Reckoning looms for golf carts that zip through Rome's crowded historic center

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 Associated Press got a taste of the enmity during a late August ride when a black, eight-seater van pulled up alongside.“You’re in the middle of the road!” its driver barked. “Move it!”“Always the same! 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 tab...