Colony Blvd Cart and Car Traffic
 

Today 01:40 PM - permalink
wjk1912totv
Is the developer or district making any chnages to the cart traffic flow entering or crossing Colony Blvd at the cart/car merger point? This is a disaster waiting to happen. Many times a dozen or more carts are backed up waiting to transverse this traffic area. The only current solution to the problem is for a courteous car diver to stop and let several carts through. Wondering if there ever was any consideration to continue the existing cart path paralleling the road then traveling around the back of the Citizens Bank building into the Colony Plaza Shopping Center away from all the traffic? An alternate suggestion would to add blinker lights or car speed bumps to create an alternate flow of carts and cars. Any other thoughts? Don't think the planners ever realized the current volume of cart/car traffic.

You just have to sit and be patient. If everyone just paid attention to the flow of traffic and used some common sense it works just fine. Carts crossings do not take precedence over vehicular traffic. So just sit and be patient. I am down there numerous times a day and around lunch time. It's busy so I wait.

More thoughts.....................
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...ngerous-67071/

I doubt any changes will be made, after all, look at the golf cart/ auto intersection on Old Mill Road/Buena Vista. That one is much worse, and has never been improved.

The traffic at Colony Plaza crossover is bad. The next thing we will hear is that the food at Katie Belle's is lousy. Geeeezzz

:1rotfl:

Honestly, I am more worried about the car traffic. Where the entrance meets the road that goes past Walgreens is a nightmare. It would be mighty nice if there were a four way stop. :)

Yep, no doubt this is a dangerous cart crossing. When colony plaza is complete, Brownwood gets more developed and more houses built to the south it will get worse. There are only two tunnels to cross 466A and this is one of them. In addition, if you are driving west on colony blvd and making a left turn on Morse it's a "blind" turn because of the hill and landscape on Morse Blvd. If you are at colony plaza and plan to go south on Morse, best to turn at Walgreens and turn on to 466A and then left on Morse blvd to go south to one of the new villages south of 466A.

Perhaps a well-worded letter explaining the danger of the road could be sent to The Villages, but which department? The roadway is a county road, I expect.

Well, isn't it?

Last night I spoke to the district manager regarding this issue. Found out they are very much aware of this seriuos cart/car traffic problem. Accordingly they have hired a traffic study engineering firm. The study will be completed toward the end of April allowing for a varying seasonal traffic count transversing this intersection. This will be followed by a recommendation to revise this area according to the enginnering studies and forward to the district board for their approval. Hopefully a safe resolution shall be the final outcome.

That is wonderful news. I have been concerned about this and dread going down to the stores there. This is really the only shopping venue for miles, and I have been a Publix shopper for 20+ years. We need more shopping areas. The folks in the whole south portion of TV use just this center. It is a long way to La Plaza Grande or Southern Trace for just a couple little things,.. GEEEEZ, since I am retired, I start thinking 5 miles is a long way. Now that is scary.

Actually, the traffic today coming out and going in to Gilchrist was ridiculous. There was literally a traffic jam where there was gridlock.

slow down, be happy.................

Where are we going? We are retired, be happy, don't worry.

Thank You
 

Thank you for getting information from an informed source. I appreciate you letting us know that this serious problem is being addressed.

Yes, good to hear a study is being done. It was poor planning though; any time you have an entrance to a plaza you have to expect more traffic. They know what its like up by Southern Trace. Should have used that as a guide and put in a tunnel. Hopefully they can fix this location after the fact.

It took me about 15 minutes yesterday around 12:30 to get onto colony blvd from the southbound cart path. I saw a couple of close calls between carts and cars. It's only a matter of time before there will be a bad accident.
Vehicles speeding on colony blvd. doesn't help the situation either. Hope they finish their study soon. My .02 worth on this topic

Situation will improve greatly after April first.

Our kind of a communtiy is a new phenomena in the traffic and transportation world.

I am again happy to hear that the developers are aware and working on a solution.

I know. I am their biggest fan. ;) I think the developers are the cat's pajamas.

Disclaimer. I am not a Morse, don't know a Morse, would like to meet a Morse.

And mean person who sent me that hateful message, please don't do that anymore.

The information on the traffic study was in the POA paper or one of the other inserts in the Daily Sun. I just think it strange they're waiting till the end of April when traffic will be less due to the Snow Birds leaving. Hope the powers to be come up with a solution but if you look at the area both sides of Colony Blvd it's very limited land clearence. Maybe if they removed the center turn lane that would leave enough room on both sides for a golf path along with reducing the speed on Colony Blvd. I know that only helps E/W traffic. Also a suggestion was made regarding stop sighns on Colony at the crossing. Should be interesting to see what solution the brains come up with.

Perhaps that was the earliest they could get the company to do the study? But I agree, they should be at least putting down a counter apparatus to see how many cars/carts are actually moving across that area and how long it takes.

