Task Force Is Forming To Seek Solutions
To Use Of Golf Carts On Lordship Bluffs
Task Force Will Review The Topic From All Angles And Suggest Solutions
As announced at the May 28, 2025 public meeting of the LIA Board and committees, the LIA is forming a small task force to examine the issue of golf carts on the Lordship Bluffs.
There is a long-standing policy that prohibits motorized vehicles on the Bluffs. However, recent requests from golf cart owners to park on the Bluffs have sparked a range of opinions in the community. Some residents support allowing limited golf cart access, while others have raised concerns related to safety and conservation.
No matter where you fall on this issue, it’s clear our community is united in the belief that Lordship’s Bluffs are special. This is the same belief that has been the driving force behind the work of the LIA for decades. It’s also where our power lies... when we can come together, as neighbors and friends.
The LIA is obligated to uphold existing legal and policy restrictions which do not allow motorized vehicles on the Bluffs. At the same time, we believe it’s important to create a forum that will lead to a community solution. The task force will be a space for thoughtful discussion and information-gathering. Its role is to review the topic from all angles, including legal, environmental, municipal, and insurance considerations, and to reflect the range of views held by neighbors.
The task force will include up to seven Lordship residents, selected by LIA to represent a balance of perspectives both in favor of and opposed to golf cart use on the Bluffs. No LIA officers will serve. The group will elect a Chair and Secretary and work independently after an initial orientation meeting with the Board.
Interested in participating? Please send a brief email message to the LIA Board explaining why you’d like to join and what you hope to contribute. The deadline to volunteer is Friday, June 27, 2025. Please email your message about volunteering for the task force to LordshipIA@gmail.com.
The task force will deliver its written recommendations to the Board by August 15th, and the findings will be announced and posted to the LIA website before the end of August.
Meanwhile, the Board requests community residents to abide by the posted rules prohibiting motorized vehicles on the Lordship Bluffs.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Background of Golf Carts on the Lordship Bluffs
· In the 1970s, a pole rail fence was placed along Park Blvd to prevent motor vehicles from driving on the Bluffs.
· In 2007, the pole fence was upgraded to a rail fence with signs indicating motorized vehicles were not allowed.
· In 2021, golf carts were approved for use on Stratford roads with speed limits of 25mph and less.
· At the 2023 LIA Annual Meeting, members voiced objection to the parking of golf carts on the Bluffs. At that time, it was hoped that the novelty would wear off and golf carts on the Bluffs would not remain an issue.
· Through 2023-24, increased golf cart driving/parking on the Bluffs prompted increased calls, emails and donation card notes calling on the LIA to enforce the motorized vehicle prohibition.
· These comments noted that Long and Short Beach offer 2.5 miles of motorized vehicle accessible beach, while the Bluffs represent only 0.25 miles of conservation area prohibiting motorized vehicle access.
· They also emphasized that the LIA Board of Governors bears liability for a golf cart accident if further action is not taken to prevent motorized vehicle access. A review of our insurance policy confirmed that insurance is for “Land parcel with pedestrian access to beach.” The insurance company requested photos of signs at renewal.
· During the summer of 2024, a “Can Am” vehicle was driven on the Bluffs, leaving deep ruts.
· At the LIA 2024 Annual Meeting, the Board proposed extending the rail fence from the existing ends to the Bluff edge to prevent motorized vehicles from accessing the potentially dangerous area. There was no objection to the proposed plan, and its estimated $5,000 cost.
· Two weeks after the 2024 Annual Meeting, LIA received an anonymous donation of $5000 “for the improvement, maintenance and upkeep of the fence and any other boundary protection established for the Bluffs and/or for any other uses serving to preserve, restore or protect the Bluffs.”
· The LIA Board contracted with M&M Fencing to install extensions of the rail fence to the Bluffs east and west boundaries.
· The permit for extending the fence was denied because the Town of Stratford holds a right of way 50’ inward from Park Blvd.
· The Town’s Traffic Authority Committee heard LIA’s concern regarding motorized vehicles on Bluffs in January 2025 – and no action was taken. However, a May 2025 letter from the Police Department regarding golf cart registration explicitly stated that golf carts are not allowed to be driven on the Bluffs.
· Town officials also suggested that if the LIA wanted more town involvement in this matter, it might be determined by the Town that the existing fence be removed from the right of way.
· At the LIA March 2025 Committees Meeting, golf cart advocates pressed for cart operation on the Bluffs. No attendees other than LIA Board members voiced continued opposition to golf carts on the Bluffs. The Board restated its safety and environmental concerns and asked the cart proponents to caucus and propose a solution that would satisfy them and the Board’s concerns.
· LIA Board members and neighbors worked together to create a 2025 Trial Bluffs Golf Cart Parking Plan, allowing limited golf cart parking in designated entry points inside the Park Blvd guardrail.
· In early May, the proposed parking spaces were laid out and photographed. The insurance company concurred with this plan.
- At the LIA's May 28 public Committees and Boar of Governors Meeting, many attendees spoke in favor and against golf cart use on the Lordship Bluffs. The Board announced that a task force will be created to seek solutions.