogspot.com/2008/09/cincinnati-parking-day-locations.html

Cincinnati PARK[ing] Day Map

Got some photographs, met some nice people, and even talked to a fellow UrbanOhio member!

In front of the Coffee Emporium...

 

Outside...

 

City Roots...

 

And Park+Vine!

 

So you start chatting with someone who boasts a shirt of a streetcar about urban planning and development, and he becomes all enthusiastic about it. You later find out he's Maximillian from UrbanOhio!

Thanks for posting those pics Seicer. That's a great opportunity for those stores like City Roots and Park + Vine to showcase their merchandise at the same time :)

Thanks for posting those pics Seicer. That's a great opportunity for those stores like City Roots and Park + Vine to showcase their merchandise at the same time :)

strange cleveland participated, then went to sleep on it this year.  :wtf:

 

this time ny added many additional spots:

 

http://parkingdaynyc.org/spots

 

some scenes via streetsblog:

http://www.streetsblog.org/

 

atlantic ave & court st, bklyn

montague st, bklyn hts

astor place and....wait for it.......cornhole takes manhattan by storm !!!  :laugh: 6th ave & w4th st

last up are two spots across the street from me...8th ave & 14th st, in front of balducci's

8th ave & 15th st

 

* let's get more pics up!  :clap:

 

 

 

Gay Street in Columbus:Live music all day.

 

 

<img src="http://photos-f.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v311/154/96/502607616/n502607616_1256349_251.jpg">

 

<img src="http://photos-e.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v311/154/96/502607616/n502607616_1256348_9950.jpg">

 

<img src="http://photos-g.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v311/154/96/502607616/n502607616_1256350_526.jpg">

 

<img src="http://photos-h.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v311/154/96/502607616/n502607616_1256351_810.jpg">

 

<img src="http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v311/154/96/502607616/n502607616_1256352_1082.jpg">

 

<img src="http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v311/154/96/502607616/n502607616_1256353_1374.jpg">

^ niiiice columbus!

 

here's video of all the parking day sites around nyc. it's interesting (but beware the music drove me nuts):

 

http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/09/22/streetfilms-parking-day-nyc-2008/

 

 

PARK(ing) Day invades Cincinnati

http://www.urbancincy.com/2008/09/parking-day-invades-cincinnati.html

 

First organized by the Trust for Public Land, PARK(ing) Day is a global event that lasts only one day but whose goal is one that is shared amongst many. Whereas some cities devote 70% of their public land to the automobile, PARK(ing) Day attempts to reclaim land from the automobile, to change how one perceives public space to be defined as, at least temporarily.

 

Activists, artists and ordinary citizens come together to transform metered parking spots into "PARK(ing) spaces," or what are essentially public parks. Some of these reclaimed spaces are more elaborate than others, with some laying out the sod and lawn chairs to give the appearance of an actual park. An act of civil disobedience in some locales, nothing more than a glance-over by the parking maids in others.

 

What's great about PARK(ing) Day is its simplicity. You choose a suitable location for the park, lay down some sod or shrubbery, add in some chairs or perhaps a bench, and other decorative elements that invite passerby's to come in and chat. Perhaps add in an umbrella to provide some shade. Oh, and don't forget to feed the meter.

 

For Cincinnati, there were seven PARK(ing) Day locations. Coffee Emporium, City Roots, Park+Vine, Outside, Iris Book Cafe and Classical Glass all participated.

 

At Coffee Emporium's spot, one of the employees had kicked back in a chair and was catching up on a novel. At Park+Vine's, they were selling lemons for two cents and advice for one cent from a cardboard stand that was reminiscent of Lucy's "Pyschiatric Help" booth from the cartoon strip, Peanuts.

 

It wasn't all rosy, though. An impromptu spot along Walnut Street between Fourth and Fifth streets ran into a snafu after participants began playing cornhole outside of a Subway restaurant. The fast-food eatery, fearing a major loss of business during the lunch rush, called the police to complain and the PARK(ing) spot was removed.

 

PARK(ing) Day was still a fantastic event and a much bigger turnout than from the prior year. It'll be interesting to see what is planned for next year!

and....wait for it.......cornhole takes manhattan by storm !!!  :laugh: 6th ave & w4th st

 

True story:  it was the discussions of corn hole on Urban Ohio (and the disbelief of a certain forumer that a game by that name was popular in his native state) that led to corn hole being played at this Manhattan Park(ing) Day location.

 

Also, for typical bile-filled "too cool" responses from some readers of the New York real estate blog Curbed to Park(ing) Day, see:

 

http://curbed.com/archives/2008/09/22/the_return_on_parking_day_on_video.php#reader_comments 

 

There's some real charmers there.

The whole drinking wine and champaign thing on the space to celebrate was kinda snobby (and illegal). I wonder how they would feel about working class people putting money in the meter and drinking mal liquor out in public. Its funny how the type of people and type of alcohol cause you to have a completely different perception. I bet the police wouldn't have even said anything to them.

