Surfside Beach Police urging golf carts to stop bypassing ‘Do Not Enter’ sign on one-way road

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Nearly a dozen golf cart owners in Surfside Beach are frustrated after receiving tickets while trying to get to their homes in the Deerfield Plantation neighborhood.

But the Surfside Beach Police Department says the golf cart drivers are receiving tickets for unlawful actions for bypassing a sign that says ‘Do Not Enter.’

Surfside Beach Police Chief Kenneth Hofmann says his officers started issuing tickets after receiving complaints about golf carts and cars driving pass the sign and going onto a one-way street.

“They’re driving around a blind car where cars are coming, it’s quite dangerous," Hofmann said. “There are also vehicles driving the wrong way to Platt Boulevard to get back into Deerfield.”

The situation is a bit layered.

Golf cart drivers coming from Deerfield can drive onto the service street and drive to Surfside Beach legally. But that same service road on the way back prohibits the golf cart drivers from accessing the route back home because of the construction.

Some of the golf cart drivers, like Deerfield resident Bill Storie, say they’re fed up with the legal confusion about which way golf carts can travel without receiving citations.

“It’s anxiety provoking to think you can leave, go the beach legally, then you might get nailed with a hefty fine coming back home,” Storie said. "So it’s a big inconvenience going to the beach and our primary transportation is the golf cart.”

Star Obser purchased a home in Deerfield hoping to enjoy quicker golf cart access to the beach.

“There’s literally no way to cross Highway 17 [in a golf cart],” Obser said. “The highway does not allow you to go past the neighborhood and come back on the service road like some may think.”

Hofmann says he understands the frustrations the construction project has caused the community, but disobeying the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign is unlawful.

But in two weeks, the department expects to have a lawful path for golf carts to access.

Hofmann says the department has been meeting with the South Carolina Department of Transportation, and they expect for a golf cart path to be built in the next two weeks along the service road. They also hope to find a temporary solution for golf carts trying to make it home from the beach legally.

“In the meantime, it’s not okay to drive your car or golf cart on a one-way street,” Hofmann said. “It is illegal and we’re just asking the motorists and golf cart drivers to please not drive on a one way street. Please be patient. We are working on this situation as quickly as possible.”

Drivers who received citations for disobeying the ‘Do Not Enter’ sign received a four-point violation and a fine of $232.

Copyright 2020 WMBF. All rights reserved.