Gates in the Villages
 

Many individuals are suggesting ways to reduce the number of auto gate stricks. My recommendation is to replace the gates with aggressive speed bumps, which will slow down the cars to allow time for golf carts to cross the auto roads. Let's face it The Villages is not a gated community, it is a community of gates.

All for it.
 

Do both - gates and bumps, and while we're at it, put a secret password on the entry gate that each village can change every two weeks Just Kidding on the passwords - lol. The new gates on Meggison Rd down by Cirtus Grove need speed bumps for sure. The gates are too far from the Cart Crossing - someone will be killed there soon with the cars/trucks gaining too much speed after passing the gates.

You do realize that most of those that admit to hitting a gate state they didn't see it. If they can't see a red and white gate arm at eye level right in front of them, what chance do they have of seeing a speed bump??????

Get your cataracts fixed.

Have any of those many individuals admitted hitting the gates? Has anyone who has hit a gate explained what caused them to hit it?

Based on what I have observed, more entrance gates get hit than exit gates. The same number of cars go through each so why the preference for hitting the entrance gates? Could it be the problem has less to do with gate visibility and more to do with the entrance gates coming down after each vehicle?

The problem with speed bumps is visibility, vehicle damage, and emergency vehicles. This has all been discussed on these forums before so to make this short:
- As others have pointed out, if you can't see a gate you won't see a speed bump either
- Going over an obstacle like a speed bump causes extra wear on vehicle suspension parts
- Speed bumps will slow emergency vehicle response times

We don't need to be a gated community but for the safety of the golf carts, bicyclists, and pedestrians, we do need the gates.

Pull out the gates and build over or under passes....

Just kidding.....

You have a suggestion to make. Will be attending the next meeting of your CDD board?

Did. Nearly ended up blind.

Remove all the gates. Don’t need gates, speed bumps or anything else. Folks are gonna drive the way they always do anyway.

Great idea! I saw that movie——“Death Race 2000”

Gates
 

I was in the lousy driver camp until yesterday going south on Morse in bright sunshine came upon a gate in shade. I literally could not see the gate until I was almost hitting it. No, I’m not ruling out that I’m a lousy driver!

Hmmmm.....a gate on Morse heading south????? I never saw that one either :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Gate visibility
 

My husband and I just discussed this after seeing the gate down at Lynnhaven exit facing entrance to Bridgeport. The gate is being hit constantly because it blends with the horizon and is not effectively reflective. The only solution we could think of—lame as it is—would be reflective or shiny streamers hanging from the gate arm.

All gates have an approaching sign stating 5 mph when approaching the gate. If a person can't see whether the gate is up or down at that speed, they should not be driving. Of course the problem is that many do not slow down to that speed

It’s good like it is…. Take care of your business .

Yes, on Morse heading south, just before 466. Unexpectedly, don't know why there is a gate there.

I'm not sure where there is a gate on Morse south or where the "Lynnhaven exit facing entrance to Bridgeport" is so I can't see the design of either area but I assume it is similar to other gate installations.

Help me to understand, do you suppose drivers are thinking something like this?

Well, I'm leaving Buena Vista or Morse and turning into a Village. There's the sign that says "Village of ...." There's the box next to my window with the card reader and the red button. There's the sign that says "Resident Entry." Every other Village I've entered has a gate but I don't see one here. I guess I'll just drive right on through.

Is that why the gates get hit, because people ignore the signs and the readers and the mechanisms and just drive on through?

Solution is to remove all the gates. Update the landscaping to provide unobstructed views of cars and carts approaching the crossing.
End the waste of money on managing the gate system - from employees (salary & benefits) to maintenance (people & equipment & vehicles to drive around) to constant costs to have the system (computers & upgrades & cards).
Stop inventing ways to spend more money on something that causes accidents.

No to speed bumps!
 

The major problem I see with speed bumps is not the wear and tear on your cart or car, it's the thousands of people here who have bad backs that groan every time they hit a bump of any kind.

Sorry, forgot about that one

See post #10

I don't know how many gate arms are taken out at night, but the reflector tape used by The Villages on those arms is virtually useless. If I didn't not know the gate arms were there, I might hit one. There is far, far better reflector tape that would make the gate arms far more visible at night. 3M comes to mind.

Yup

The gates were here before you and I got here and do what they are supposed to do. If you travel on the MMP's when the roads are busy you would understand.

How about these dummies that hit the arms learn how to drive?

I'll bet their eye site will get better if they are charged for taking down a gate.

Open invitation
 

Removing the gates would be an open invitation to everyone in Lake and Sumter county to come in and use our parks and facilities. Money saved from removing the gates will not be enough to pay the lawsuits when people unfamiliar with The Villages get injured or killed…

You will only hit a speed bump once at speed, unless you enjoy pain.
Gate killing is a recreation sport in TV!

The gates are stopping zero people from everywhere from coming in.

I say put the silver/red reflective tape, seen on 18 wheeler trailers, on the arms.

Flags
 

I do not post much but I read TV every day.
The simplest and least expensive would be to hang flags from the gate arms.

Gate damage
 

Add lights and sound warning like RR crossings

The attended Gate House that is there should have been your other visual clue. The northbound gate at 466 is the most dangerous intersection in The Villages.
That gate attendant is in constant motion.

The VHA suggested this in 2022. Still waiting.

Let's hang dog poop from the gates...............Everyone sees the dog poop.

:eclipsee_gold_cup:

Aggressive Speed Bumps ??? That's all we need for our aching, bad backs. It's really a "no brainer". We all know that the gates are there, and we all know that we need to stop or at least, really slow down. The problem isn't the gates, it's the drivers. They are not paying attention, they are drunk, or just plain stupid.
Perhaps a good remedy would be to place a heavy, solid gate (maybe a telephone pole) across the road so that when someone does hit it, it will do good damage to their windshield. That way, they will remember that the gate IS there the next time they go through.

I think they charge $300.

I would suggest changing the gate color to high visability yellow and add reflective tape. When working in the mining industry, the National Safety Council found that yellow was the most visible color and all of our trucks and cars were that color. The gates could be yellow with black stripes.

How about making the gate arms wider making sure people will see them 😅