[rubicon]

Originally Posted by VApeople

Interesting statement. Are you suggesting a car should not cut into the diamond lane to make a right turn?

Hi VApeople: Yep that's what I am saying. The diamond lane is clearly defined by both a straight white line to the cart driver's left and staggered diamond shape symbols. Transverse lines indicate where a diamond lane ends and merges with traffic, such as at gates. The lane occupied by cars to your left normally have a double yellow line running down the middle of the road. So we have a cart lane and car lane going in the same direction x 2 -4 lanes such as on St Charles.

Suppose you are the cart driver and traveling along St Charles. A vehicle approaching from behind you drifts over the solid white line defining the diamond lane striking your cart. Who do you believe is at fault?

Suppose now you continue traveling down St Charles and a car to your left decides to make a right hand turn and in doing so utilizes the entire diamond lane blocking your ability to go forward? Did the car cut you off? If a collision occurred who would you believe was at fault? Hint who was the party changing lanes?

Suppose further that you are approaching the end of a diamond lane where all vehicles merge and a car behind you speeds up to get ahead of you and a collision results. Who is at fault?

Those individuals claiming that it is lawful to utilize the diamond lane when they make a turn are factually stating that a diamond lane and the drivers occupying it have no rights. But diamond lane are designated for the purpose to carry golf carts. So do you believe golf carts have rights on a TV streets? If so then car drivers have a obligation not to cross the diamond lane defining line.

By the way all of these scenarios apply the same with a bicycle or pedestrian

One other point some golf cart drivers seem to believe that cars have superior rights to carts they do not. Again take the merging scenario. The rules of the road apply to all vehicles designated vehicles by the state.

Personal Best Regards:

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by Dr Winston O Boogie jr

When I'm driving my golf cart I try not to run into any cars that are making a right hand turn. If there is a car with it's directional signal on, I wait for it to go by. If there is a car without a signal on, I slow down until I can determine the driver's intent. If I can't determine the driver's intent, I wait for the car to go past the intersection.

Cart drivers have to bear some responsibility as well. It's not rocket science.

I agree. But the reason is I do not want to be hit by someone that is not paying attention.

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Hi VApeople: Yep that's what I am saying. The diamond lane is clearly defined by both a straight white line to the cart driver's left and staggered diamond shape symbols. Transverse lines indicate where a diamond lane ends and merges with traffic, such as at gates. The lane occupied by cars to your left normally have a double yellow line running down the middle of the road. So we have a cart lane and car lane going in the same direction x 2 -4 lanes such as on St Charles.

Suppose you are the cart driver and traveling along St Charles. A vehicle approaching from behind you drifts over the solid white line defining the diamond lane striking your cart. Who do you believe is at fault?

Suppose now you continue traveling down St Charles and a car to your left decides to make a right hand turn and in doing so utilizes the entire diamond lane blocking your ability to go forward? Did the car cut you off? If a collision occurred who would you believe was at fault? Hint who was the party changing lanes?

Suppose further that you are approaching the end of a diamond lane where all vehicles merge and a car behind you speeds up to get ahead of you and a collision results. Who is at fault?

Those individuals claiming that it is lawful to utilize the diamond lane when they make a turn are factually stating that a diamond lane and the drivers occupying it have no rights. But diamond lane are designated for the purpose to carry golf carts. So do you believe golf carts have rights on a TV streets? If so then car drivers have a obligation not to cross the diamond lane defining line.

By the way all of these scenarios apply the same with a bicycle or pedestrian

One other point some golf cart drivers seem to believe that cars have superior rights to carts they do not. Again take the merging scenario. The rules of the road apply to all vehicles designated vehicles by the state.

Personal Best Regards:

Diamond lanes are NOT turn lanes.

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by rubicon

Suppose now you continue traveling down St Charles and a car to your left decides to make a right hand turn and in doing so utilizes the entire diamond lane blocking your ability to go forward? Did the car cut you off?

Yes

Originally Posted by rubicon

If a collision occurred who would you believe was at fault?

I (the cart rider) would be at fault because I failed to slow down and I hit the car from behind. Unless my cart had air bags, I would probably suffer injuries as well.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by atmcgov

Now we just have to teach everyone what a turn signal is, and how to use them both in a car and in a golfcart

And more importantly, how to turn them off.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by VApeople

Yes



I (the cart rider) would be at fault because I failed to slow down and I hit the car from behind. Unless my cart had air bags, I would probably suffer injuries as well.

I don't know... If the car cut you off and you ran into it, I would think it's the car's fault. The same way it would be the car's fault if it turned onto the street in front of a car already on that street, causing the car already on the street to run into it.

[tuccillo]

I have seen a car make a right turn in front of a golf cart in a diamond lane. The golf cart driver reacted quick enough to hop the curb to avoid a collision. Fortunately the driver did stop. I assume they exchanged information as the cart may have sustained damage when it hopped the curb. I am now paying more attention when riding my golf cart in the diamond lanes.

Originally Posted by John_W

Originally Posted by KYWildcat
I personally think that when in a street that has the bike/cart lane that this is to be regarded as a four lane road. You would not make a right turn from the outside or "passing" lane, would you? Think, if you are a car, move over to the right lane or the cart/bike lane prior to making the turn. Hopefully, you have checked to make sure that this lane is open, then proceed to make your turn.



Spring Chicken you're confusing a left turn with a right turn. The original poster wanted to know how to make a right turn when a golf cart lane is to your immediate right. This has been discussed several times in the past and KYWildcat has the right idea.

