Street legal golf carts
 

Can anyone explain to me why drivers of street legal golf carts travel on busy streets when there are very nice recreational paths parallel to their travel. I don't know how many times while driving on El Camino Real I come upon a street legal golf cart traveling along with the traffic. And of course, there is a new, very wide, smooth and not so busy recreational path within a few feet of where these daring cart drivers are traveling amongst a lot of much bigger autos. Also there is no way these carts are able to keep up with the normal flow of the auto traffic and must constantly be passed. So, what is it with these guys ????

warren - lemme ask you this - why shouldn't they drive on the street? the vehicle is street legal, it has insurance and tags, it can do the speed limit, the road is wider than the path and provides greater separation from cyclists and runners [who choose not to use the m/m paths] than the path does. perhaps the 'normal flow' of traffic is exceeding the speed limit? sounds like they are no more of an inconvenience or annoyance than the driver of a car who cruises along below the speed limit.

Warren, I would be nore concerned with all the drivers that never get out of the passing lane.....they by far are a bigger nuisance than a street legal cart.:gc:

Warren, I can't speak for others, but I ride on the streets with my street legal GEM because:

1. It is legal to do so, as long as the speed limit is 35 mph or less.
2. I pay for the privilege of doing so--license plates and insurance.
3. In many cases (although not in all cases) the streets provide a more direct route--Buena Vista is a good example--if you ride on the paths you must turn into several Villages, go behind the guard gates and then come back out to the main path.
4. I'm not a big fan of the tunnels--they are often scarier than the road because of other drivers.
5. If I go on the multi-modal paths I have to look out for joggers and often have to slow down to golf carts going 19 mph, while my cart goes 26 mph.

I will say that when I ride on roads such as El Camino Real and Buena Vista I stay in the right hand lane so that it is easy to pass me. When I go on Morse which is single lane in many places with a speed limit of 30 mph I tend to stay in the cart lane because if I'm going 26 mph and the speed limit is 30 mph I would be slowing down traffic and there isn't an extra lane for passing.

Just my $.02

Street Legal
 

:agree: for a wannabee and a street legal hopeful.

Idiots!
 

OMG you are so right on! What is up this year. It's seems like the new cool thing to do is hang out there in the passing lane. And it's getting worse.
I wish police would focus on them and give those speeding 5-over the limit a break. People are now forced to pass on the right and that is dangerous

That rates right up there with passenger seats reclined back legs and bare feet up on the mini-van or sport ute dash! Wait till that air bag goes off and puts their Feet right back behind their ears!

If you go 25 on Buena in a cart, you must not be too concerned about your safety. That's just crazy in my book.

People ride bikes on BV all the time and I don't consider them "crazy." At least I have seat belts, brakes, brake lights, turn signals, and 1000+ pounds of cart around me. I actually feel much safer on BV than going on the cart path having to slow down/pass glof carts going 19 mph, joggers, walkers, bikers, etc. I also feel safer avoiding the craziness that I used to see in the tunnels on a daily basis.

I've only been driving on the streets for nine months, but in that limited time I can tell you that I feel infinitely safer.

I believe you are overstating to prove a point. How could you feel safer limited to 10 miles per hour below the speed limit, backing up traffic, with 5000 + pound pickups hauling long trailers speeding around you....baloney!

Maybe I am reading your post wrong, but are you REALLY saying that the way I feel is baloney? Really?

First of all, please don't tell me how I feel. I would NEVER presume to know how another poster feels and I certainly wouldn't tell them that the way they feel is "baloney."

Second, I along with dozens of other GEM drivers drive on roads where the speed limit is 35 mph on a daily basis. It is legal and we obviously feel safe enough to do it. Please don't project your own fears onto others.

Third, as mentioned in my first post on this thread, I only drive on roads with a 30/35 mph speed limit IF there are two lanes. If there are two lanes it is easy enough for a faster vehicle to pass. That is why we have passing lanes.

when we had a street legal
 

we would drive on all streets with speed limits of 35 or less to avoid speed bumps and the main reason, it was more direct...Sure miss not going to Sam's, Kohl's in golf cart...Boo hoo! We would occasionally get yelled at by impatient "Car drivers" but we have broad shoulders and just smiled!...giggle...:a040:

Think twice. The insurance costs are the same as a new car, $500 to $600 per year, plus the plates. For that price, you get to skip a few tunnels and go through the round a bouts.

I calculate that I save about 5 minutes a week driving an LSV. That "costs" me about $55 per hour for the time I save.

Also, once a vehicle has a VIN, you can never go back to calling it a golf cart. An LSV is forever.

...and go to Sam's, Home Depot, Outback, 5 Guys, etc.

Are you kidding me? How can you actually live in TV and not know that you cannot get anywhere in a cart in The Villages without sharing the road with cars and trucks going faster than you. Or do you actually think that the little white line between your cart in the diamond lane and those trucks is going to save you. Get real.

p.s. Good posts Cappy

The streets do provide a more direct route and that matters some if you live south and have friends and activities in the extreme TV north. That advantage will increase as Brownwood comes on line as well as the new golf courses south of 466a. There are only two ways to currently cross 466a in a conventional cart. An LSV provides one an additional two crossing points and possibly another one coming soon.

Street Legal golf cart
 

My favorite places! ;)

We'll have just a car and a cart in TV.
As the cart will be mine I would like to go where I want as easily as I could.

Just think how long it would take in a non street legal to go from Bonifay ( I 'm two minutes from the entrance) to say Nancy Lopez...

Been wondering how long it would take in a non street legal from Bonifay to Nancy Lopez?

There are some Gem's that can run 35-40 if needed,

If it is legal your opinions don't count !

