Today I Realized The Value of Our Gates
 

In our cart, heading North on BV at Hillsborough Gate. I was the fifth cart in line to cross at the gate. There were about five cars waiting to enter in resident lane. The gate attendant was enjoying an exceedingly long brain fart and left the non-resident gate arm in the up position, it took an excruciatingly long time to get across Hillsborough Trail. In anticipation of a popular retort to these sort of posts, I am not in a hurry. I just prefer to waste time sitting on a bench with a view rather than in a traffic jam wondering when my I will get my turn at avoiding being center punched by a landscaper driving a big diesel truck. Let's summarize. I am not complaining about traffic, I am advocating the continued use of gate arms controlled either electronically or by alert attendants. All-in-all, it was a great drive. Left Walgreens Mulberry Grove and went all the way to lunch at McCallister's Brownwood and back to Springdale. Including the side tracking, we covered 35 miles in the cart.

Wouldn't it have been more enjoyable to drive your car?

Defeats the purpose IMHO.

Naw, I could have done that back in Rooster Poot.

Sometimes we have to trust the person at the switch in the guardhouse. They are in contact with dispatch and may need to hold up vehicles because of an oncoming emergency vehicle or some such event that is occurring that is beyond the view of all Car/Cart drivers. There are many fine people doing a job where they are criticised and verbally abused and second guessed during their entire shift. Take it easy. I like the OP would choose the Cart every time when buzzing around.

This attendant was not holding up cars, he was giving them a steady green light by leaving the gate arm up and they were taking full advantage of it.

Nope car is up north, carting is one of the reasons we moved here

I've had it happen to me at the sanibel gate. Laziness by the employee.

Same here. Saving money on gasoline and much easier to park at squares and other venues. If this was not a golf cart community I can't imagine the traffic and parking nightmares to go anywhere.

let see how much trouble this starts.
Number one it is a privilege to drive a cart on the roads and they do not have the right of way.
on top of all the cart idiots that come out of the cart lane with out using there signal or yield the right of way to the cars.
again carts do not have the right of way on top of the gate attendant can't see the cross path of the golf carts and that isn't there responsibility to keep cart traffic moving but to keep cars moving.
Lets see how many angry people get pis*ed off on this comment that think carts have the right of way!

The only implication of carts having thr right of way is the one you are fabricating.

You are missing the point of having the gates. Cars are at least stopped at the gate and that allows a cart to move across safely and continue on to their destination. The gates are rammed by cars everyday here in TV. What's with that.....

How true Bogie. It is at times a mix of being a commodities trader and an airline traffic controller while trying to help lost people and please all the various personalities on this Terra Firma Cruise Ship. Best thing to do is chill out. :thumbup:

If your purpose is to get yourself irritated like the OP, then I see your point.

Parking nightmares? Where? Every time we go to the squares, there are lots of parking spaces, like the ones right behind the Sales Center at LSL.

Nice day for an otherwise enjoyable drive- fresh air great views and loving the life!

When operated as they are supposed to be, they regulate the flow of all traffic so that neither cars nor golf carts are delayed too long.

well said!

No one "has" the right of way until it is given to them.

That's quite far. You must have a gas golf cart?

Maybe the attendant fell asleep at the wheel? LOL.

Maybe the attendant needed to use the restroom?

I know they leave them up when they have a pressing need.

Gas cart and we topped it off at the Shell where they sell the big burgers on the way down....didn't really need to but my wife is "cautious".

I like the way you think. I'm always looking for a possible reason for whatever is going on thats out of the ordinary. There usually is an explanation that makes sense to the other persons point of view. None of us are without the ability to make mistakes.

Personally I'm glad that we have the gates and the 35 speed limit. They allow us to mingle in many modes of transportation, and I'll admit it, time to think hey where am I going ? . . oh yeah that's right mailbox, Oh but look at that bird and that biker.

I do wonder at the complacency of some golf cart drivers that merge without hand signals or worry that they might be in a cars blind spot. Not much protection in a cart vs car situation. All in all I'd say we do pretty darn well at it all.

Maybe if the gate house operator's told the vehicles to pull up to gate and then they opened it we would stand a chance,no they open it while they are coming through the guest gate lane and they fly by.Think the villages need to give these people a refresher course before someone gets t-boned.

Not that far for an electric either....it's when you push 50 miles that electric can get a little scary. Unless of course, you are driving one of the older electrics, then it's scary all the time. We have two electrics and no distance anxiety...so far.

My bigger concern is the crossing at Morse and Bonita where there is no gate. Cars fly through there with nothing to slow them down. This is the only entrance into TV where there is a cart crossing with no gate that I know of.

Why live in a golf cart community if you're going to drive your car everywhere.? Never understand people saying if it's more then a 20 minute ride I'll take the car. You see things in your cart you'll never see in a car. People that need to use their cars are the same folks that never stop & smell the roses...JMHO

Ok let's talk about the idiots in cars. You know the ones that change lanes in roundabout, stop in roundabouts , exit from the right lane at the 3rd exit of roundabout. Don't stop at 4 way stop signs, but stop when entering roundabout when NO traffic coming in the roundabout. Not using blinker lights. IMO safe to say there enough idiots to go around. This golf cart community safety is shared, gates left open is not in the best interest of this community, especially during snowbird season.

A 'golf cart community'? Are we required to own and drive a golf cart?

We love living in TV and we like driving our car everywhere we need to go. The golf carts do not bother us at all. When we are in our car, we have no fear of being hit by a cart.

I love my cart, but...I have a need for speed, hauling, and keeping the wife happy.

gates at guard houses
 

they open gates as soon as someone gets in that line,why don't they stop them, tell them to pull up to gate so they then can see the carts and then open it.at least then carts and vehicles can see each other.

Ok i agree there are idiots in cars as well but golf carts playing chicken with cars is not a smart move when merging into traffic without signaling or yielding when they don't have the right of way.

Me me me i i i

Absolutely NOT!!! Part of what makes the villages great is being able to take your cart. :pepper2:

I think you have it wrong Chellybean. It has nothing to do with who has the right of way. It has to do with respect and courtesy of the roads. I have witnessed cars speeding up when cart paths join the roads just so they don't have to end up behind the cart and I have seen carts pull out in front of cars just so the car can't pass them. It is the job of every driver, car or cart, to be responsible on the roads.

Old Mill Run at BV

Be very, very cautious crossing behind broken gates with the stop signs. Some cars will not stop and don't slow down regardless of what's behind the gate and some don't care!

Couldn't agree more, a golf cart does not have the right of way. How many times do you have to tell people that if a car and golf cart tangle, guess who wins......