Tunnel Walkers
 

Driving north from Lake Sumter to Spanish Springs, we entered the tunnel under 466 and were surprised to find two walkers with a dog right in front of us.

Needless to say they were wearing dark clothes and didn't have a torch, and our eyes were adjusting from the brightness of day to the gloom of the tunnel, but I digress.

If you did want to walk through a golf cart tunnel, would you choose to walk with, or facing, traffic?

Personally, I would walk with traffic, and pick up the pace, to give drivers more time to see me, but I'd be interested in hearing your view.

I wouldn't walk in a tunnel, if you need to get to the other side do what the chicken did

The tunnels are part of the multi modal trail so walkers, runners, bikers skaters etc. are all allowed to use the trail system. While walking, running or skating I would go against traffic, if biking I would go with traffic.

We slow down when entering a tunnel for this very reason. You never know who else is using the multi-modal paths.

Crossing 466 on foot is not for the faint-hearted, either, as I doubt that anyone turning from Morse on to 466 is expecting to have to give way to a pedestrian.

i would prefer to just cross the street at the light.....but if I did need to use the tunnel I would walk toward the traffic... but somewhat toward the middle of the tunnel.....I always want to see what is going to hit me

that's a good call - at least if you are in the middle of the path you can choose which way to go

:wave: Thank you. The two things people can't seem to wrap their minds around are: 1. They are not "golf cart tunnels" 2. Slowing down.

We learned the hard way that there is no easy way to avoid the tunnels when walking. We decided to walk to the Brownwood farmers market a few months ago. VERY BAD IDEA!!

There is no provision for walkers to avoid tunnels. The only option is to cross Buena Vista, or Morse, or 466a etc. It's a very scary, unsafe situation. There are no "crosswalks" near the tunnels to avoid them.

Never again!!!

I do not have a death wish!! I do not walk through tunnels!! I do my walking above ground to avoid being put under ground!!

Last summer, Mrs. Trap was in the golf cart when a heavy downpour came up suddenly. She was hurrying home, entered a tunnel to cross Buena Vista and almost ran into a cart just sitting in the tunnel to avoid the rain. He did not have lights on and the tunel was dark. Some folks just do not have common sense.

If you note most if not all tunnels now have lighting. some tunnels have had thir walls painted to lighten them and hence reflect more light...this work was done for a reason. there is a solution for walkers. So please, re-route your walk to avoid tunnels because it is an accident waiting to happen

A torch Articfox? How would we ever guess where you are from :wave:

My mode of operation when moving about TV is always expect everyone else to be nuts (no offense, my thesaurus missing). Obviously they are not, but if you walk, drive a car, cart or bike around, you will meet a small percentage that make you shake your head and will be happy you were expecting the unexpected.

When walking in a tunnel, my awareness is at a peak, same as it would be when I used to walk around a tight corner on a country road 'back home' with no sidewalks. I know I have every right to be there, but to be safe I have to be aware of the drivers blind spot and expect them to not be paying attention...

In the tunnel I lean towards walking WITH traffic but always looking back for anything coming. With traffic with eyes in the back of my head if you will... Anywhere else I walk against traffic...

It obviously varies based on tunnel and situation...

this will certainly aid people's safety - let us hope that they do them all

Still not walking in a tunnel. I have control over what i do, but not others

In my opinion TV is not walker-friendly. The least risk for walkers appear to be the interior streets. You can't really get places walking without contending with golf carts on the multi-modal paths or tunnels and cars and bicycles on the major streets.

I wish they had installed convenient trails for walking.

Here's my thought on the matter of walking in a tunnel . . . If I knew I would be walking in the tunnel in advance, I'd bring a flashlight with me. Upon hearing entering traffic, I'd point the flashlight kinda up toward my face/body so the others could see me, a real live person in the tunnel.

Funny story: One time, I was riding my bike in the tunnel after 11 pm (no golfcart traffic around) and pedaled like a maniac to get up the speed for exiting out of the tunnel and UP the ramp. Well, I cut it short on the left hand side coming out and turned my front tire right into one of those rubber bumpers/reflectors nailed into the middle of the road. Might I add, I never saw it coming. I was ejected off my bike to the left hand side, hip and elbow hitting the ground first, my bike flew past me. Of course, nobody was around to see this comedy so I just laid there, snickering, cursing obscenities at myself, and assessing the damage. Long story short, I was able to ride the rest of the way home but the bruise on my hip was the ugliest looking thing I have ever seen. Two months later it was still visible. I was wearing a helmet but my head never hit the ground.

Moral of the story: Be careful in a tunnel, everybody! And watch out for people like me. Hahaha.

