Morse and Chitty Chatty
 

I saw an article about upcoming traffic changes to Morse and Chitty Chatty. Apparently they are going to put in a directional median opening.

Does anyone have any details as to what that will be?? How will that impact people entering or leaving Chitty Chatty?

In Feb they were talking about a roundabout but apparently plans have changed. See the minutes of the June 1O Commissioners meeting for the study and the way forward.

The drawing in Appendix C of the study on page 108 is probably what you are looking for.

Traffic builds up fairly heavily
 

Traffic right now builds up around11-2 at Morse and 44. It will be interesting to see what happens in the winter months and after the Walmart is done. Chitty Chatty and Sandalwood will have to suffer with the one choice flow. It will be nice for the Sandalwood residents because they have a close roundabout if they want to go North. Chitty Chatty wi ll have the arduous trek to Lake Deaton’s circle in order to go South.

Thanks. A very precise answer!

And a rather lengthy study - with sections on how the project will impact birds and snakes!

I am not a traffic engineer but It appears that if you are exiting Chitty Chatty and want to head south, that you will not be able to make a left turn. Instead, you will have to make a right turn and then will have to make a U turn.

For the directional median opening alternative, left-turn egress vehicles from Chitty Chatty Run would be required to make a right-turn egress and use the median opening on Morse Boulevard at Fire Station 47 to make a U-turn to travel south.

The price for a roundabout is $3,001,000 and the price for the directional median opening is "only" $196,000.

https://www.sumtercountyfl.gov/Agend...2?fileID=65100

I missed that part. I'm glad to see they stated it explicitly.

U Turn at Firehall
 

That is an option, but how pragmatic is it to wait till there is an opening there? The circle may be more efficient and expedited just to go a half mile up to the Deaton circle. Traffic won’t always be that light next to Waxman.

You're distance are a bit off.

It's about 2/10 mile from Chitty Chatty to the fire station.
It's 3/4 mile from Chitty Chatty to the stoplight at 44.
It's over a mile from Chitty Chatty to the circle at Kristine Way.

So, you drive less than a quarter mile and wait for an opening to take a U-turn at the fire station.

OR

You drive 3/4 mile to 44, wait for the light, drive another 1/4 mile to the roundabout, come back to 44, wait for the light, then drive 1/2 mile back to where you would have been if you had made the U-turn. Don't forget, they'll be adding another light on Morse for traffic exiting Walmart which you will also need to wait for... twice.

True…I’m a bit of an optimist
 

It’s a drive to the circle, but obviously a U-turn next to the new Walmart entrance may be optimistic too. Either way, it appears the county isn’t about to spend the money yet for a circle. We will all have to wallow in the mess till things sort themselves out. Right now Waxman (a stones throw) is a projected entryway for the new shopping center. I wonder if the fire station and safety may trump the whole situation in the long run. Only the naive would think traffic will lighten up at that entrance. Perhaps an additional light may be warranted.

So the consulting firm came up with three options, do nothing, a roundabout, or a directional median opening. Have they ever heard of something called a traffic light?

A traffic light was taken off the table earlier (don't remember when, prior to Feb I believe) as not recommended due to traffic volume.

Well, if traffic volume disqualifies a traffic light then they better get rid on the ones where Morse crosses 44, 466A, and 466?….

The traffic volume on Chitty Chatty Way, not Morse.

And how exactly would a traffic circle work with a 45mph speed limit? The current plan makes the most sense, IMO.

Good point, I guess a much better comparison would be the traffic volume on San Marino or Rio Grand. Morse crosses both of those roads and there are traffic lights at both intersections. Also, there is a traffic circle (roundabout) where Morse meets El Camino Real, but there is a gate there to slow down the traffic before it enters the circle.

The problem with the current plan is that it doesn’t really help folks trying to take a left turn out of Chitty Chatty Way. They have the same problem as Villagers trying to turn left onto Morse coming out of the roads north of 466 other than San Marino and Rio Grand.

When roundabouts were added to Central Parkway and Marshbend Trail, the 55 mph speed limit was reduced to 35 mph.

Isn’t there a roundabout just south of chitty chatty where Morse meets warm springs?

How does that work out?

Every roundabout that I have seen in the villages always has a speed limit sign slowing the speed limit to 20 mph.

