[Laker14]

Originally Posted by Drammy

I’ve been saying for a long time that the gate arms need better reflection. They are just too worn and dull.

Originally Posted by RobinM

Just yesterday we approached (from inside) the Calumet gate. My husband was driving and he remarked that the gate was camouflaged by the vegetation across the street. I’ve been thinking that for a long time but thought it might just be my eyesight. Nope. You can hardly see that the gate is there until you’re practically up to it. I’m sure it’s not the only one.

Originally Posted by deejew

I have long wondered why the gate arms are not painted with an obnoxious neon color. I have perfect vision and I am surprised how many times I have had to do a double take when approaching from bright sun into a shadowed gate area (ie, Morse approaching 466) where the gate arms are frequently left up so your assumption is its not there. Clearly a bad assumption, but I'm not surprised people hit them with regularity. Seems a little paint or even a flashing LED could go a long way.

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

You know the gates are there, so just STOP !!!!

I have mentioned more than once that it has long been established that the reflective "optic green" is easier to see than reflective red, which is why you see the firefighters, EMTs, and roadside construction workers all wear optic green. I was invited to take my suggestion to the local agency in charge.
I was also referred to the Florida DOT site.
As it turns out, they all refer to Federal standards which dictate the red we see here. However, with written permission, other agencies may incorporate other, more visible, alternatives.

I could see it becoming a bureaucratic mess trying to effect any change. There are definitely some gates that are well hidden by mottled sunlight, background vegetation, low glaring early morning or late evening sunlight. The gate exiting Liberty Park, going eastbound on St. Charles at the Buena Vista roundabout is nearly invisible at times, and I know it's there. Unfortunately, as many here seem to forget, not everyone who travels the roads in TV are local residents. So the "YOU KNOW IT'S THERE!!" argument is silly and foolish.

However, the speed limit reduces to a crawl at all of these gates, and if someone actually hits the gate, they were probably ignoring the signage warning them to slow down.

It is almost laughable, the condition of some of the gate arms. The one I speak of at Liberty Park looks as if it has been dragged behind a truck for a few miles, yet they just bolt it back up, even more difficult to see than it was before it got knocked down (again).

However, as a frequent user of a golf cart, I am glad they are there to help me get across the busy streets, and I am very careful as I proceed across one that is missing.