Essex County OPP officers are outlining the requirements for a pilot program permitting golf carts in Lighthouse Cove.
On Feb. 11, 2025, a pilot project regulation under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) to permit the use of golf carts from April 1 until Nov. 30 each year in Lighthouse Cove was approved.
Under the 10-year pilot project by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO), golf cars will be considered motor vehicles, and all HTA rules of the road and penalties will apply.
The Municipality of Lakeshore have implemented a set of requirements which must be met to obtain a municipal permit to allow the operation in Lighthouse Cove. The requirements can be found on Lakeshore’s website.
Without the municipal permit, golf carts will not be permitted to be operated on roadways in Lighthouse Cove.
Under the HTA, here are the set of operating requirements:
- Driver must have a valid Ontario drivers' licence
- Only permitted on roads in Lighthouse Cove
- Only permitted to operate on roads with a maximum road speed limit of 50 km/h
- Cannot be driven during the months of December, January, February and March in any year
- Cannot be capable of going 32 kilometers per hour or faster on a level surface
- Cannot tow other vehicles
- Required to display a slow-moving sign mounted on the rear of the vehicle
- Cannot carry passengers under eight years of age
- During the period that begins one-half hour before sunset and ends one half-hour after sunrise, golf cars are required to have adequate nighttime lighting
- Cannot carry any combustible fuel except in the fuel tank (if equipped with one)
- Must be operated in the right-most lane
- Operators are subject to all Highway Traffic Act rules of the road and penalties.
To be operated on the road, golf carts must be equipped with safety equipment including:
- Steering wheel
- Service brakes
- Parking or emergency brakes
- Rear-view mirror
- Horn
- Good quality tires
- Daytime running lights
- Turn signals
- Brake lights
- Reflectors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) would like to remind motorists that operating golf carts on the road must be done so in a safe and responsible manner. A golf cart is still considered a motor vehicle under the Criminal Code of Canada and laws governing impaired driving will be enforced.
