Almost took down a gate arm. .
 

So that's how they get hit!

So what happened is that the gate arm was in the up position with no cars in sight.
As soon as I hit the first sensor, the gate arm starting coming down. I stopped with about 6 inches to spare.

So then I started to observe that the gate arms can get out of synch with the sensors and traffic. Several days later, i saw the gate arm up with no traffic in sight. So again, as soon as I hit the first sensor, the gate started coming down. .

anyone else find that this is true? or just two random events with a wrong intuitive answer.

future new gate arm provider guy

Add mine as another of those random events.

I assumed at the time that the arm had a timer and I arrived at just the wrong time. Your explanation seems more likely.

Interesting, I have never seen this, but I have had the occasion where I presented my card to an OPEN arm and then it started down, I have learned (after this happened 3 times) that if the arm is up, I WAIT until it starts down, and then wave my card, the gate goes up and stays up.

I think there is an issue with bicycle riders. They trigger opening but are too small to be "seen" so the arm doesn't go down after they pass through.

Who keeps the money for fixing the arm?

I have gone up to the gate after the previous driver goes thru and the arm is still up. Wait a bit and than go if still up.

Sounds defective. Call community watch or district property management.

Not the ones I go thru on my bike. They act as they should.

Almost doesn't count

I've seen this happen at the entrance to McClure Village coming off Warm Springs. It doesn't always come down when a bicyclist passes through the gate.

I don't think that's the case since bike riders blow around the gate at full speed, ignoring the very purpose of the gate and stop sign. It's just a matter of time before they get hit by a crossing golf cart whose view is blocked by the gatehouse and has to rely on the closed gate to know it is safe to proceed.

I’ve seen it happen. Gate not closing after a bicyclist.

You never go thru an open gate. One car at a time and you wait until the gate arm fully closes.

The last few days were even more fun with all the gates down and no temporary stop signs due to the tropical storm. I could swear there were vehicles that actually accelerated through the gate area. Maybe we could contact Parker Brothers with a new board game idea----"Villages MMP crossing roulette". :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Did you report it?

Been doing it for years just like many others have. You time it so that the gate starts to come down and then immediately goes back up. But I understand there may be some that lack the coordination for that.

I believe the reasons are drivers being inattentive or the sun is in their eyes.

You don’t have to wait until it fully closes. Just wait until it starts to come down. You’d back up traffic if everyone waited for the arm to fully come down. And yes, people do it regardless of all the honking to move!!

I've heard (not verified) that to replace an arm costs the driver of the offending vehicle $200. But those things are designed so that when they ARE hit, there are a couple of teflon bolts that just shear off leaving the gate arm itself with no (or minimal) damage. So the "fix" is just to replace the bolts and make sure everything lines up and runs as it should. The money (less the pay for the guy doing the fixing) goes to TV.

And the cart driver will probably get the ticket for failure to yield to an oncoming vehicle (bike).

So how long do you wait for the arm to come back down? ie is there a default timer when the gate arm is up after x seconds its comes back down?

curious safety driving course test question creators want to know!

:eclipsee_gold_cup:

This same thing happens with my motorcycle, I scan my card or push the button and pass through the gate and the arm does not go down after I pass the arm.

Did you report it to Community Watch so that it could be addressed?

So, I work at the gates. There are occasions where a motorcycle, bicycle, or even a golf cart may not trip the arm sensor after passing thru the gate.

Yes there are timers on the gate arms, so you should always use your card or the red button when the gate is up.

The other issue can be from extreme humidity or rain which can also mess up the sensors. Caution is your best bet at the raised arms.

When I see a gate arm up, I stop .

The villages could easily solve the broken gate problem by putting the traffic sensor further away from the gate. That way, even if people are in a hurry, the gate will be up before they can get to it. When the sensor is so close people tend to jump the gun. It’s not gonna prevent it, but there will be a lot less

Thanks but who keeps the dollars the developer or the district?

You make a good point. You don't have to wait for it to start coming down. But I wouldn't recommend it on a chat forum.
I usually pull up just short of the gate to trigger the input from the pad. If it stays up then I will go through. After hundreds of times through the gates you should have a good sense of the timing.

Now let the admonishments begin.

So the answer to the problem of drivers not slowing or stopping at the gate is to move the sensors so they don't have to slow or stop at the gate? Isn't the proposed modification just a more costly method of removing the gates altogether?

There are pages and pages of thoughts on how to solve the gate-strike problem. All (?) the solutions involve changing the gates rather than changing the behaviors of the inattentive or impatient drivers. Most of the solutions make the areas even more dangerous for those walkers, bikers, or cart drivers using the MMP simply to accommodate bad habits.

Fix the problem - fix the bad habits of the drivers. The gates serve their purpose well, leave the gates as they are.

Are we talking entrance gates or exit gates?

On an entrance gate I'll use my card (or the button) every time and I'll take care to let the car in front trigger the close first. I've seen too many times when an entrance gate that seemed to be stuck open decided to close or when the card was presented to open the gate before the preceding vehicle triggered the gate to close.

On an exit gate I do exactly as you wrote. If it is open then I'll pull up to it and pause for a second. If it stays up then I'm good.

probably

Only exit gates. I drive very slowly coming in until I am sure there are no carts waiting to cross. That is where the highest risk of collision is.

I had an idea about a fun video game involving the villages but I don't think current villagers would enjoy it

Get rid of the gates!

Horrible idea. There would be carnage at the crossings.

Cart and car riders do the same. Don't blame bike riders for everything. I have almost been hit by cars and carts blowing through stop signs.

So basically, when the gate arm is down, use your card
when the gate arm is up, use your card.

Got it, so whenever going through a gate, use your card. . .

And so many of us are correct on why it happens
and what to do in all cases. .
and why any villager can own a crossing gate arm for their mantle piece. .

thanks Hockeyguy

other sports guy

If you even live in TV, you probably don’t drive a cart, do you?

Several times while the gates were missing I had cars stop and wave their cards at the reader. I guess that would be just a force of habit or terrible eyesite.

No, they don't. Neither a car nor a cart can sneak around a gate without hitting the curb.

I'm not blaming bike riders for "everything". I am blaming them for circumventing the purpose of the gates at MMP crossings. When you are in a cart, or a suppose on a bicycle as well, and cross 1/2 way, the gatehouse blocks your view and the only way you know if you can proceed is by noting the gates in the down position. When a cyclist blows right around them it creates a safety hazard for both parties. This is in contrast to rolling through a stop sign when you can see no one is coming. Get the difference????

So when do we not use our card?