Victoria County tries to get permission for golf carts on Baddeck streets — again

Victoria County is hoping electric golf carts will be shuttling through the streets of Baddeck some day.

But before that can happen, officials are going to have to win over Nova Scotia's Public Works Department.

County council is taking a third crack at asking for permission to start running golf carts in the village.

Warden Bruce Morrison told CBC's Information Morning Cape Breton there is no taxi service in town, but tourists could put the carts to good use.

"They could be used to run errands in the community," he said. "If they wanted to go down to the [Alexander Graham] Bell Museum, if they wanted to go up to the beer store, if they wanted to go down the street to the co-op or the drug store, it's all accessible and those units could be used."

Morrison said he saw something similar in the southern U.S. resort town of Myrtle Beach and thought: why not in Baddeck?

The carts could even be used by locals for personal or business trips, he said.

"The fact that there are no emissions from these vehicles, they could be used for very short-term trips in designated zones within the community. We think they're a viable option and the batteries are good for six-to-eight hours, so they could be multiple use."

The province has rejected the county twice in the last 10 years.

"But in light of their current plan for climate change, we thought that electric vehicles being used in and around the community — with obviously some restrictions on them — that it would be a good way to transport people around and to be of service to the businesses that are here," Morrison said.

However, it looks like the county will be facing an uphill battle with the province.

In a short email, the Department of Public Works said under the Motor Vehicle Act, electric golf carts are not permitted on roads due to safety reasons.

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