If the future is powered without fossil fuels, then the days of tomorrow may begin on Whidbey Island as soon as this month.

At least in rural areas.

Following the example of Langley and Coupeville, the Island County commissioners are poised to vote on rules in November that would provide the framework for small communities to set up golf cart zones in their areas. A majority of the board has voiced support for the ordinance, making its passage seem likely, but it would be great if all three commissioners voted for the measure. A unanimous decision would speak volumes about the county’s bipartisan commitment to environmental sustainability and, perhaps more importantly, demonstrate a common belief that the choice of living a greener life is better left with the public and not government.

The board will hold a public hearing on the proposal at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, in the Commissioners Hearing Room, 1 N.E. Sixth St. in Coupeville.

It should be noted that while Island County’s decision will come years after that of Coupeville and Langley. It was an effort to establish golf cart rules in rural county areas that paved the way for such forward thinking. Beverly Beach residents on South Whidbey have lobbied local and state decision makers for years to get this done, and their long endeavors resulted in the passage of key legislation in Olympia that gave counties and cities the flexibility to allow the use of golf carts on public roads.

The tiny neighborhood was working to help a single resident, but their labors have paid off for people across the state as a handful of municipalities have taken advantage of the legislation. It also gave Washington membership to a greater community of areas across the country that are making use of golf carts.

Perhaps the best known is Peachtree City, Ga. A pioneer in the urban application of golf carts, the city of about 35,000 has allowed them since the 1970s and now boasts more than 90 miles of cart path and over 10,000 registered users. Grocery shopping, going to work, taking the kids to school — residents use them for just about everything. They are so widely utilized that the town’s high school has had to create special parking lots to accommodate a legion of student users.

Such wide-spread application isn’t without problems, in particular city police have struggled with people driving them while intoxicated. According to 2013 WSB-TV Atlanta news story, they accounted for nearly 15 percent of the town’s DUIs in 2012. Incidentally, the news station sourced a Lt. Mark Brown of the Peachtree Police Department for the story.

Whidbey police, including Island County Sheriff Mark Brown (no relation), have voiced similar concerns, but it hasn’t been a problem yet due to little use by the public.

Between Langley and Coupeville, just three users are licensed.

The sheriff was wise, however, to lobby for county regulations that require lights on all golf carts that will roll down public roads. While the same standard is not applied to bicycles, which are much more prevalent, taking appropriate precautions for a new kind of vehicle that motorists won’t be used to seeing is both reasonable and prudent.

It’s taken years for this proposal to reach the commissioners, but the wait will be worth it if Island County joins the ranks of communities across the country that are taking proactive steps to endorse a greener future. Golf carts won’t save the world, but by endorsing their use on a public scale commissioners certainly won’t be hurting it either.