New Low Speed Vehicle and Golf Cart Policy Improves Safety on Campus

As the campus has grown both in infrastructure and population, the need to improve safety for pedestrians and drivers has prompted the introduction of policies to ensure compliance with the Institute’s regulations and state law.
May 19, 2016
— Atlanta, GA

Golf carts and other types of low speed vehicles (LSVs) have been used across Georgia Tech’s campus since the 1996 Summer Olympics. Currently, 145 of these vehicles assist in ferrying employees, guests, and supplies across Tech’s 400-acre campus.

As the campus has grown both in infrastructure and population, the need to improve safety for pedestrians and drivers has prompted the introduction of policies to ensure compliance with the Institute’s regulations and state law. This spring, the new Low Speed Vehicle and Golf Cart Policy was approved and will impact the purchase, safe use, and operation of all LSVs and golf carts on campus.

The policy specifies that, effective July 1, any Georgia Tech unit owning or purchasing LSVs or golf carts must ensure these vehicles are street legal and register each of them with Georgia Tech Fleet Services. All registered vehicles should display a state registration decal and Campus Fleet Vehicle permit; otherwise, they will be cited by Parking and Transportation Services. Additionally, Fleet Services will only perform maintenance on registered LSVs and golf carts.

Drivers of LSVs and golf carts must obey all traffic regulations or be subject to ticketing by the Georgia Tech Police Department. LSVs must not be driven on high-speed streets (above 35 mph), and golf carts must not be driven on streets with speed limits above 25 mph. For example, a golf cart cannot be driven on North Avenue — where the speed limit is 35 mph — but an LSV can. Other streets on which golf carts are prohibited, but LSVs are allowed, include:

  • Marietta Street - 30 mph
  • Tech Pkwy - 30 mph
  • Northside Drive - 35 mph
  • 10th Street - 35 mph
  • Spring Street - 35 mph

As a reminder, driving and parking LSVs and golf carts on sidewalks and pedestrian walkways around campus are prohibited; the only exception is on occasion when they are being used for tasks involving sidewalk and grass areas for official operational and business functions.

Other points of the policy include the planned phasing out of non-street legal golf carts and motorized vehicles by July 31, 2016. Landscape and maintenance utility vehicles are not affected by this new policy; while these are not street legal, they are still permitted for use on campus.

To learn more about this policy, contact Environmental Health & Safety's General Safety group at 404.385.0263.

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Jerel Harris
General Safety Manager
Environmental Health and Safety

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Did You Know?
  • Georgia Tech LSVs and golf carts are types of motor vehicles. As such, they and their drivers are subject to Georgia Tech and University System of Georgia policies, as well as Georgia state law. In addition, Institute employees who operate LSVs and golf carts are subject to Board of Regents policy on Motor Vehicle Use. This policy requires all employees who routinely drive USG/Institution-owned vehicles to be subject to annual training, annual completion of the Driver Acknowledgement Form, and an annual MVR history check prior to operating state vehicles.
  • Since January 1, 2012, Georgia state law has required personal transportation vehicles, including golf carts and other motorized carts, to be enhanced with specific safety equipment to become street legal. Out of the 145 LSVs on Tech's campus, 116 are currently street legal. At this time, the only non-street legal motorized carts authorized to be driven within the Georgia Tech campus are landscape and maintenance utility vehicles.