ORDINANCE 02-01
CHAPTER 9
MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC
A MOTORIZED CARTS ORDINANCE FOR INCLUSION TO THE CITY OF HAHIRA CODE OF ORDINANCES .
BE IT ORDAINED by the Mayor and Council of the City of Hahira, Georgia, and it is hereby ordained by authority of same, as follows:
Adding the following Sections hereby amends Chapter 9 Motor Vehicles and Traffic.
Section 9 - 6. Purpose and Intent.
The purpose of this Ordinance is to protect, maintain, and enhance health, safety and general welfare of present and future citizens of the City.
It has come to the attention of Mayor and Council that the use of motorized carts on city streets creates a potential traffic hazard for other vehicular traffic as well as a danger to the occupants of motorized carts.
Therefore, the intent of this Ordinance is to regulate the use of motorized carts within the corporate limits of the City of Hahira as authorized by O.C.G.A. 40-6-331.
Section 9 - 7. Definitions.
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Section 9 - 8. Operations & Limitations.
Motorized Carts may be operated within the corporate limits of Hahira by:
- Those persons who are 16 years of age and older and have a valid motor vehicle drivers license, or;
- Those persons who are 15 years of age, but not yet 16 years of age, if accompanied in the front seat by a person at least 18 years of age who holds a valid motor vehicle drivers license, or;
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C. No person under the age of 15 years of age shall be permitted to operate a motorized cart on any public street within the corporate limits of the City of Hahira. D. All operators of Motorized Carts shall abide by all traffic regulations applicable to vehicular traffic. |
E. Motorized Carts shall not be operated on sidewalks or in City parks other than in parking areas.
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F. Motorized Carts shall be operated during daylight hours only except if such carts are equipped with functional headlights and taillights. G. Motorized Carts may not traverse streets and highways under the jurisdiction of the Georgia Department of Transportation. Motorized Carts may cross these streets to access other streets at street intersections only. The specific streets and highways referenced include North Church Street, South Church Street, East Main Street and West Main Street throughout the corporate limits of the City.
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Section 9 - 9. Registration.
Before any Motorized Cart may be operated within the corporate limits of Hahira, the cart must be registered and receive a decal from the City Clerk signifying its registration. A person desiring to register a Motorized Cart shall bring documentation setting forth a description of said cart to the City Clerk’s office and complete an application for registration of said cart. Upon registration, the Clerk shall issue a decal to be applied to the rear of such cart so as to be plainly visible. There shall be a fee of twenty (25) five dollars for such registration. The decal, issued, shall be non-transferable from the cart for which it is issued. The registration shall be effective until such time as the Cart is sold. New owners must register a cart within ten (10) business days within change of ownership at a cost of ten (10) dollars. If the registration is not transferred within ten (10) business days, a twenty (20) dollar penalty will be applied in addition to the ten (10) dollar transfer charge.
Before any Motorized Cart may be operated within the corporate limits of Hahira, the cart must have affixed thereto an emblem as required by O.C.G.A. 40-8-4. The emblem shall conform with those standards and specifications adopted for slow-moving vehicles by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers in December 1966, and contained within such Society’s standard ASAE S276.1, or shall be an emblem of the same shape and size painted on such vehicle in a bright and conspicuous retro-reflective red-orange paint. Such emblem shall be mounted on the rear of such vehicles, in the approximate horizontal geometric center of the vehicle, at a height of three (3) to five (5) feet above the roadway, and shall be maintained at all times in a clean and reflective condition.
Section 9 - 10. Liability Insurance Coverage.
Each person operating a Motorized Cart is liable for his or her own actions. Liability insurance coverage varies and each person operating a Motorized Cart should verify his or her coverage.
Section 9 - 11. Exception.
1. Nothing in this Ordinance shall apply to any self-propelled, two-wheeled vehicle.
2. Nothing in this Ordinance shall apply to motorized carts operated by the City of Hahira.
Section 9 – 11. Enforcement.
The Hahira Police Department shall be charged with enforcement of this Ordinance.
Section 9 – 12. Penalty.
Any person violating any provision of this Ordinance shall be punished by a fine for the first offense of not less than twenty ($25.00) five dollars. For the second offense, fifty ($50.00) dollars. If a third offense is committed within one (1) year of conviction of a second offense, the minimum fine shall be one ($100.00) hundred dollars and the owner’s registration shall be revoked. If a registration is revoked, the owner shall pay a re-registration fee of two ($200.00) hundred dollars. The registered owner or family member cannot thereafter register a Motorized Cart for use in the City for a period of two (2) years following a third conviction.
Section 9 - 13. Effective Date.
This Ordinance shall become effective immediately upon the City of Hahira receiving supplies for registration of Carts, but no later than thirty (30) days from passage.
Adopted by unanimous vote of City Council in the regular meeting held May 2nd, 2002.
____signed___________
Myron Crowe, Mayor
____signed__________________
Wayne Bullard, Mayor Pro-Tem