Yesterday was the first day I really noticed the significant congestion...but as I mentioned, it was over at the Gilchrist gate where golfers are coming in from BV and cars are coming out/going in to the Sanibel/Fernandina/Gilchrist areas. At one point, when we finally got across the road in our cart we couldn't make the turn onto the golf path because there was a line of apx ten carts. Wild. Simply wild.

That was probably due to the festival going on at Brownwood.

Perhaps. I guess we will know today.

I wish something could be done there! It's very dangerous, and frustrating for golf cart drivers. :22yikes:

Playing Bonifay this AM, will get to see first hand on my way home how bad it is.

Maybe that spot would be a great place for our first ever multi-modal roundabout. Oh the threads that would generate :loco:

Will be interesting to see what they try.

There already is a multi-modal roundabout at Brownwood.

And at Laurel Manor.

There is a multimodal roundabout on the trail to Brownwood.

Simple solution: Right Turn ONLY for carts at that intersection.

If you're going south to Colony [or beyond], turn right and go through the Colony Rec. Center parking lot back to the cart path.

If going North, turn right and go to Colony Plaza and make a U-Turn and return to the cart path.

More complicated: Slow car traffic on Colony... Although I hate them, maybe a series of speed bumps would slow traffic, which would allow carts to cross. Better yet, cars might avoid that street altogether, due to the speed bumps and the problem is solved.

Totally agree about this location. There should have been a golf cart tunnel placed at this location.

Be patient and just wait!!!! If you can't wait, don't drive your cart, use your car. Why is it that we are in such a hurry going nowhere? This is a retirement community, try to enjoy it.

Simplier Solution?
 

Convert Colony Boulevard into a "no outlet" thoroughfare by placing temporary concrete barriers across Colony just west of the current cart crossing. Autos/trucks proceeding to the plaza would travel south on Morse to 466A, then go left into the plaza. They would reverse direction to return to Morse. Autos, trucks going to the rec. center would proceed down Colony to enter the parking lot. They would exit the rec. center and turn left onto Colony. Carts going to the rec. center would enter off the cart path as they do or should now. Carts and vehicles would travel together but safely on the section of Colony to the west of the barrier. Put the barriers in place, add a few signs and the "nightmare" is gone.

Recently I counted 17 carts waiting to cross at the Colony Blvd intersection. I've seen several near misses. I tried to call the district government offices and was routed around to property management and other places. I don't think I ever reached the right person to report this. Does anyone have a contact?

Its not a matter of slowing down or patience; it's a DANGEROUS intersection and needs redoing.
Glad the developer is looking into it.

Sometimes it is worth reading the posts on a thread, before, posting.

This is post #11.............
Last night I spoke to the district manager regarding this issue. Found out they are very much aware of this seriuos cart/car traffic problem. Accordingly they have hired a traffic study engineering firm. The study will be completed toward the end of April allowing for a varying seasonal traffic count transversing this intersection. This will be followed by a recommendation to revise this area according to the enginnering studies and forward to the district board for their approval. Hopefully a safe resolution shall be the final outcome.

In Sumter County it seems they have to study traffic problems for months, sometimes years before taking any action. How long did it take to get the traffic light at Morse and Rio Grande, or Morse and San Marino?

The only thing residents can do is drive carefully, and hopefully no one will be seriously injured while this study is being conducted.

Dangerous
 

Yes we are very patience but like you said IT IS VERY DANGEROUS don't want
to see anyone hurt .

It was even worse before they made it a smooth entrance and exit a few years back. Everyone had to slow down to enter or exit because of the bump there. If you drive down to Brownwood you will notice all the crossing are now like the one at Colony. I agree they should have had a tunnel there or at least ran the golf cart path down to Colony.

We sat there one day in our golf cart and waited 15 minutes to get across. Sure you can be patient but then line of golf builds up and horns start honking. I hate that intersection. It is horrible.

Often if it is very backed up and if I am coming north from 466A, I will go through Rec center parking lot, take a right onto main road and then a left onto cart path headed north instead of waiting in line. Let me apologize now to those 20 people I have passed.....:angel:

The experts will tell us, but I think how I go north when crowded is a clue to what would be better. If when headed south bound, you had a different route for folks needing to turn left into Colony Plaza versus carts crossing to 466, that would help a lot. Do not make them form the same line.

Anyone wishing to cross the road headed southbound would have a different exit than folks headed to Colony Plaza and must take a right onto main road, then a left through rec center or some new path. Eliminate the straight across choice.

Folks headed north would do what I do, go through rec center or some new path and take right onto main road, then a left to get on north side path or continue straight to Colony Plaza. eliminate the current north bound path where it exists today south of the main road. The folks headed south that need to turn left to the Plaza no longer have to worry about folks coming straight across.

Of course I am no expert and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express, but it is fun to think of such issue and potential solutions....