There is a company called Ride-4-Fun (Gem Car - Accessories, Parts & High Performance GEM Cars - We're the Direct Source!) that puts an upgraded 7.5 HP motor on the GEM and recalibrates your controller. Adding 14 inch wheels with the aforementioned upgrades is supposed to bring up the GEM's speed to 35 mph+ (legally, and for a very reasonable price). I have a friend here who reports 43 mph with these upgrades. Personally, I just have not felt the need for speed with the cart. But for those who do...the Chrysler dealership in Fruitland Park carries Ride-4-Fun parts.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the speed limit for Street Legal Carts on the roadways that regular carts cannot go on is 25 mph. The carts that are able to go 35 mph and higher are SPEEDING and subject to big time fines.

:boxing2: :popcorn: LOL

How many non LSV vehicles ( gas carts ) you see going over 20 MPH ? how safe are they ? Remember if you get caught you will lose you license because you are driving a vehicle without a license and a tag.

I'll tell you what I (when I'm not in my golf cart on a golf cart path) I have seat belts, brake lights and 6000 pounds of diesel truck around me and I don't feel safe. If you think you are safe in a 1000 pound open air golf cart you could be DEAD WRONG. With seniors, on meds, driving around the Villages you have to be an idiot to think your safe! Do see and hear about these accidents with golf carts and the passenger is thrown or if you're "belted in" you are thrown with the golf cart and seriously injured or worse! Wise up YOU ARE NOT SAFE you are nuisance!

Is it a FULL MOON or what ???? :loco:

The amount of just plain wrong info, on here, is amazing.

Just saying....

amen, and zero side impact protection or rollover protection. No, I don't feel safe at all when I share the road in a cart lane, not because of what I do but because of what someone can do to me! by the way 25 is the speed limit for low speed vehicles, hell if I got a bigger controller I could pop wheelies....but I don't because that's a phase I went through when I was 17 :duck:

per your argument, driving ON the road WITH the traffic would then be what? suicidal?:$:

Street Legal golf carts
 

I guess I ruffled some feathers. My opinion is; how could anyone feel safer in a street legal cart driving down El Camino Real when there are dozens of cars in front of you, a dozen trying to pass you and a dozen behind you wanting to pass. Every vehicle out there ourweighs you by three fold and no cart is ever a even match for a full size car. It is the street legal cart that is creating a dangerous situation for himself and others. Would it not make more sense to move onto a 16 foot wide rec path that hardly has any traffic?? You can still drive the same speed as you do on the busy street.

What's your hurry??
 

I don't know what gives you the right to take ownership of the roadways. I have a GEM, golf cart and automobile. Just as I need to share the multimodal paths with other carts (including the Yamahas that travel 25mph+), walkers, bikers, etc., I also share the roadways with LSV's, autos, etc. I for one would like to see autos banned from The Villages, but that's not going to happen. It doesn't matter what size my vehicle is, I have the right to drive it where permitted. Quit being so selfish, you don't own the road!

The safety of Driving down El Camino Real in a licensed golf cart is like comparing an Army foot soldier to a Tank! You are NOT safe. I suggest you look up the police reports involving cart accidents and see how many are severly, permanently injured or disabled. Do you have a right to drive there? YES! But you can't tell me your 1000 pound cart is any match when colliding with a vehicle weighing 3 to 4 times what the cart weighs! Golf carts driving down El Camino and going thru roundabouts look stupid....dangerously stupid.

By this rationale, I guess we shouldn't drive on the Interstate highways with the 90,000lb. trucks, in our 4,000lb car.

This is the Villages....Golf carts are supposed to be everywhere.

The multi-modal paths are maintained by the amenity funds and are for use by TV residents only. So that is why I use the public roads whenever I venture into TV from next door.

A big egoooooo trip lol !!

You are exactly right ! ! ! I don't care if I'm safe or not, I have the right to drive on the road and I'm going to do it. Seems like that is the prevailing thought. Not me ! !

No Einstein, it’s not an ‘egoooooo’, it’s an E-merge.

But I am impressed by the fact that I got someone to join TOTV just to dis me.

The facts are that there are now over 2,151 streets in TV and only 5 of them have multimodal paths. A handful of others have a diamond lane for carts. So that leaves more than 2,000 streets in TV that force carts, cars and big trucks to share the road equally.

Golf carts are built for use on golf cart paths. LSV’s are built for use on roads and by law have additional safety features. In addition to three point seat belts, my Tomberlin LSV has a heavy duty roll bar designed to reduce the likelihood of a rollover or crushed roof which complements the safety provided by the seat belts.

Given these facts, one has to wonder why anyone who buys a cart for use in TV wouldn’t spend the extra money to purchase and insure an LSV for the inherent additional margin of safety that it provides.

There are more than five North of 466. Don't know how many are South of 466?

Post number 25 hit the nail on the head. Here it is:
Is it a FULL MOON or what ????

The amount of just plain wrong info, on here, is amazing.

Just saying....

Buena Vista, Morse Blvd, El Camino Real, 466, Stillwater Trail, that’s five. Ok, Glenview Rd. which is an extension of El Camino makes six.

So name a few that I missed to back up your statement.

El Camino Real
Buena Vista
Morse Blvd. West
Paradise Park and parking area
Connection between Southern Trace and tunnel
Saddlebrook trail to the tunnel
Addition of path between Morse Blvd West path and El Camino Real path


VCDD Multi-Modal Path System

No, you’re misquoting me. I was referring to the number and names of the streets that have multi-modal paths, not to the names of the sections of paths themselves, nor to single purpose tunnels.

But enough nitpicking. There are over two thousand streets in TV without paths or cart lanes and I think it’s a bit hypocritical of some people to call LSV folks crazy yet think nothing of flying down the road in a regular cart with a grandchild in the passenger’s seat and nothing to prevent them from becoming a guided missile through the windshield.