An effort to have the use of golf carts approved for state-maintained roads on Gwynn’s Island is getting push-back from island residents who don’t think it’s such a good idea.

After Gayle Hudgins, who lives on Old Ferry Road, discovered that fellow resident Roger Rose was circulating a petition to send to Mathews County and the Virginia Department of Transportation expressing support for the effort, Hudgins developed her own petition in opposition. She even put a sign in her yard inviting residents to stop and sign her petition.

Hudgins said on Monday that some people had been riding their golf carts illegally on state-maintained roads for quite some time, but because there were only a few, their neighbors had looked the other way. However, usage has increased significantly, she said, and “a ton” of the vehicles were at the Gwynn’s Island Festival.

Sheriff Mark Barrick said on Tuesday that, while deputies had occasionally reported stopping golf ca...