| The neighborhood electric vehicle is a small, electric car designed for low-speed, local trips in neighborhoods and urban areas. These vehicles are designed for short trips on
surface streets to carry small loads, and generally for one or two people, although they might be designed for additional passengers. The popularity of NEVs is growing at an incredible rate. NEVs are similar to golf carts and some even double as golf carts, but they are street legal in most areas. They are not intended to be freeway capable, allowing for a dramatic reduction in energy and power needs.
NEVs would serve those trips that consumers find too long for walking and bicycling but do not require the use of full-size automobiles. They have become incredibly popular in many
places such as retirement communities, resort areas, campgrounds, and golf course communities. NEVs are usually a little faster and safer than a standard golf cart and they will normally carry four passengers. NEVs have been growing in popularity among all age groups especially among the numerous adult communities that have been developed in the
city of Surprise planning area during the past twenty years. These communities provide amenities that encourage the use of NEVs and golf carts as a means of transportation. During the development of the Surprise General Plan 2030 several issues concerning current and future conflicts between NEVs, golf carts, and automobiles were identified. Concerns include increased traffic on major streets, the increasing difficulty for NEV and golf cart drivers to cross these streets, and safe access for golf cart users to shopping areas and grocery stores. The city of Surprise supports the use of electric vehicles, but has emphasized that the vehicles must be operated in accordance with existing Arizona law. Arizona law provides the following restrictions (ARS 28-966):
A neighborhood electric vehicle shall not be operated at a speed of more than twenty-five miles per hour (25 MPH). - A neighborhood electric vehicle shall not be driven on a highway that has a posted speed limit of more than thirty-five miles per hour (35 MPH). This section does not
prohibit a neighborhood electric vehicle from crossing a highway that has a posted speed limit of more than thirty-five miles per hour at an intersection.
- A neighborhood electric vehicle shall have a notice of the operational restrictions applying to the vehicle permanently attached to or painted on the vehicle in a location that is in clear view of the driver.
The need for NEVs to reach destinations by crossing major roads makes for potentially hazardous situations. The use of NEVs to cross over into areas that are not signed or built to accommodate them may result in a serious safety hazard. To accommodate NEVs safely on existing roads designed for large vehicle and fast-moving traffic, infrastructure standards and designs will need to be modified. The type and scale of NEV infrastructures would vary across communities, depending in part on which vehicles prevail. On streets that carry heavy traffic, NEVs should be allowed only if the posted speed meets state quirements and if the drivers of other vehicles are made aware of the presence of such vehicles in the area. Any NEV used on the city streets should be equipped and insured in the manner scribed by state law. Improvement in safety of these low-polluting and energy efficient vehicles is a significant concern in the city of Surprise.
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