Rome's historic center is facing a golf cart controversy ROME -- Beneath the splendor of its monuments and ruins, Rome is taking aim at a modern-day chariot: the golf cart. Hundreds of them have started carrying tourists through the historic center. Even rolling along at a moderate speed, these golf carts have so far outpaced regulation.
But the city is mounting a crackdown. For critics, the carts are running amok, parking illegally, worsening congestion and unlocking another level of overtourism. Some local media invoke sensational language, calling it an “invasion” and saying Rome is being “held hostage by golf carts.” Advocates argue carts are silent, occupy less space than tourist vans and buses, and don’t choke the air with exhaust that also stains historic monuments.
The got a taste of the enmity during a late August ride when a black, eight-seater van pulled up alongside. The road isn’t yours!” the golf cart driver shouted back. Both gesticulated angrily with their free hands, following a time-honored Roman traffic tradition.
Carts like this zip through Rome’s cobblestone alleys, past tourists eating spaghetti carbonara from checkered tablecloths and shops hawking hot priest calendars and tote bags stamped with cliches (Ciao Bella!). But there’s no time to buy anything except a cappuccino or gelato; these tours are targeted blitzes on Rome’s hot spots — at least until they collide with authorities. Ruth Sanderson from Manchester, England, surprised her husband with the tour for his birthday during their first trip to Rome.
They could see the major sights in three hours and “just potter around” for the rest of their short stay, said Sanderson, 50. Their guide swung around the basilica where Pope Francis is buried then headed to the Spanish Steps, where he parked in an area exclusively for car-sharing — the first of several illegal spots he snagged. Even before the golf cart boom, parking was a pain.
Cars, vans, Vespas and motorcycles are stationed atop curbs, crosswalks and medians. Trucks double-park while unloading. Any spare cranny is claimed in Rome's historic center, because there are only 4,300 regular on-street spots available, about one-quarter the number of cars owned by the area's residents, according to the city's transport chief, citing a field survey conducted last year.
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