Visibility of Gate Arms
 

Just curious if others have difficulty seeing the gate arms at the main entrances? At the main entrance near our home, the arm/bar will stay up for an extended amount of time and then at other times they drop between each car. Regardless, they can be difficult to see due to rain/sun/etc... Why are there not flashing lights on these? The red paint/tape isn't doing much for visibility. I imagine solar powered lights could be added without a lot of expense to the gate arm. I've seen several broken arms so it must be an issue... Is there a department in the Villages where a person could voice their concerns? Thanks.

Yes, many people have complained about the visibility of the gate arms. (Surely it cannot be because our eyes are aging?!)

Response to previous complaints has been that there is a standard for how the gate arms have to be, and our gate arms meet the standard.

I agree that flashing lights, fluttering fringes, neon paint, etc, would be an appreciated improvement. But - our gate arms meet the standard.

Well, why can't we exceed the standard? Why can't we add more visibility than the minimum?

Several previous threads on this if you search for them.

The arms on entrances should drop between each car. Be safe: expect it, plan on it, use your card or the red button in any case.

The arms on exits seem to vary from gate to gate and sometimes even at the same gate. Sometimes they will stay up if you are close to the car in front and other times they come down quickly. But in either case, you know the arm is there so make sure you see where it is before driving through.

The PWAC is the committee to approach with your concerns. Be aware though that the PWAC has already been approached many times with this concern. The three points that seem to come up every time are:
1. The gates are on public roads and so they must abide by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). This is usually interpreted to disallow any suggested visibility aids
2. Everyone should already know the gates are present
3. The problem is not with the gates but with impatient drivers who try to slip through without waiting.

NOTE: You probably haven't seen any broken arms. You've seen arms that are not attached. This certainly could be due to a gate strike but it also could be due to a malfunctioning mechanism.

I hate to say this, but if you can’t see the gate arms, after properly coming to a stop regardless of the gate positioning, then you probably shouldn’t be driving.

To try to make/suggest changes to most systems (ways of doing things) in the Villages is difficult for many reasons. For one, there are many rules and regulations both Federal, state and local that must be complied with before a change. Most of the systems used in the Villages have been around a long time thus are tried and true to be currently the best. Plus, the same exact suggestions/questions have been asked time and time again to then receive the same answers that changes will be made if needed and or allowed.

It took me two years of asking and suggesting while serving on the NSCUDD board to have the NSCUDD name and logo placed on Jacobs waste management trucks. A easy/good suggestion can be made but sometimes takes a while to implemented.:)

If you would do a scan of this site you would find many threads that cover your questions and suggestions in great detail such as ->

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...=gate+lighting

I don't hate to say it.

Thing is - if you're coming to a gate, there is probably a gate house. Gate houses are hard to miss, even if your eyesight is bad. Anyone driving up to a gate house should be thinking "hm - a big structure at the entrance to this neighborhood. I should probably stop, or at least slow down significantly." And then they slow down significantly, which is when they discover - "well how about that, there's a gate here. I guess I'll stop."

This isn't brain surgery or rocket science. If you can see well enough to not drive off the side of the road, then you can see well enough to notice some kind of "thing" at a neighborhood entrance that you should pay attention to.

With sun at certain times gates are hard to see, no matter what vision you have. Plus with as many cataract surgeries done weekly, many have 20/20.

But within 1 day of visiting TV, every driver get the big picture if they can or cannot see a gate. There is a gate crossing or exit at each village, with a gate house, or a big sign that says resident entry.

Gate arms are worthless and should be removed. It's an added expense to maintain. I understand and support some entrances needing them to control traffic, especially where cart and pedestrian crossings are on the other side, but great examples in Fenney and Hammock at Fenney, they are a waste of time and resources.

No, I know they are there so I slow down according.

I just love when gate arms are off and put the stop at the door guard shack (which few stop anyway) where you can’t see nothing from left. The temporary stop signs IMO needs to be after the guard shack, that why uiu can see any thing crossing form left. IMO there also should be painted white stop line at gate so when gate down and no stop sign some might think about stopping and looking.

The gate arms must meet a MINIMUM standard. There is nothing stopping them from EXCEEDING the standard, except of course, more upfront money and more maintenance costs. Most people oppose spending even more money on the gate system.

Many people are in favor of removing all the gates, and all the landscaping (including gate houses) that blocks clear vision of crossing traffic. That would be a huge safety improvement. I wonder if the existing blocked views fail road construction standards and would get removed if challenged? What happens when someone gets hurt and TV is sued by an injury lawyer for multi-millions because those obstructions were deliberately placed, and TV was negligent since they "should have known" that they blocked seeing other traffic.
Getting rid of all that would reduce costs and legal risks, across the board.

Amen to that

I would really like to know if most of the gate arms are broken at the entrance side to a village or at the exit side. Since we all know that you must stop and swipe your gate pass at an entrance gate, seeing the gate arm shouldn't be the problem. At an exit gate, however, visibility might be an issue. I've seen gates that stay open for multiple cars and being able to see whether the gate is staying up or already on the way down might be a problem. If there are a significant number of broke entrance gates, I suspect that the broken gates are strictly the attempt to tailgate behind the prior vehicle without stopping first, and improved gate visibility won't help that.

99% of the time very visable but if the sun hits it just right can see where some will have a problem

Gate visibility varies from one gate to the next and with time of day and weather conditions. Often times they are difficult to see, their dull dirty, faded colors blending with background like a person in camouflage. How often I see someone drive past the mechanism, straight to the gate and stop abruptly, then sit there wondering what to do next or hoping someone else will open the gate for them. I try to make sure they have room to back up.