You knew it had to happen at some point: the neighborhood street becoming dotted with whizzing golf carts.

With monthly gasoline bills exceeding car payments in some areas of the country, Americans have started to substitute tiny electric cars -- including golf carts and smaller electric vehicles -- for their local transportation needs, The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported Thursday.

People are using them for local errands, to visit friends, even for trips to work if the destination is short, The Journal reported. And the habit may turn into a trend if cart use in challenging regions is any indicator: people in the nation of Texas are using them, as well!

Sees robust cart sales

Economist Glen Langan told BloggingStocks Thursday he's not surprised. "The previous rises in gasoline prices this decade, one [Hurricane] Katrina-related, one refinery-related, were viewed by the public as temporary. Not this time," Langan said. "Americans are convinced that four buck [$4] gas is here to stay, and oil use patterns around the world suggest they're not deluded in that assumption. Golf cart and mini-cart sales should increase at double-digit rates through the end of this decade, and most likely, longer."