Visitors to B.C.’s capital city now have a new way to navigate the streets.
Street-legal, electric-powered golf carts are now available to rent in Victoria for anyone wanting a unique way to see the city.
The company behind the carts, HeyYa, previously launched a fleet in Vancouver and have now expanded to Victoria.
The carts, which come in four-seaters, six-seaters or eight-seaters, will be located at key transportation hubs and are available to rent.
The company says that while they look like golf carts, they have undergone “significant” upgrades in power and safety to meet legal requirements.
These include seat belts, daytime running lights, turn signals, a horn, hazard lights, an emergency brake and licence plates and vehicle insurance.
Victoria city councillor, Matt Dell, told Global News the golf carts are an exciting addition.
“Recently we reduced speed limits across the city so most streets are 30 km/h right now,” he said. “There’s not many streets that are 40 km/h so I suspect most people who will take these will be using side roads and if they do, they can keep up with traffic, but right around the downtown core it’s not very common to go 30 or 40 km/h anyway.”
The golf carts can reach a speed of 40 km/h.
“I think this is a good win for safety of other people as well,” Dell said.
Drivers can take the vehicles on any road within the City of Victoria and Oak Bay, where they can be driven anywhere south of Fort Street and Cadboro Bay Road.
Drivers can also drive north of Fort Street in the downtown core near the waterfront, but HeyYa recommends you stay off Douglas and Blanshard.
They cannot be driven in Saanich or View Royal, on the beach, on the seawall or boardwalk, in bike lanes, over any bridges except the Johnson Street Bridge, on the freeway, on Blanshard Street north of Caledonia Avenue, on any pedestrian or bike trails, including the Galloping Goose Trail or in the pedestrian-only zone of Government Street (between Wharf and View Street).