Walking in the diamond lanes
 

Ok, when walking in the diamond lane facing traffic. Am I responsible for getting Out of road or do I legally have the right away? Remember I'm walking in the direction facing traffic.

My thoughts are I am walking to see what's in front of me and take evasive action so I don't get hurt or cause and accident? I don't know the rules or if there are rules covering this? I feel it's my responsibility to get out or off street to prevent and accident or possible injury to myself.

Basically I don't want to be dead right holding my ground? I see this a lot, people not yeilding to possible dangerous situation when carts and cars are coming especially on blind corners where cart has to stop abruptly or worse case swerve out into traffic.

Worse yet, is the person walking in the diamond lane WITH traffic. I see this all the time on Morse, Rio Grande and Del Mar. I will be interested in the discussion.

You have the right to walk in the cart path lanes. Definitely walking against the traffic is best choice. If a cart or car hits you, you will probably win the lawsuit, but you need to exercise caution. My only complaint with walkers in cart lanes is with those who do it at night without a flasher or at least reflective clothing. I think they give flashers for free at various events.

Florida Statute 316.130 Pedestrians; traffic regulations.—

(3) Where sidewalks are provided, no pedestrian shall, unless required by other circumstances, walk along and upon the portion of a roadway paved for vehicular traffic.

4) Where sidewalks are not provided, any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall, when practicable, walk only on the shoulder on the left side of the roadway in relation to the pedestrian’s direction of travel, facing traffic which may approach from the opposite direction.



I believe all of the roads that have diamond lanes, south of 466, have sidewalks so Statute 316.130 (3) would apply. Being in the road/diamond lane is illegal you must be on the sidewalk.

If you are talking about north of 466, where there may not be a sidewalk, then Statute 316.130 (4) applies and you are taking a big chance.

Having the legal right of way still won't protect you, better be safe and step aside onto grass area when being approached by a golf cart doing 20 +/- MPH.

Don't take a chance. If you live near 466, walk at the Polo Fields. It's beautiful. A lap equals a mile.

My point exactly when two cars and cart meet I sure the hell get way out the way whether I have the right of way or not. Up north I see two three abreast taking up all the diamond lane and encroaching in the car lane like they don't have care in the world yanking. IMO they should be single fine walking to the far left ready to get out of the road until they get to multi-mogul path or there no traffic which is not too often mid mornings. By the statute posted by blackie only legal if you're on the edge not taking up the complete lane.

Another thing when you enter an intersection and there is stop sign even though you are in the opposite lane going the wrong direction wouldn't you have to stop look then proceed out in the on coming lane. That another thing I see walking or running and not yielding, just barging around the corner when carts are in the lane coming. We're not talking down the street just before the intersections.

thank you blackie. This subject matter has taken place on these pages several times over the years.

It surprised me how many people, people who drive on a daily basis, do not understand the rules of the road.

some people are unaware that this Developer/county learned as (it) built.

The situation on the north side is a atrocious given that they built with few sidewalks. this is especially so in places like Rio Grande and DelMar

Apparently experience taught the Developer /county to build more sidewalk wider diamond lanes. But to what avail?

People walk/ jogged on the diamond lanes with sidewalk right next to them and challenged you stop your cart or pull to the left lane into traffic to avoid them.

People complain about speeders ( carts going 1-5 mph faster) but ignore this serious situation . My pleas had been for the sheriff to ticket these walkers and joggers and for the expressed reason of jay-walking.

People express their admiration for what the Developer wrought but I have always said that a well planned community would have provided for bike/walking trails separately and not on the MMP

MMP and diamond lanes should have been strictly for golf carts . Why? Because this is the largest golf cart community in the nation, dare I say world

OK I got it off my chest:D

Personal Best Regards:

Sometimes folks are just dumb. A few months ago I am driving North on Lynnhaven. There is a sidewalk on the right (East) side of the road. There are two walkers on the side walk and two walkers in the golf cart lane. Four abreast. I am in my golf cart in the golf cart lane. It is about 8:00 AM so the school traffic going North on Lynnhaven is a steady stream. I had to come to a complete stop in front of the two walkers as I could not pull around them into the street because of traffic. A golf cart behind me had to slam on the brakes and almost hit me.

What did these two idiots say? They yelled at us and said "we have the right of way".

In older parts of The Villages there are no sidewalks on the feeder streets and pedestrians are stuck with the diamond lanes for walking.
The intelligent pedestrians walk facing traffic.
In newer parts of The Villages the feeder streets have sidewalks for the intelligent pedestrians.

My experience in Tall Trees was the walkers were in the golf cart lane, not on the empty sidewalk. Golf cart comes along pulls into the road to go around them without looking and I have to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting the golf cart. Some people just have no common sense.

it is amazing how many people driving golf carts think they have the right of way and play chicken with a car that weighs 5 to 8 times their size. Stupid people!

