Stroke of genius? Carts used to enforce parking

Yes, that’s right, the newest tool in the city’s arsenal for neighborhood parking enforcement is a golf cart.

As city transportation officials proudly point out, the carts are faster than human legs, free of emissions, and cover a lot more ground.

Since the start of June, the Transportation Department has been testing two electric-powered golf carts in some areas of West Roxbury and South Boston. They will roll out another in Hyde Park next week and ultimately a fourth in the South End.

Transportation officials insist that the golf carts are not part of an effort to write more tickets - they say they have no statistics yet on their impact - but they believe the vehicles will deter would-be violators.

“That’s not our goal, to increase parking tickets,’’ said Thomas Tinlin, the city’s transportation commissioner. “We still have our walking beats and our vans. But this allows us to cover more ground. It allows us to be more visible out in the street.’’

Tinlin said the department is on schedule to issue nearly 1.6 million tickets this fiscal year, about the same number issued during the last fiscal year.

The vehicles have caused a few chuckles and some serious grumpiness in South Boston. Some joked that while the carts might be good for the city, they will not be good for parking officers’ waistlines.

Others said South Boston residents already have enough parking woes to worry about, from lack of spaces to street cleaning restrictions.

And they were not buying Tinlin’s assertion that the carts won’t lead to more tickets.

“Tell them we hate them,’’ said John Whooley, a 41-year-old unemployed carpenter who said he has seen the carts making the rounds on Broadway.

“We hate them because they are giving out tickets. That’s a very bad thing.’’

Harold Amato, who was trimming hair at his L Street barbershop, doesn’t mind the patrols. “Some people don’t do what they’re supposed to do,’’ he said. “I’d rather see the tickets higher than them towing cars, because those guys are maniacs.’’

In recent years, Tinlin said, his department’s responsibilities in the neighborhoods have increased with the expansion of street cleaning and residential parking programs.

In addition, the department has received a surge of neighborhood complaints about drivers who park on side streets to avoid fees at commuter rail parking lots, people who stay over the two-hour limit in visitors and commercial districts, and motorists who park on resident-only streets.

The department says use of the golf carts causes drivers to think twice before parking illegally. It will also help enforcement officers, some of whom have been using bicycles, to patrol larger areas.

Currently, supervisors in department cars and vans are assigned to transport enforcement officers to locations over the day, said Gregory T. Rooney, the Transportation Department’s parking manager. With the carts, only one officer is needed, leaving supervisors free to do other things, such as investigate complaints.

Tinlin said the vehicles were donated by the Public Works Department, which received them several years ago for the Democratic National Convention.

The carts are causing a few double takes from residents. But so far the Transportation Department’s phone lines are not lighting up about their presence, Rooney said.

The carts are a little bigger than the average ones on the golf course.

They can carry up to 500 pounds, are legal to operate on city streets, and travel at a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour.

Transportation officials, including Bunch and parking enforcement supervisor Dan Mastrorilli, recently gave a Globe reporter and photographer a test run.

Bunch was not allowed to speak to reporters, so he drove in silence, sometimes offering a quick smile while the two officials talked up the department’s newest gadgets.

On East 6th Street, he spotted an expired inspection sticker, got out, and punched in the information. He placed a ticket on the windshield. Then he rolled on.

Meghan Irons can be reached at mirons@globe.com.