I felt the tears gush down my creeks. My whole life
ran before me as my eyes continued to water and I could feel the breathing
in my chest become labored. Was my blood pressure rising?
Probably. Was my heart skipping a beat? I think
so.
Fortunately, I survived. I wasn't having a medical crisis, I was at the pump
filling my car with gold . . . err . . . gasoline. It might as well be gold,
as the rising price of gas is causing people to rethink the way they live
and how they will afford it. If I had more stocks that went up this rapidly
and this often, I would not worry about my mortgage payments.
I am writing this as Memorial Day approaches. More people I know are staying
home for this holiday than ever before. One friend who is frugal by nature
intoned that he would be having filet mignon, something he never indulges in
because of the price. His rationale is like mine . . . it goes in the gas
tank or down my gullet.
If you haven't been on a lunar mission, have you checked the prices at the
supermarket lately? Through the roof! Everything is going up except my
ability to pay for it. People like me who depend on the interest that I earn
on their savings are further impacted. Even going from 6 percent return to
less than the current 3 percent (and falling) causes major hardships. It is
a nasty mess and I am not sure what is going to help us all survive.
For the time being, I am going to focus on my modes of getting around. While
public transportation is improving in Riverside County, it still has a long
way to go before it is accessible, reliable and affordable. I will wait
somewhat patiently and encourage the transportation folks to move rapidly. I
will do whatever I can to help.
So, I have my somewhat damaged feet, my bicycle, my car AND my golf cart.
That's it . . . my golf cart. Many people use their golf carts to transport
themselves around a golf course. My golf cart is my dog's official exercise
machine. I leash her up and let her pull me through the streets of Sun
Lakes. More people ask me who is pulling the cart: the dog or
me? Mainly, Sandy leads the charge.
I cannot wait for the new
dog park to open at Noble Creek Park. Tentatively scheduled to open in
September, the dog park is the brainchild of Mickey Valdivia and his board
of directors at the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Recreation and Parks District.
There will be spaces for small dogs and another running area for larger
ones. Let the socializing begin for the animals and for the people.
If I have my way, I will be able to take Sandy to
the new dog park in my golf cart. That's right, transportation fans and
local governing authorities, I think golf carts should be legalized in the
Pass Area: for the time being, in the cities of Banning and Beaumont.
Sun Lakes is but one of the
PUDs (Planned Unit Developments in the area). There is Sun Dance,
Four Seasons, Solera,
more and more houses in Beaumont and in the large
Pardee property in Banning.
Why not include a Pass Area circulation study and
make lanes for golf carts?
This would also benefit the bicycle riders, as
their designation would be a narrower line within the same lane. Did I
mention that this form of transportation would help us rid the planet of
noxious fumes and global warming?
When my husband Bill and I lived in Palm Desert,
we were able to ride the golf cart from our house to the golf course. After
golf, we could go to the supermarket or mall to shop. Because so many people
in Palm Desert use golf carts as a regular form of transportation (they are
totally street legal in that city), places like city hall and shopping
centers have special parking places for the carts and a place to plug in and
charge up!
This is from the Palm Desert website: “The City of
Palm Desert's Golf Cart Transportation Program is intended to help develop a
convenient transportation system that is safe and environmentally sensitive,
generating zero auto emissions. Authorized on Jan. 1, 1993, by California
Assembly Bill 1229, the program has expanded the use of golf carts beyond
transportation in and around golf courses and other recreational amenities
by allowing carts on more public streets and private roads. In Palm Desert,
permitted drivers are allowed to use golf carts for travel to schools,
parks, businesses, shopping centers and government offices. The program's
long-term goal is to provide full golf cart access throughout the
community.”
If you've never been to the Palm Desert Golf Cart
Parade, it is terrific. Civic groups enter their “floats-carts” and an
ever-growing list of entrants wends their way down El
Paseo.
My golf cart is considered “street legal.” That
means I have seat belts, horn, lights, brakes and all elements necessary to
drive the cart on public streets within the prescribed speed limit. It is
licensed with the DMV and I carry automobile insurance.
Maybe it is time for forward-thinking council
members in Beaumont and Banning, along with transportation experts, to
consider the use of carts being driven on public streets.
I feel certain that test routes could be
considered with both cities working together with regional thinking. A
“pilot” program could certainly be with Sun Lakes in Banning and Four
Seasons in Beaumont. Each subdivision is in close proximity to the Sun Lakes
Shopping Center and the 2nd Street Marketplace.
I want to run my errands like going to the bank,
supermarket, or doctor in my golf cart. It is easy to navigate, I cannot
speed and the money I will save by not having to put that much fuel in my
car might afford me to continue to take my medications and eat.
It simply could not be that complicated to
designate a separate lane for golf carts and bicycles. Yes, it may cost a
bit of money but think about how much sense this makes for the future.