Don't golf carts merge into the car lane when they are going to make a left turn? The same is true for cars wanting to make a right turn. When there is adequate spacing, merge your car partially into the cart lane, essentially creating a sequence between vehicles of different type. Cart drivers love it, because they know your intentions, just like a turn signal can alert drivers of your intentions. I've been doing this everyday on St. Charles for the past five years and it works beautifully.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by Phanatic Luvr

My hubby purchased a Honda Civic this past summer which has a camera attached to the passenger mirror, that shoots down the passenger side of the car when you put your right turn signal on, or you can put it on manually by pushing a button. Greatest thing for here in The Villages to spot carts coming up on your right.

Sounds great, but I just look in my mirror. I also have two small wide angle mirrors attached to cover blind spots.

Also if you're turning right, you should be aware of whether or not you just passed a golf cart or a car or a donkey for that matter. Are people driving cars completely unaware of what's around them?

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by CFrance

I don't know... If the car cut you off and you ran into it, I would think it's the car's fault.

I don't know either, but I have always thought that if you hit the back of a vehicle, it is almost always your fault, even if the vehicle had just cut you off.

When someone cuts me off, the first thing I do is slow down so I do not follow them too close. I get very nervous if I am close behind another vehicle, but I don't mind someone tailgating me. I am a slow driver who rarely exceeds the speed limit, so I am used to being tailgated. Their problem, not mine.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by photo1902

Diamond lanes are NOT turn lanes.

Hi photo1902: I never said diamond lanes are turning lanes. But by virtue of the fact that these lanes are designated lanes for golf carts they are in fact a lane . If they were not provided then golf carts and cars would be traveling in the same lanes.

So once again if a car is traveling along side a golf cart and drifts into the diamond lane striking that golf cart I believe that auto driver is at fault
And what I said about turning is if an auto is going to make a right turn and abruptly cuts off a cart driver by cutting into a diamond lane he is at fault if the golf cart driver did not have ample time to stop.

Stated another way it is to my way of thinking like a guy in the left lane next to you who sees the street he was looking for abruptly pulls from the left lane into the right lane to make his right hand turn.

It would take me too much writing space to debate who is at fault ( distance speed) I am simply making the point that the diamond lane is a lane made for golf cart travel and as such all drivers must comply to the rules of the road

The subtle difference here has to do with how auto driver perceive golf carts. Some, in a manner of speaking view them as second class citizens. I do not. This development was designed to allow golf carts as the primary mode of travel. don't believe me look at The Villages marketing. Also many businesses advertise as "golf cart accessible"

so to you car drivers out there "watch it because I have my eye on you"

PS I suppose someone could make the argument that diamond lanes are nothing more than an accommodation but then we are back to the second class citizen scenario . Isn't it better for the purposes of safety and traffic flow to acknowledge a street such as St. Charles as a four lane and have driver follow the rules of the road? Otherwise all you have is because confusion and chaos

Personal Best Regards:

[photo1902]

I didn't think you were saying that at all. I'm of the belief that cars should not move over or block a diamond lane when making a right turn.

[golfing eagles]

I'm of the belief that it doesn't matter either way. You should not be making that right turn (yet) if a cart, a bicycle, or a donkey is close enough that they can hit you if they don't slow down. Any time you make an unforced action that impacts what the other guy is doing, you are wrong. This includes changing lanes, turning from a side street, entering a RB or even pulling out of your driveway. The responsibility is yours to make sure the way is clear. If I have to so much as touch my brakes because you pulled out in front of me, you are wrong under the law. It's called failure to yield the right of way. So whether you fully block the cart lane, partially block it, or turn from the car lane, there should be no one close enough for it to make a difference.

Originally Posted by VApeople

When someone cuts me off, the first thing I do is slow down so I do not follow them too close. I get very nervous if I am close behind another vehicle, but I don't mind someone tailgating me. I am a slow driver who rarely exceeds the speed limit, so I am used to being tailgated. Their problem, not mine.

Unfortunately, when you "drive slow" and fail to keep up with traffic, YOU make it EVERYONE ELSE'S problem. You may never get in an accident, but I'll bet you CAUSE a bunch as other drivers make half a$$3d moves to get by you. I'm also not so sure I embrace the concept of driving on the same stretch of road as a driver who gets "very nervous". Take Uber instead

[Arctic Fox]

Driving is safest when everyone knows what to do, and does the same thing.

If half of us were to drive on the left and half on the right then there would be many more accidents. That is why the USA determined that everyone should drive on the right here.

If the good sheriff has said that a car turning right may, with due care and attention, use the multi-modal lane then so be it. If half of us accept that whereas the other half are either taken by surprise or get upset and lean on their horns then that is a recipe for more accidents.

The problem is, how to get the word out? I suggest that the good sheriff should be mounting a publicity campaign, as people aren't going to take it from TOTV, if they even use this web site.

[outlaw]

As you drive north of 466 on Morse, the roadway has the diamond lane painted on the main street. At each intersection, it appears that the line marking the golf cart lane ends many feet before the intersection, and reappears beginning many feet on the other side of the intersection. It seems to me that this represents going into a single lane, with the cart driver being required to merge into the auto lane, and thus the right turning auto has the right of way. In any case, the ultimate survival rule of the road is the smaller vehicle should yield to the much larger vehicle.

[redwitch]

I basically agree with the Sheriff BUT too many cars speed up to get in front of the cart to turn right, forcing the cart to slow down and frequently come to a complete stop. The reality is the cart going straight has the right of way. if there's enough time to move into the multi-modal lane to turn without slowing the cart down, then I see no problem with moving into that lane. However, if the car would be forcing the cart to yield, then the car needs to wait in its lane and turn after the cart has crossed the street, not block the golf cart's path.