::: COMMUNITY NEWS

Security Committee outlines rules for carts to cross Highway 16 starting Jan. 1

Published Thursday, December 28, 2006

When equipment requirements for golf carts and Neighborhood Electric Vehicles that cross Highway 16 go into effect Jan. 1, it will be up to residents to meet them. Or not.

Residents received a notice in their CSD bill this month listing the minimum safety equipment required for carts and NEVs that cross Jackson Road, a state highway, at the North and South entrances to the community. During the day, a brake light, one rear reflector and a horn are required. In addition to those, a headlight and taillight are required for night crossings.

"We provide the information and cart owners decide whether to follow it or not," Security Chief Greg Remson said at the December Community Services District Security Committee meeting. He said it's unlikely any CHP officer will police the two intersections to check golf carts' compliance with the plan, and Security has no jurisdiction over the state highway.

"The one thing I guess we're going to have to be realistic enough to realize is that putting out that piece of paper is not going to keep people from crossing that highway," said CSD President Wayne Kuntz at the Security Committee meeting. "And Security is not going to be a cart patrol either. All those are general guidelines that have been approved by RMA, CSD, the Highway Patrol and so forth."

Without the plan, there would be no legal crossing after Dec. 31, when a temporary measure enacted by the state Legislature expires. The Rancho Murieta Association and the CSD shared the $20,000 cost of developing a plan to make the crossing permanent.

RMA officials scrutinized the vehicle code to keep the equipment requirements to a minimum and the CSD suggested making the cart owner responsible for compliance.

The approach took into account the large number of older carts and the fact that golf carts have been a way of life here for more than 30 years, and they've been crossing the highway all that time without incident.

Even so, some residents found the plan's requirements unsettling. Country Club members with basic golf carts were "inundating" the club's cart repair staff with questions about making the modifications, Country Club General Manager Bob Johnson told the committee. He said people were also concerned that the plan's requirements might limit the usefulness of the pedestrian bridge, slated to open early next year. "The reason for the bridge for a lot of the people on the South was that they could go to the grocery store," Johnson said.

But, while Security won't police the Highway 16 cart crossing, there are safety and traffic rules in place for carts and NEVS and "we will continue to do what we do now," said Remson of Security enforcement. Golf carts and NEVs are required to observe the same traffic laws within the community that apply to other vehicles. Violations include unlicensed drivers, overloaded carts, "kids strapped in the bag rack and that kind of thing. … We'll continue to do that."

The golf cart and NEV rules adopted by the RMA four years ago are available here.

Other topics discussed at the meeting included the following:

Role of Security officers

The Security chief said changes in government code for special districts that took effect this year have not changed the role of Security patrol officers.

"Government code just got cleaned up basically. Our authority hasn't changed. We're not peace officers. We're doing the same thing that we've always done," Remson said.

Remson said the section in the code on issuing citations that prompted an online discussion in the RanchoMurieta.com reader forum is "a standard cite and release thing. … It hasn't changed our authority."

Remson said the board would have to make a decision to the change to peace officer status to begin the process.
Kuntz said he had taken part in the special districts code change effort and described it as a "clean-up project" that streamlined the code from 300-plus pages to 114.

At the December RMA meeting, Director Jack Cooper, chair of the Compliance Committee, suggested making a written outline of Security officers' responsibilities to help residents understand their duties.

Holiday security problems

On Thanksgiving and the following day, North Gate officers "got abused like they haven't been for a long time" because of delays and back-ups caused by the volume of visitors, Remson said. "We got hammered. … The whole issue comes down to staging. … We need a new North Gate."

Because of the gate's proximity to Highway 16, there's no room to stack cars and, if there's a delay, "Boom, you're clogged up," Remson said.

The North Gate is a standing item on the Security Committee agenda.

Under the terms of the Mutual Benefit Agreement between the RMA and the Pension Trust Fund of the Operating Engineers, $1.4 million in developer money has been available to rebuild the gate since 2004, when the sale of property triggered the funding mechanism.

Residents are asked to call in their visitors to reduce problems at the gates. The number for the North Gate is 354-3742. The South Gate is 354-3743.

In addition to more traffic, the holidays bring an increase in crimes of opportunity. CSD General Manager Ed Crouse reminds residents to lock cars, houses and garages to prevent crime.