Proposed Golf Cart Ordinance.

Article X, Section 23-640 creating an ordinance for golf carts:

1. Definition -a golfcart which may be operated on the streets, roads and alleyways ofthe City shall be classified as a low-speed vehicle.

a. The following must appear on the manufactured statement oforigin (MSO):

(1) The body type must be specified as a low speed vehicle.

(2) There must be a statement indicating that the LSV meets or exceeds the minimal federal safety requirements.

b. All golfcarts classified as low-speed vehicles shall be manufactured in compliance with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standards for low-speed vehicles. Golfcarts operated on city streets shall conform to safety standards as outlined in 49 C.F.R. 571.500

2. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, all golfcarts will be defined as motor vehicles for the purpose of any law dealing with Driving Under the Influence, Driving While Intoxicated and Driving While Suspended or Revoked.

3. Requirements for operating golfcarts on city streets, roads or alleyways within the City:

a. The golfcart shall be currently registered and licensed pursuant to city ordinances

b. Any individual operating a golfcart shall have a valid operator’s or chauffeur’s license, but is not required to pass an examination for the operation ofa motorcycle;

c. The golf cart shall be properly insured and such proof ofinsurance shall specifically list the vehicle as referenced by the serial number and year ofmodel

d. Any individual operating a golf cart shall be at least eighteen (18) years old;

e. Any individual operating a golf cart shall wear a properly fastened seat belt;

f. The golf cart shall be operated at a speed ofless than 20 miles per hour

g. The golf cart shall have a bicycle safety flag, which extends not less than seven feet above the ground, attached to the rear ofthe vehicle; the flag shall be day-glow colored and shall be triangular shaped, with an area not less than 30 square inches.

h. Unless properly equipped with taillights, brake lights and turn signals all operators must use approved hand signals.

4. No individual operating a golf cart shall:

a. Operate the golfcart in any careless or imprudent manner so as to endanger any person or property ofany person;

b. Operate the golfcart between the hours of official sunset and sunrise, unless the golf cart is properly equipped with headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals;

c. Operate the golf cart on any federal, state or county highways, except to cross.

d. No golf cart shall cross any federal or state highway at an intersection where the highway being crossed has a posted speed limit ofmore than forty-five miles per hour.

5. Violations ofthis section shall be a misdemeanor.

NASCAR THIS WEEK

By Monte Dutton

Sponsored by Chad's Garage

Bobby the Iron Man

Bobby Labonte, who won the (then) Winston Cup championship a decade ago, is now 31st in the Sprint Cup standings. Labonte left TRG Motorsports and finished 16th at Daytona in a Chevy entered by James Finch. The future is murky.

What’s a nice guy like Labonte doing in a place like this? He’s a champion (both the Cup and what is now Nationwide). He’s even been a runner-up in both series. Labonte has won 21 Cup races and 26 poles. He’s 46 years old.

"Our car was good for about 20 laps," he said after the Coke Zero 400. "We kept track position for a while, then we got a ‘wave-around’ (back on the lead lap). We got involved in ‘the Big One’ (a 20-car pile-up), and that was unfortunate for the team. It took out a lot of good cars, but we were lucky enough to not have too bad a damage to keep us from running strong at the end. All in all, it was OK."

Labonte will once again be in the No. 09 Chevrolet in Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway.

After 11 seasons at Joe Gibbs Racing, Labonte moved to Petty Enterprises for three years, finishing 21st, 18th and 21st in the Cup point standings from 2006 through 2008. In 2009, he began the season with the Hall of Fame team, then moved to Kevin Buckler’s TRG team late in the year.

Most would consider a victory in the 2000 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the single biggest victory of Labonte’s career. He has won six times at Atlanta Motor Speedway during his career, coupled with three victories each at Michigan and Pocono.

Labonte was the Grand Marshal of the Coke Zero 400 and carried Coke Zero sponsorship in the race, which marked the 600th start of his Cup career. He is 20th all-time in that category, which is led by Richard Petty (1,185 races).

"Wow, that’s a lot of racing," said Labonte. "It’s just an honor and a privilege to be able to have that many races under my belt. There have been so many people who have helped me get to this point in my career.

"I’m not racing just to hit milestones or anything like that. Like I’ve said before, I want to win and be competitive. Hitting 600 starts, it’s great, and hopefully, there will be a lot more, too."

***

Monte Dutton has covered motorsports for The Gaston (N.C.) Gazette since 1993. He was named writer of the year by the National Motorsports Press Association in 2008.

I’ve never known anyone who could explain why a dog circles several times ‘for it finally lays down. There could be a number of explanations, but it’s such a common occurrence, there must be an absolute reason.

The old story of the coon dog sittin’ on the porch howlin’ comes ta mind.

"Somethin’ out in the woods makin’ that dog howl like that," asked a visitor.

"No," says the owner, "the dog just sat on a nail and is too lazy to get up."

Maybe dogs circle ‘cause once they lay down, they don’t want ta have ta move again. Just checkin’ for nails.

I suppose even more interestin’ is the fact that us humans will sit and watch an animal goin’ round in circles tryin’ to figure out why. Makes ya wonder who the superior species really is.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

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Weekly Columns

CLICK and CLACK

TALK CARS

The transaxle differential bearing on my ‘98 Toyota Sienna van is growling like a cat in the vet’s office. This has been going on for about 5,000 miles now. Lately it has become more intense - just like the cat does when the vet starts messing with his private parts. So far, we’ve dealt with it by turning up the volume on the radio. When it finally breaks, what will happen? Are we looking at a crash and burn - or will I be able to drive it home? Any predictor of how long I have? Money is tight - the longer I can prolong the repair or replacement, the better. - Mark

Tom: Just before it breaks, it’ll make even more noise, Mark - so much noise that it’ll sound like the cat is messing with the VET’s private parts.

Ray: At that point, most people become too terrified to drive the vehicle. But based on your letter, Mark, I’m not convinced you have that normal, healthy self-preservation instinct. So we’ll tell you what happens if you actually drive it until it breaks.

Tom: What will happen, most likely, is that the differential housing will break and all of the fluid, and some of the gears, will pour out. And that housing is shared with the transmission. So the transmission and differential will fail catastrophically and simultaneously.

Ray: so the answer is no, you will not be able to drive home. Or anywhere else.

Tom: At that point, you’ll need a rebuilt transaxle, which costs about $2,000. And since the subframe needs to be removed in order to get at it, labor will run you another grand or so.

Ray: But it’ll cost just as much to fix it now as it will then. Good Luck.