Strike a light, Guv, that pesky spell-checker must have changed it from "flashlight", AJ :-)

The tunnels I walk through way up north have center walk ways down the middle separating the two golf cart lanes. I guess the tunnels down south was made on budget with no middle walk path?:oops:

I do not find any of the tunnels to dark to see pedestrians. Sorry, but if a cart driver can't see someone walking in the tunnels, then they probably shouldn't be driving a cart. Go ahead and slam me if you want.

In tunnels I walk near the centerline. Against traffic as I enter, with traffic as I exit....seems like I have better chance to dodge the carts doing this.

This morning, I was just thinking, after reading one of your posts, THIS person is so reasonable and smart and tonight I think it again. So glad to have your calm and always intelligent posts on this forum. I so agree. I so agree.

The tunnels are for everyone and the stupid filter does not work underground for some reason.

I have been walking the MMP's and tunnels for11 years.
In the last year I have been wearing a red flasher on my waist.
Always walk facing traffic.
With 11 years experience I conclude:
Drivers hold the go pedal to the floor no matter the conditions.
Drivers do not know there is a brake on the cart.
Anytime I have had a cart come at me the driver did not see me till the last second.
Most people are very good about sharing and being careful!
I walk 2 miles 6 mornings per week and
Wearing the flasher has made a noticeable difference.

Just because you "have a right" to walk in vehicular traffic and tunnels does not mean all drivers can SEE you.....especially in a dark tunnel when carts come into them from bright sunlight.

Some pedestrians seem to be daring drivers to hit them, like they could "win" against a 1600 lb. golf cart!

There will always be places that are simply not safe to walk through.

I would kinda freak out if I saw someone walking anywhere with a "torch" .... not to mention in a tunnel. :D

There are two women in our neighborhood who tend to walk early morning and late evening. They always wear neon vests with a reflective stripe. You can see them coming for miles! Smart idea.

yes, the smoke from the burning pitch is a tad annoying, but they are great when storming Frankenstein's castle

I don't wish to slam you Doug, but I do believe your statement is wrong, as are others who refer to golf cart drivers as "stupid" for not seeing walkers in tunnels. I can assure you that I am a safe and attentive driver with good eyesight and reflexes. However, I have had two experiences with walkers in tunnels where I didn't see them when I first entered the tunnel. Had we been any closer to one another, there could have easily been an accident. One walker was moving with traffic and the other was moving against traffic. Both times it was a bright sunny day and both times the walker was wearing dark clothing. And I think that was the point of the OP. Walkers should make themselves as visible as possible.

If you are foolish enough to walk through a tunnel I suggest you hug the wall and scoot through in a timely manner.

Then I assume that also having a pitch fork handy is optional? :thumbup:

The only time I tried walking through a tunnel was when I parked my car by Turtle Mound and walked over to Sand Hill. I did not have a flashlight but I don't think it would have helped. The carts had enough time to slow down but there is no room to dodge a cart if a cart is coming the other way.

Now I cross BV on the road. There is an island and it's easy to wait for a big break in traffic so you can walk slowly to the divider and then again to the other side.

That's how I do it. I am not recommending this to anyone.

I'll bring the marshmallows

Thank you all for your thoughts on this topic

While there seems to be no consensus - with some of you happy to walk in the tunnels and others preferring to cross roads above ground - I think we can say:

Walkers - be seen and be alert

Drivers - slow down and anticipate

The Villages - make tunnel-users more visible with lights and light paintwork

Arctic Foxes - buy a flashlight

I walk the south end every morning and use many of the tunnels. I choose to walk against traffic, hugging the side wall as close as possible. Given the curved roof line of the tunnels, carts tend to ride closer to the center than the sides. I do walk as fast as possible when I'm in a tunnel, though... :)

I've not had an incident thus far with that strategy. That being said, I kinda like the idea of wearing a flasher.

BTW, I see the light fixtures, but have yet to see them illuminated.

What *does* surprise me is the number of path walkers that walk *with* traffic. I see several every day. Seems like a death wish, especially if they have their earbuds in or their dogs on a long-ish leash!

And wear light clothing and a flasher.
Sometimes kids from the Villages School walk with the traffic, three abreast, through the Belvedere tunnel. :shocked:

I have noticed that too. And every once in a while there is a car or truck coming through that tunnel.

You can often hear the kids long before you see them.

Maybe we should have the Villages require people to sing while going through the tunnels. "It is a beautiful day in the Villages...."

I enter a tunnel slowly. I stop at the end of the tunnel before going on my way. So far, the biggest incident I have had with walkers in the tunnels is a nice, friendly wave (whole hand, not just the one finger). It really isn't that hard to share the paths and tunnels. A little courtesy and a lot of common sense with an attitude that everyone is new and lost goes a long way to making every journey more enjoyable.

and there is the simplest solution.....

and if you're out tonight, on your bike, wear white....gee, that's kind uf catchy!