PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio – In recent years, Put-in-Bay’s tiny downtown has become overrun with golf carts clogging the streets, hogging parking and making the idyllic island community less pleasant for both residents and tourists. This summer, village officials are pushing back. Village Council recently passed a law that caps the number of golf carts on the island to the number registered on Put-in-Bay last year.
Put-in-Bay Mayor Judy Berry estimated there are about 900 registered golf carts for rent inside the village. And the surrounding township has at least that many, she said. Council also instituted a new $5-per-hour fee for drivers who park downtown.
It is hoped that the two measures will ease gridlock and promote better visitor behavior on busy weekends this summer. “We should have done this 10 years ago,” said Berry. “We have way too many golf carts.
” Berry said the problem reached a breaking point on a beautiful weekend last July, when the local police had to call in law enforcement officers from surrounding counties to help direct traffic and rein in the bad behavior. After that chaotic weekend last summer, council issued a moratorium on the registration of any new golf cart rentals on the island. The new village legislation essentially caps that number indefinitely.
The law affects businesses in both the village of Put-in-Bay and across South Bass, the 1,588-acre island in Lake Erie about 3 miles from the Ohio mainland. Eventually, Berry said, officials may tr.