Parking spots converted to 'pocket parks'

 

 

.. why you don`t travel to Europa... to big cities ..

Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin,  Italy - Rom, France aso ..

then you can see the different ......

this big streets down town in Cincinnati are  awfull .. 

 

.. this is the different

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,17379.new.html#new

Parking spots converted to 'pocket parks'

 

 

.. why you don`t travel to Europa... to big cities ..

Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin,  Italy - Rom, France aso ..

then you can see the different ......

this big streets down town in Cincinnati are  awfull .. 

 

.. this is the different

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,17379.new.html#new

 

SachaCinncinnatus Baron Cohen, is that you?  :laugh:

 

8664 is a proposal to remove Interstate 64 from Louisville's waterfront. Constructed about 35 years ago, it consists of a viaduct alongside the Ohio River in downtown, an elevated park, and the Kennedy Interchange with Interstates 65 and 71. Heading east, Interstate 64 crosses through Cherokee Park through twin tunnels, and is a four-lane urban interstate that resembles a parkway.

 

The proposal is gaining consideration because of two items:

1. The proposed Interstate 265 bridge on the eastern edge of the city. Interstate 265 in Kentucky is designed for six-lane widening, with bridge piers featuring stubs for additional lanes. The segment from Interstate 71 north to U.S. Route 41 is a "super-two" -- a two-lane highway on a six-lane right-of-way. Formerly, the interchange with US 41 was a stub-diamond interchange, but this is being reconstructed so that the ramps are on one side. The highway will pass over the ramps.

 

The extension into Indiana will be six-lanes and pass under a tunnel at the Drummond Estate, before popping over a cable-stayed bridge.

 

2. A parallel Interstate 65 span that will be six-lanes. The existing 40+-year-old Kennedy Bridge will be retrofitted with six-lanes southbound.

 

It also involves the reconstruction and realignment of the Interstate 64/65/71 interchange. After all of the projects are complete, Interstate 265 will provide the only true bypass around the city. 8664 wants the northern half of Interstate 265 to bear the designation of Interstate 64. Interstate 64 through downtown would become a six-lane parkway.

 

Times have changed. When Interstate 64 was built through downtown, the riverfront was a wasteland. Industrial buildings and junk yards, and a waterfront that was all but neglected. Today, it is home to one of the largest riverfront parks in the nation, and award winning too. It features one of the largest skateparks in the eastern U.S., and new, dense development. It is also adjacent to the new Louisville Arena, under construction, and the Big Four Bridge, a railroad bridge being converted into a rail trail.

 

Because of this, a freeway revolt of Interstate 64 is more than warranted.

 

8664 still waiting on Ky. traffic study for Ohio Bridges

 

Kentucky officials examining group’s one-bridge option

By David A. Mann, News and Tribune, November 22, 2008

 

Not everyone is sold on the need for the $4.1 billion, two-bridge Ohio River Bridges Project.

 

Kentucky officials say a traffic study that involves one bridge could be released in the coming months.

 

A Louisville-based group, called 8664, is continuing to pursue a one-bridge option.

 

Under its plan, Interstate 64 would be removed from downtown Louisville and re-aligned onto what is now Interstate 265 in Indiana.

I've been reading about the plan to make the Big Four bridge accessible to pedestrians and cyclists. As part of a larger package to make the riverfront more friendly, it sounds even better.

 

In the mid-seventies I rode my bike to Louisville from Fort Wayne - my longest solo bike ride - and apart from two solid days of rain and the rural roads around Shelbyville and Charlestown, Indiana, where white trash in pickup trucks threw stuff and ran me off the road twice, finding a way to get across the Ohio River was one of the more perplexing parts of the trip.

 

I don't recall all the details, but I know it took me a little searching to find a bridge accessible to non-motorized traffic, and then I think I had to walk my bike across on a narrow sidewalk because of the intensity and speed of the car traffic.

The 2nd St. bridge is the only one that allows non-motorized traffic presently.  It has the bike route chevrons painted on the lanes, but I think you'd have to be crazy to try to bike in the extremely narrow traffic lanes.  Walking your bike across on the sidewalk as you did is by far the best solution.

 

 

An oldie, but a goodie.

 

Oklahoma City swaps highway for park

By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY, May 14, 2008

 

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma has a radical solution for repairing the state's busiest highway.

 

Tear it down. Build a park.

 

The aging Crosstown Expressway — an elevated 4.5-mile stretch of Interstate 40 — will be demolished in 2012. An old-fashioned boulevard and a mile-long park will be constructed in its place.

 

Oklahoma City is doing what many cities dream about: saying goodbye to a highway.

^That's an awesome article!

Combined with an old thread that dealt only with freeway revolts in the Cleveland area.

When I was back home in Akron in August, there's a giant billboard on the corner of Rand Street and Market, advertising the Biomedical Corridor- which if the mayor has his way, would go over most of the ill-used MLK expressway/interbelt.  :clap:

Any word on whether Hamilton made any headway on these rubber sidewalks?

^Oh, nice find.  I wonder if it cuts costs any lower if a city supplies its own waste tires to recycle into sidewalk materials.

