Drunken wedding guests may ruin island golf carts for everyone else

(CBS 13 photo)

The Portland City Council is considering new rules that would add restrictions to golf cart usage on the Casco Bay islands, according to Portland television station and BDN media partner WGME, CBS 13.

Under the proposed ordinance language, people will need a driver’s license to drive golf carts on the islands, and won’t be allowed to have passengers on their laps while in motion, among other new guidelines.

The Portland Press Herald reported that the council will hold a hearing and vote on the new rules on June 19.

The newspaper reported that on Peaks Island, in particular, the population swells from 860 to more than 4,000 on a given summer weekends, when as many as a dozen weddings might be scheduled for various places on the scenic island.

And the reckless behavior of many of those wedding guests is a major factor behind the crackdown. Islanders told WGME and other media outlets that intoxicated wedding guests and drivers with young children on their laps raise safety concerns.

“We’ve been bombarded by residents who’ve seen all kinds of crazy things happening on golf carts,” year-round Peaks resident and safety committee member John Kiely told the Press Herald. “People are here on vacation and they think they are toys.”

The newspaper reported that 200 golf carts are registered on Peaks Island, with another 55 registered on Cliff and Great Diamond islands.