They won't do it for very long before the groundhog starts delivering their mail! :22yikes::22yikes:

that's exactly why walkers need to GET OUT OF THE PATH so they don't kill someone or get Killed. IMO most walker's are SToopid ones. :22yikes:

From Daily Commercial Leesburg, July 7 2017

Golf cart driver in critical condition after colliding with car in The Villages

THE VILLAGES – A golf cart driver was left in critical condition Wednesday morning after traveling into the path of a moving car.

According to a Florida Highway Patrol report, Richard J. Bolender, 79, of Sanford, was driving his golf cart in the golf cart lane of Talley Ridge Drive near Weaton Court in The Villages area of Sumter County about 9:30 a.m. Bolender tried to pass a pedestrian by swerving into the car lane, but traveled into the path of a Buick.

The two collided and the golf cart hit a curb and overturned, throwing Bolender out of his cart. Tara Malara, 43, and Maddie J. Malara, 2, occupants of the Buick, were not injured.

Bolender was taken to Ocala Regional Medical Center.

I notice walkers are totally different during the holidays and the winter months. I think they are probably visitors and have no idea of how to walk safely. I actually see whole families with young children spread out across the narrow back roads walking and talking without a care in the world. Unfortunately they are on a feeder road which takes golf carts to a golf course ..... i.e. back road which is actually a very busy road. Disaster waiting to happen.

Thinking there must been an epidemic of pedestrian walkers getting mauled in the cart paths, I did a search and found two pedestrians that have been injured or killed. Both were in supermarket parking lots, one in Pinellas the other in Colony.

I demand that all pedestrians cease walking in parking lots!

As i read these posts
 

It should be obvious to everyone the chance of PEOPLE knowing the rules is a real assumption. The chance of them following the rules is a further stretch.

For your post-GOLF CARTS DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.

For walkers, the LAWS as posted seem reasonable. If, there is a sidewalk use it. ASIDE-does not seem to be in the posted laws. BRIGHT COLORS might some day save your life

The best accident is the one that doesn't happen
 

WHO IS GUILTY? The walker. The golf cart driver. Or the car driver. Any of the three could have prevented this accident.

IF you or I was one of the three would we have AVOIDED this. WAS ANY OF THE THREE PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS GOING ON? MY VIEW-NO

the rules of the road apply to all vehicles cars, carts bikes and hence the right of way ROW applies to all vehicles.

some people actually believe that cars always have the right of way and that does not even make sense

Add to this, Street legal golf carts, and non street legal golf carts that display their old State License plate, making them appear to be street legal. Which one gets the right of way?

Only an idiot would walk in the road when a sidewalk is present. It was also mentioned that it's ILLEGAL to walk in the road(no matter which way you're facing)when a sidewalk is present. Are you folks serious??? Common sense dad-burn-it!!!!!

It's interesting (and humorous) to see some of the same people who complain about speeding carts...missing the obvious here. :oops:

What I personally do in this situation where there is a lot of traffic, is to slow down as I'm approaching the walkers coming at me and then stop just ahead of them...making them either step into traffic or the grass.

If there's a sidewalk, I will slowly shake my head...and tell them that they're breaking the law.

If there is no sidewalk, but they could easily step into the grass...I just slowly shake my head and smile. :D

So what if I'm inconvenienced for a few seconds?

Which has the same answer...if I am passed by other carts.

Big friggin deal. :ohdear:


And let's not forget that this situation occurs much more frequently on neighborhood roads where there are no diamond lanes...albeit there's usually room in the lane to safely pass them

"Ignorance of the law is no excuse!" Florida statutes state that pedestrians must walk on the left side of the road (facing incoming traffic). It also states a pedestrian MUST use a sidewalk when and if one is available within 15 feet of the road. Too many people either do not know the laws or do not care! Let's face it, the developer did not provide enough sidewalks nor proper information concerning the use of the sidewalks, cart paths/lanes and roadways. Oh, that's right' this is all county responsibility.

It appears most people complaining about walkers using the streets are talking about where there are sidewalks provided. I agree, use the sidewalks. The main street near my home is Belle Meade, which has no sidewalks, so people walking use the cart lanes on this road. Never a problem for me to share this lane with them, I check my rear view mirror, pull out into the car lane and we wave at each other as I go by. It appears this whole problem is in areas with higher traffic, definitely not a problem where I live.

LOL, so it's the developer's fault when people don't use provided sidewalks or drive their carts and cars properly?

Hilarious!

To my understanding, cars always have the right of way at the gates where cars are entering and exiting. Golf carts are always supposed to yield to cars at the gates. Isn't this correct?

