Cars always have the right of way at gates.
 

It is not a good thing to pause to let golf carts cross in front of you at gates. Cars always have the right of way and it could encourage new people driving carts to pull out in front of cars and for someone to be rear ended who is driving a car too.

Rubicon...I think you were trying to make this point in the Bonifay thread so I thought I would start a thread for that reason.

Please everyone, jump in here with your thoughts.

Where I grew up you always let the bigger of the two go first. You would'nt cut off a train, kind of a no brainer and helps with self preservation

safe travel for golf carts
 

It kinda seems to me that since TV is a golf cart community, better care would have been taken to make the roads safer for the carts. Riding on the side of the road in a cart lane seems almost as dangerous to me as riding a bike in the bike lane here in upstate NY. I would have thought that carts would have their own paths off road. I have seen some off road but not many. And at bigger intersections you'd think there would be a bridge? Just thinking of safety.

Along with cars having the right of way at gates as opposed to golf carts, bicyclists need to be aware of that too.

Today, as I was going thru an exit gate on Canal Street, a bicyclist in the oncoming (entrance) gate lane decided to do a U-turn to her left, and as my exit gate arm lifted and I drove thru, this bicyclist zoomed in front of me in her U-turn toward her left. She never looked to her right where I was approaching, at all. I almost hit her....could not see her behind the entrance gate on the other side of the control boxes etc.

I've never seen so many bicyclists who appear to think they can't be harmed in a car/truck-bike crash as I've seen here in TV.

Yield the Right of Way
 

One of of the things that has made me apprehensive about coming to TV has been the number of Villagers who seem to be in a hurry to go in my opinion - no where in particular (rec centers, club activities, shopping, lunch, ) I have been surprised at the cars honking when someone proceed cautiously thru a gate.

I ride a bike a lot up north and while I know cars are bigger than me. I watch carefully. I try to obey the rules of the road. (not all bikers do this) There has been a great deal of emphasis on yielding to people in cross walks and on bikes. I am amazed when i see people ignore stopping for people in crosswalks. Reading here it sounds like there is an anger with anyone who has something smaller than a car getting in the way. Help me understand why more people are not considerate of others when in the car. (especially when TV bills itself as a golf cart friendly place..) I say to folks "RELAX! " Take your time, consider others and let everyone enjoy their retirement.. You earned it!!!

I don't think the paths or roads are unsafe, or less safe than they need to be. That presumes both car and cart drivers are paying attention to the task at hand and driving at an appropriate speed. In almost six years here I have not had any problems in my cart, but will admit I drive defensively and stay well in my lane on the roadways. I always assuming the other guy is not paying attention whether I am in my car or cart has served me well.

:agree:

[QUOTE=graciegirl;447086]It is not a good thing to pause to let golf carts cross in front of you at gates. Cars always have the right of way.

Thank You for posting this reminder, Gracie.
I have seen people in cars stop at the gate, smile and wave at me to cross my cart.... without considering that there are multiple vehicles coming upon them from behind...and carts ahead are congested between the two gates, so there is no place for me to go, and yet they keep waving me on!!! When I shake my head "No" and motion for them to proceed, they get annoyed and huffy!

My solution has been to hang back (from the gate intersection) about a foot or two when I see traffic coming. The cars keep going and are less likely to try to 'wave me on'.

It all boils down to common sense but there really ARE people who just don't have much of that, no matter how long they have been here.

I wish everyone had that mindset. As a motorcycle rider I could'nt agree with you more.

Danger!
 

Ditto That! nothing worse than you go no you go noooo you go ok I'll go as you go. CRASH!

I sat at a crossing in my golf cart and purposely stayed where I was and waved the car on to accept his right of way and to proceed and they won't go. I then turn my head from him and look down and away and wait.

I've had other cart drivers honk and yell at me to proceed and I refuse to move. The car then proceeds and looks at me like I'm a complete idiot.

This has happened off the Morse Ave circle just at the top of Lake Sumter Landing with cars backed up into the circle as the idiot car driver is trying to give me the right of way.

Incredible.

Well for one thing, there are paved MULTI-MODAL PATHS for bicycles and golf carts here in TV, but many bicyclists refuse to use them. They ride in the traffic and even in the roundabouts when they could be safe on the multi-modal paths. On Sunday I saw several aggressive bicyclists going thru the roundabouts on Morse, and it reminded me:

Why is it that non-street-legal golf carts are prohibited from using the roundabouts (rightly so) and car lanes on the boulevards like Morse and Buena Vista......but bicyclists do it all the time?

And on this, "I am amazed when i see people ignore stopping for people in crosswalks".......states have varied as to when they implemented the "cars yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk" laws.

If I'm visiting another state, I wouldn't go walking out into a crosswalk with cars coming, and expect drivers to automatically stop. I'd yield to what's bigger and more powerful, assuming some drivers might be from out of state and don't have the same law--especially here in TV.

We were taught at an early age to not walk out in front of moving cars. Better safe than run over.

It's an every day problem! Most car drivers wave golf carts through. If you don't proceed to immediately cross the street in your golf cart, not only is the car driver annoyed, but the golf cart behind you honks and yells. :ohdear:

I may be wrong here But have you tried to cross Morris at the 466 gate, If cars didn't pause to let you cross over you would still be their, The guards at that gate open it and just wave the cars threw, If someone didn't stop to let the carts cross you would never cross their. Design flaw if you ask me.

I think you're referring to the area north of 466 where southbound carts have to cross northbound Morse traffic to continue south. While carts may get backed up waiting for a chance to cross, it still is a bad idea to have cars stop to let carts cross. It reinforces in some cart drivers that they can expect cars to stop, and in some car drivers that they should stop to let carts pass. This, to me, is a more dangerous situation.

They changed the lane markings in that area to create a left turn lane for carts that makes it safer than it was before. The problem primarily exists when the light at Morse and 466 is green for Morse traffic and two lanes of cars are coming through the gate and having to merge into one lane. The gate attendant has to be aware of backing up cars onto 466, so it is incumbent on him/her to expedite traffic through the gate. I haven't experienced them holding the gate open so cars stream through and don't think they should do that either.