Traffic Circles
 

The traffic circles added to Central Parkway? There was no Central Parkway! It was created so the developer could slow down traffic and make the area residential. 470 was slight handedly converted over to residential. I guess there was a parallel for a short time. It used to be the throughway to 75. I guess you could say 470 and Central Parkway are one in the same? The county gained a big expense of several traffic circles? The developer got to ease rezoning in for profit?

The squeaky wheel gets squeaked
 

I thought my idea should have won out

I would never want to turn right, stop at the 44 light, then go around the roundabout to head south, stop at the 44 light again, then 15 mins after I turned right on Morse, I’m back to where I was in front of chitty chatty going south, and that would be on a good day without traffic. I’d move before I do this on a daily basis.
Put a light there, smart 1 with vehicle detection so you aren’t at a timed light like all other intersections here. 1 car waiting to turn left, the light would stay red on Morse for 20-30 seconds max.

Route 54 just 10 years ago?
 

I like the idea, but look how the myriad of traffic lights have screwed up highway 54 from route 75 in Wesley Chapel westward. Most take the Newport Richie highway now and have to go down to the Suncoast Highway to get to northern Tampa.

Route 54 is a good lesson in traffic light stops for any highway/civil engineer.

This sounds like a good solution. I know residents in Chitty Chatty were concerned with traffic accidents for people making a left turn out of there.

I agree. Can’t they explore using a traffic light that signals a stop with a sensor?

I wonder if they’ll prohibit u-turns at the fire station so that intersection remains open. That will force persons trying to go southbound up to the circle past 44.

Traffic
 

They need a back door exit onto Hwy 44 east of Deaton Plaza from the Chitty Chatty/Sawgrass areas.

Probably not. More likely they will put a flashing light that turns on when there is a fire emergency.
They have those in PA at least.
The most likely thing is they do nothing. People will probably stop for a fire truck with its light and siren on.

Morse blvd is already a nightmare both North and especially South in the Winter months. They are doing nothing to remedy it. When Wallyworld opens it will be one intersection to avoid.

I rented in Chitty Chatty for 3 months. Would not buy a house there. The exit from Chitty Chatty is horrible.Seems like no one cares about the Sandalwood Condos. Why don't they install a traffic light? Seems like the directional median opening will work as long as you can make a u-turn at the fire station.

And to put this into perspective. It’s currently quicker to get to/from Rohan from my house in Chitty Chatty by golf cart than it is by car.

These changes will also ensure that getting to Sawgrass and Eastport by car will become VERY time consuming options with U-Turns.

Fortunately though I don’t own a car in the US so this doesn’t impact me - although Groome may have something to say about it when they try to make airport runs.

What I most interested in though is the Walmarts that I can’t access because there’s no plans to get to it by golf cart… unless a route is determined through the marshes and a golf cart tunnel is put under Warm Springs - which again I expect is highly unlikely.

If history is any indication, the developer has never built golf cart access to businesses that don't rent from then, with the exception of the Lowe's/BJs adjacent to the historical side

If they prohibit U-turns @ the fire station why wouldn't you just make one @ the new entrance to the Walmart or at the 44 intersection instead of going all the way to the round about?

Drivers who try to make a U turn at the fire station, and have a collision there, will have help very close.
(I suppose a No U Turn sign could mitigate that, but then people would simply drive into the fire station building area and make a turn around there.)

maybe. After 9pm all bets are off

Slight difference in that Walmart is being built on Villages property. I don't know if the Villages sold it to Walmart or if Walmart is leasing it but according to the sign that was on the corner (still is?), the land was being offered by the Villages and was golf cart accessible.

Too close?
 

Too close to the light at 44 and Morse? If people are expected to U turn from Chitty Chatty, it’s an accident waiting to happen. Just like the golf cart crossing at Citrus Grove adjacent to the Sawgrass Bexley Circle.

It's a shame there is a public sidewalk along 44 you can't directly access from the Villages. (For obvious reasons...)

In theory if a bit of a walk is ok, the golf cart could be parked at Rohan and use the pedestrian crossing to walk over. Bring a folding rolling shopping cart.

https://a.co/d/bLQ3OjM

It's what we call a "Michigan Left". Lots of divided highways throughout the state have the same flow.

That would be a real drag on traffic flow on Morse.

Not a bad idea, except there's nowhere to put it.

That property is now owned by Walmart

You must be right, after all those Villages Greenhouses are right there

Chitty Chatty residents will probably turn around at the stoplight that will be added on Warm Springs there where an entrance to WalMart will be.