Drivers of cars should not wave the golf cart driver on and allow them to proceed ahead of the driver of the car. I have seen this many times. This sends the wrong signals to golf cart drivers....thinking they have the right of way at the gates.

You have the legal right of way.

If it is safe for you to do so, you may choose to step out of the diamond lane to let a cart pass without having to pull out, especially as many cart drivers seem to forget that they have a brake.

According to the Florida statutes that someone posted above.....a pedestrian does not have the right of way in the multi tmodal path if there is a sidewalk present. However, a pedestrian does have the right of way if no sidewalk is present.

I honestly don't understand why pedestrians would choose to walk in the path of golf carts when there is a sidewalk provided for pedestrians. Will some one explain to me the reason for walking in a multi modal path when is it much safer to walk on a provided side walk?

I also will never understand why a pedestrian would not get out of the way of a golf cart on a multi modal path, even if the pedestrian has right of way with no side walk present. Who wants to get hit by a golf cart? I never trust the driver of the golf cart to go around the pedestrian. Agree with a poster above who said the pedestrian is playing chicken with the cart driver. Move to the side and let the cart proceed. That is the safe way to navigate these paths as a pedestrian.

Oh good, another "newbie" ! I don't know what neighborhood You live in, I live in Dunedin, and the only sidewalk is along the southeast side of Hillsborough Trail. None of the "feeder" roads have any sidewalks at all, and these roads seem narrow to begin with. If someone parks a vehicle in the road, which happens frequently, it makes for an interesting walk to the mail stop. The intersections are blind because of plantings and cart/automobile drivers ( myself included) are all exceeding the posted speed limits, And Yes, the developer could have provided a safer area ! As a pedestrian one must keep their head on a swivel, not use headphones or cell phones and stay alert.

People in this community are not idiots, but some seem to be arrogant. They might reconsider their positions once they realize that they have no legal recourse if they are injured while they themselves are in violation of the state statutes. I know a man who was running on the wrong side of the road and was hit by a car trying to squeeze by him. The responding LEO ticketed him for misuse of the roadway.

Agreed.

Not sure if someone who walks in a diamond lane when there is a sidewalk present even has the right to be allowed out in public.

Too many people are a risk to themselves, and to others, by just not thinking.

Everyone thinks the have the right of way here. Golf, carts Bicycle riders, Walkers you name it. The older folks get the more they think the world owes them and they are never wrong.

:agree: Also, sidewalks are rare. If they were on every street, they would be a blessing when there are so many walkers.

[QUOTE=coffeebean;1493889]According to the Florida statutes that someone posted above.....a pedestrian does not have the right of way in the multi tmodal path if there is a sidewalk present. However, a pedestrian does have the right of way if no sidewalk is present.

I don't believe that the statutes cited above make reference to walking in a Multimodal walkway. I did not see where they say a pedestrian could not walk on multimodal paths whether or not there is a sidewalk. In most cases that I know of, there are not sidewalks along Multimodal paths.

The Villages district gov website states

" The multi-modal paths are for use by NON-AUTOMOTIVE, non-vehicular traffic such as bicycles, golf carts, pedestrians, and skaters. It is not legal…nor is it smart…to drive vehicles such as smart cars, motorcycles, or mopeds on any of the multi-modal paths in The Villages."

That does not specify who has the right away. Reason must prevail. But as a pedestrian, my reason says step aside as a golf cart approaches even if I have the right away. And I don't wave at golfcart drivers as I want their hands on the wheel. Also carry a flashlight in the evening. Alert to drivers going towards the sun and especially wary of happy hour drivers. Be safe, be here.

Living close to Lake Sumter, I must use the Multimodal path as I walk to Lake Sumter, but I only use it in areas where I must. Under no usual circumstance will I use the Multimodal tunnel under Morse. Better to walk north on Morse away from roundabout and wait for a clean crossing.

Walk SINGLE file as far to LEFT as you can and be prepared to avoid oncoming traffic. Common sense unless you are Superman. I was told at a very early age to yield to anything larger than me. Still sound advise.

After reading the comments I think it's clear we need to outlaw all walking in The Villages. Or we could sign a petition requiring The Developer to retrofit all streets with sidewalks which would require a $500 assessment per household. What do you guys think?

People with white canes
 

I too have seen many people walking in the cart lanes,What is really confusing is I have seen a couple of blind People walking in the lanes as well using a cane that usually signifies that they are blind on both Rio Grande and Del Mar.

No one has the 'right of way' in Florida. The law only says who must yield (give up) the right-of-way. Every driver, motorcyclist, moped rider, bicyclist and pedestrian must do everything possible to avoid a crash.

Do you not see the flaw in this 'logic'? How can you give up what you never had?