The Cross Timbers Gazette reported Mayor Jeanette Tiffany's February statement: "Trophy Club is a community where families are active outdoors, and golf carts are a common mode of transportation in our neighborhoods." The Town Council approved the most significant rewrite of Trophy Club's golf cart and micromobility rules in over a decade. At the time it read like a routine safety update. Five months later, when construction crews broke ground on the Bobcat Boulevard Roundabout Project, the ordinance and construction work became relevant to the same daily trips.
These were two town developments in the same year, several months apart. The town tightened the rules for how golf carts, e-bikes, and scooters move through its streets months before it started tearing up one of the busiest school-adjacent intersections in town. If you use a cart or a bike to get your kids to Byron Nelson High School, Medlin Middle, or Beck Elementary this fall, the new rules and construction work may affect your trips at the same time.
The Ordinance Came First
Trophy Club was built differently from most of its neighbors. Town materials describe it as the first master-planned community in Texas, laid out with 36 holes of golf and more than 1,000 acres of parkland woven directly through residential streets. Golf carts here have never been a novelty. They're a functioning part of how people move between houses, the club, the schools, and the park system.
The town studied the issue before it acted. A traffic study conducted in October fed into a January 12 work session, where council and staff worked through draft language on child seatbelts, helmet requirements, and an "education-first" approach to enforcement rather than jumping straight to citations. The council formally adopted the result on February 27, replacing the old ordinance that only covered "Motor-Assisted Scooters, Mini-Motorbikes and Pocket Bikes" with a much broader "Micromobility Devices" article under Chapter 12 of the town code.
The new rules cover more ground than the old ones ever did. Electric bicycles, electric scooters, manual scooters, pocket bikes, mini-motorbikes, electric skateboards, segways, hoverboards, and multi-wheel skateboards are all now defined and regulated under one article, while gas-powered versions of any of these remain flatly prohibited. During the work session, Police Chief Patrick Arata broke e-bikes into three practical speed tiers for residents to understand: two classes capped under 20 miles per hour and a third that can reach 28.
The part that touches the most households directly is the motorized cart rule. Every occupant 14 or younger riding in a golf cart must now be secured by a seatbelt, a requirement the town lifted almost directly from passenger vehicle law.
The Cross Timbers Gazette quoted Police Chief Patrick Arata: "We regularly see families using motorized carts throughout our community," and "Adding seatbelt requirements is a common-sense step that helps prevent serious injuries."
Violations carry a fine of up to $200 per offense, and repeat violations involving a minor can escalate to a hearing in front of a municipal court judge. The town backed the ordinance with a public safety campaign called Ride Right, a three-part music video series aimed at cart, e-bike, and e-scooter riders. It worked well enough to win Trophy Club two state-level Award of Honor trophies at the June Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers conference, out of a record 711 entries submitted statewide.
Then the Roundabout Started
On July 20, construction crews began work on the Bobcat Boulevard Traffic Improvements Project, a roundabout at Bobcat Boulevard and Marshall Creek Drive paired with a new turn lane through the commercial stretch near the high school. The intersection sits at the center of the town's school traffic, feeding Byron Nelson High School, Medlin Middle, and Beck Elementary, and it has been a known pinch point long enough that the town ran a public survey on possible fixes back in 2024.
Here's what changes for anyone who drives, walks, or carts through that corner between now and early 2027:
| What's happening | Detail |
|---|---|
| Construction window | Began July 20, 2026; expected through early 2027 |
| Traffic pattern | Built in phases, with two-way traffic maintained on one side of Bobcat Boulevard while the other half is built |
| Marshall Creek Road connection | Temporarily closed during construction |
| Pedestrian crossings | No crosswalks installed at the roundabout itself; walkers are routed to designated crossing points elsewhere |
| Contractor | McMahon Contracting, LP, awarded the contract at the May 26, 2026 Town Council meeting after seven bids were opened |
| Project budget | $4.5 million total, with roughly $2 million, about half of estimated construction costs, expected to come from a Denton County grant |
The decision to skip crosswalks at the roundabout itself wasn't an oversight. Town Manager Brandon Wright explained during an earlier council presentation that the design intentionally restricts direct pedestrian access at the roundabout so that crossings near the schools happen at controlled points instead, where sightlines and signal timing are better. Northwest ISD sold the town a little over an acre near the northwest corner of the intersection to make the roundabout geometry work, a deal the district's board approved back in March.
The Ordinance and Construction Timeline
Put the ordinance and construction on the same timeline and the five-month gap is clear. The ordinance took effect in late February; construction on Bobcat Boulevard didn't start until late July. By the time construction began, seatbelt rules for kids in golf carts and speed limits for e-bikes on sidewalks and trails were already in force.
The construction matters because the roundabout project changes the kinds of routes many Trophy Club households use daily by cart or bike, including trips to Beck Elementary, Medlin Middle, and Byron Nelson. With the Marshall Creek Road connection closed and pedestrian crossings pushed to different points than residents are used to, families may need to use unfamiliar routes. They will still need to follow the ordinance's seatbelt, helmet, and speed-cap rules.
A Separate Recreation Project
Separately, the town is in the process of purchasing the former Premier Academy building on Trophy Club Drive, a preschool and childcare facility that closed earlier this year, to convert into new Parks and Recreation space. The plan calls for expanded indoor programming: youth activities, wellness classes, camps, and community gathering space, according to the town's own description of the project.
What This Means for Your Fall
- Expect the Bobcat Boulevard and Marshall Creek Drive intersection to look and function differently through early 2027, with the Marshall Creek Road connection closed for stretches of the project.
- If you cart or bike kids to Beck Elementary, Medlin Middle, or Byron Nelson High School, plan for rerouted pedestrian crossings rather than a direct path through the roundabout itself.
- Check that any golf cart carrying a passenger 14 or younger has functioning seatbelts. This is now enforceable, not just recommended, with fines up to $200 per offense.
- E-bikes and e-scooters are legally capped for speed and require helmets for children under the updated ordinance. Gas-powered devices of any kind are still off-limits on town streets and sidewalks.
- Watch for updates on the former Premier Academy building on Trophy Club Drive. Once converted, it adds indoor recreation and youth programming closer to where people already live.
Read together, the ordinance, the Bobcat Boulevard construction, and the planned recreation space are three developments affecting daily life in Trophy Club. The ordinance took effect before construction began, while the recreation project is separate from the road work. Following each development can help residents understand local rules, routes, and programming before the next council meeting changes something else.
Trophy Club's identity was built around carts, trails, and green space woven through its neighborhoods. Watching how the town protects that identity while it grows tells you as much about the place as any single amenity does. If you're weighing what life actually looks like in Trophy Club day to day, or comparing it to nearby communities in Southlake, Westlake, or Colleyville, Selling Southlake can walk you through what these changes mean for a specific street, school route, or neighborhood. Request a concierge consultation to talk through it.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.