I live in Peachtree City Georgia.

It's GREAT!

 

 

 

Yo, are you still around? I'm curious how these paths, carts, maintenance and insurance are funded. Through property tax? Rental fees? Have there been a lot of accidents stemming from their use? Does the city pay for a private company to manage repairs/maintenance on the carts?

 

Anyone have more information on this concept? I have to admit, it's really interesting.

 

 

 

Great questiosn... there have been accidents in the 5 years that I've been here. 1 fatality when a senior on a bike hit a senior in a golfcart.  Last month a few underage teams went joy riding and one fell off the front and was in critical condition for a few days. But for the most part, pretty undramatic.

 

The city makes us register the carts each year for a small fee ($15). Most are insured through their home policy.  The city manages and repairs the paths.  They've required the home and business developers to put in the paths from the beginning so those fees are taken care of. Plus they usually require the state to step in with most projects.

 

I'll post some articles in the next post...

 

I live in Peachtree City Georgia.

It's GREAT!

 

 

 

Yo, are you still around? I'm curious how these paths, carts, maintenance and insurance are funded. Through property tax? Rental fees? Have there been a lot of accidents stemming from their use? Does the city pay for a private company to manage repairs/maintenance on the carts?

 

Anyone have more information on this concept? I have to admit, it's really interesting.

 

 

 

here's a few good links...

 

www.peachtree-city.org

 

here is a map of the streets and paths, bridges and tunnels

 

http://www.peachtree-city.org/documents/Information%20Technology/GIS/fall_2006_map_web.pdf

 

I think this type of planning is exactly what the city of cleveland needs and the present environment provides a good opportunity to do it.  There are so many existing places I want to go between where its just too far to walk, but the RTA takes just too long, so I drive (i.e, I just got back from Dave's to grab some beer.  It's 1 mile from my place so just too far to walk for a quick trip but the timing for the RTA wouldn't be much faster than walking...so I drove).  Bike or golf cart paths would be perfect.  The RTA could save money and focus on more neighborhood to neighborhood routes and many of those circulators that they wanted to get rid of, could be eliminated or reduced.  By replacing car with golf carts, you would cut down on sprawl type development (since you can't go quite as far), but it will still provide the "perks" of a car (go where you want, when you want, and easily trasport groceries, shopping bags, etc).

 

On a broader scale, developers could pick out certain neighborhoods hit hard by foreclosures, buy up a lot of the land, and redevelop an entire neighborhood to be bike/golf cart friendly with renewed housing stock, or in some cases where the demad wasn't there, just demolish housing and put up parks...with ample golf cart and bike parking.

 

 

 

 

Great questiosn... there have been accidents in the 5 years that I've been here. 1 fatality when a senior on a bike hit a senior in a golfcart. Last month a few underage teams went joy riding and one fell off the front and was in critical condition for a few days. But for the most part, pretty undramatic.

 

The city makes us register the carts each year for a small fee ($15). Most are insured through their home policy. The city manages and repairs the paths. They've required the home and business developers to put in the paths from the beginning so those fees are taken care of. Plus they usually require the state to step in with most projects.

 

I'll post some articles in the next post...

 

I live in Peachtree City Georgia.

It's GREAT!

 

 

 

Yo, are you still around? I'm curious how these paths, carts, maintenance and insurance are funded. Through property tax? Rental fees? Have there been a lot of accidents stemming from their use? Does the city pay for a private company to manage repairs/maintenance on the carts?

 

Anyone have more information on this concept? I have to admit, it's really interesting.

 

Oh, gotcha. I thought it was like a golf cart 'rental' type of thing.

 

 

It's amazing how many planned communities there are in Georgia. You don't even have to be very wealthy to live in these communities and enjoy the amenities. According to Wikipedia, the avg family income in Peachtree City is about 80k a year.

 

Yo, have you heard of "Big Canoe"? My grandparents have a house here:

http://www.bigcanoe.com/SwimClub.aspx

 

It has a similar sort of 'resort' feel.

 

That mountain had everything. Any outdoors activity you can imagine. I stayed there for a summer - it was so much fun. I did see golf carts but they were mostly around the golf course and club house. For some reason, the whole setup of the development in these kinds of places seem to really foster a sense of community. Everyone was extremely friendly and everyone knows each other. We would eat dinner at the clubhouse sometimes and it seemed like everyone knew my grandpa. They would come over to our table while we were eating and start talking with him about the Braves or Japans economy or something. It was so exhausting having to constantly look alert and excited every time people talked to me. Everywhere we went, they would run into people they knew and had to introduce me. Everyone goes to the same church, same stores, fitness center, restaurants, etc - there's no anonymity what so ever because it's so isolated. I have mixed feelings about that. Sometimes its nice to walk through the city and have nobody recognize you. But those golf carts are so tempting.

Here's a Site Plan for a subdivision with golf cart paths in Houston, TX. They seem to always be marketed towards senior citizens/ retirement communities. Paths leading to park space and mixed use areas.