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The city of Canyonville is accepting sealed bids for two golf carts purchased in July to save money on fuel. The carts did not meet federal regulations for low-speed vehicles and cannot be driven on public roads.
So you know...
The city of Canyonville is accepting sealed bids for two golf carts, which may be bid on separately. The carts are available for inspection at City Hall, 250 N. Main St.
The closing date for bids is Jan. 14 and the bids will be opened on Jan. 20.
Mail bids to:
City of Canyonville
Sealed bids — golf carts
P.O. Box 765
Canyonville, OR 97417
The closing date for bids is Jan. 14 and the bids will be opened on Jan. 20.
Mail bids to:
City of Canyonville
Sealed bids — golf carts
P.O. Box 765
Canyonville, OR 97417
CANYONVILLE — Despite a valiant effort by the city and its residents to save money on fuel, for now the only vehicles cruising Canyonville’s streets will be the traditional gas-guzzling kind.
As prices spiked to $4 a gallon this past summer, it seemed like an ideal time to hang up the keys to the Camaro and take to the streets in a more fuel-efficient ride.
About a half-dozen Canyonville residents did just that — cruising to the grocery store and post office via alternative vehicles.
The idea piqued one city official’s interest.
In July, Public Works Superintendent Tony Lakey purchased two reconditioned electric golf carts from a repair shop in Coos Bay. He said the $7,000 carts would be used for meter reading and other duties around town.
“The whole point of getting them was to save money on fuel,” he said.
However, the buggies were promptly parked in a garage after the city learned that golf carts are only eligible for title and registration if they meet Oregon’s definition of a low-speed vehicle (LSV). Even then, the manufacturer must present the Department of Motor Vehicles with a certificate of proof of those regulations, said DMV Spokesman David House.
An LSV has a top speed of 20 to 25 mph and must be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, windshields, seat belts and vehicle identification numbers. The electric carts purchased by the city of Canyonville lack windshield wipers and seat belts and their top speed is 13 miles per hour.
House said there is one exception to the rule. In a development adjacent to a golf course, such as the neighborhood across from the Myrtle Creek Golf Course, residents are allowed to drive unmodified carts from their houses to the greens.
“You can’t go grocery shopping, you can’t go to the coast, that’s it: to the golf course and back,” said House.
Sgt. Marty Case said the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office starting receiving complaints about Canyonville cart cruisers, which alerted him to the issue.
“More and more people were using them in the bike lanes as gas prices went up,” said Case.
Lakey said he was going to expend the money to bring the carts to code, but the DMV said there were no provisions for golf carts on the streets.
“We don’t call those golf carts,” said House. “We call those low-speed vehicles.”
There are about 250 LSVs titled and registered in Oregon, according to the DMV. Within the past year, a rash of communities in Texas, Georgia, Indiana and other states have considered or passed ordinances to allow golf carts on city streets.
House said transportation laws in every state are different and in some, all-terrain vehicles are allowed on city streets.
“They have horrendous death figures because of it,” he said.
In Canyonville, the carts will stay parked until the top bidder takes them home.
“We’ll revisit it again after we clear the slate,” said Lakey, “and see how we can still save money and be greener.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.
As prices spiked to $4 a gallon this past summer, it seemed like an ideal time to hang up the keys to the Camaro and take to the streets in a more fuel-efficient ride.
About a half-dozen Canyonville residents did just that — cruising to the grocery store and post office via alternative vehicles.
The idea piqued one city official’s interest.
In July, Public Works Superintendent Tony Lakey purchased two reconditioned electric golf carts from a repair shop in Coos Bay. He said the $7,000 carts would be used for meter reading and other duties around town.
“The whole point of getting them was to save money on fuel,” he said.
However, the buggies were promptly parked in a garage after the city learned that golf carts are only eligible for title and registration if they meet Oregon’s definition of a low-speed vehicle (LSV). Even then, the manufacturer must present the Department of Motor Vehicles with a certificate of proof of those regulations, said DMV Spokesman David House.
An LSV has a top speed of 20 to 25 mph and must be equipped with headlamps, stop lamps, turn signal lamps, tail lamps, reflex reflectors, parking brakes, rearview mirrors, windshields, seat belts and vehicle identification numbers. The electric carts purchased by the city of Canyonville lack windshield wipers and seat belts and their top speed is 13 miles per hour.
House said there is one exception to the rule. In a development adjacent to a golf course, such as the neighborhood across from the Myrtle Creek Golf Course, residents are allowed to drive unmodified carts from their houses to the greens.
“You can’t go grocery shopping, you can’t go to the coast, that’s it: to the golf course and back,” said House.
Sgt. Marty Case said the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office starting receiving complaints about Canyonville cart cruisers, which alerted him to the issue.
“More and more people were using them in the bike lanes as gas prices went up,” said Case.
Lakey said he was going to expend the money to bring the carts to code, but the DMV said there were no provisions for golf carts on the streets.
“We don’t call those golf carts,” said House. “We call those low-speed vehicles.”
There are about 250 LSVs titled and registered in Oregon, according to the DMV. Within the past year, a rash of communities in Texas, Georgia, Indiana and other states have considered or passed ordinances to allow golf carts on city streets.
House said transportation laws in every state are different and in some, all-terrain vehicles are allowed on city streets.
“They have horrendous death figures because of it,” he said.
In Canyonville, the carts will stay parked until the top bidder takes them home.
“We’ll revisit it again after we clear the slate,” said Lakey, “and see how we can still save money and be greener.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@nrtoday.com.
