[Girlcopper]

Originally Posted by Rwirish

You never go thru an open gate. One car at a time and you wait until the gate arm fully closes.

You don’t have to wait until it fully closes. Just wait until it starts to come down. You’d back up traffic if everyone waited for the arm to fully come down. And yes, people do it regardless of all the honking to move!!

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

Who keeps the money for fixing the arm?

I have gone up to the gate after the previous driver goes thru and the arm is still up. Wait a bit and than go if still up.

I've heard (not verified) that to replace an arm costs the driver of the offending vehicle $200. But those things are designed so that when they ARE hit, there are a couple of teflon bolts that just shear off leaving the gate arm itself with no (or minimal) damage. So the "fix" is just to replace the bolts and make sure everything lines up and runs as it should. The money (less the pay for the guy doing the fixing) goes to TV.

[kcrazorbackfan]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

I don't think that's the case since bike riders blow around the gate at full speed, ignoring the very purpose of the gate and stop sign. It's just a matter of time before they get hit by a crossing golf cart whose view is blocked by the gatehouse and has to rely on the closed gate to know it is safe to proceed.

And the cart driver will probably get the ticket for failure to yield to an oncoming vehicle (bike).

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Originally Posted by ithos

Been doing it for years just like many others have. You time it so that the gate starts to come down and then immediately goes back up. But I understand there may be some that lack the coordination for that.

I believe the reasons are drivers being inattentive or the sun is in their eyes.

So how long do you wait for the arm to come back down? ie is there a default timer when the gate arm is up after x seconds its comes back down?

curious safety driving course test question creators want to know!

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by Skunky1

Did you report it?

[MrChipster]

This same thing happens with my motorcycle, I scan my card or push the button and pass through the gate and the arm does not go down after I pass the arm.

Originally Posted by metoo21

I think there is an issue with bicycle riders. They trigger opening but are too small to be "seen" so the arm doesn't go down after they pass through.

[Rodneysblue]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

So that's how they get hit!

So what happened is that the gate arm was in the up position with no cars in sight.
As soon as I hit the first sensor, the gate arm starting coming down. I stopped with about 6 inches to spare.

So then I started to observe that the gate arms can get out of synch with the sensors and traffic. Several days later, i saw the gate arm up with no traffic in sight. So again, as soon as I hit the first sensor, the gate started coming down. .

anyone else find that this is true? or just two random events with a wrong intuitive answer.

future new gate arm provider guy

Did you report it to Community Watch so that it could be addressed?

[Hockeyguy]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

So that's how they get hit!

So what happened is that the gate arm was in the up position with no cars in sight.
As soon as I hit the first sensor, the gate arm starting coming down. I stopped with about 6 inches to spare.

So then I started to observe that the gate arms can get out of synch with the sensors and traffic. Several days later, i saw the gate arm up with no traffic in sight. So again, as soon as I hit the first sensor, the gate started coming down. .

anyone else find that this is true? or just two random events with a wrong intuitive answer.

future new gate arm provider guy

So, I work at the gates. There are occasions where a motorcycle, bicycle, or even a golf cart may not trip the arm sensor after passing thru the gate.

Yes there are timers on the gate arms, so you should always use your card or the red button when the gate is up.

The other issue can be from extreme humidity or rain which can also mess up the sensors. Caution is your best bet at the raised arms.

[MrFlorida]

When I see a gate arm up, I stop .

[Bwanajim]

The villages could easily solve the broken gate problem by putting the traffic sensor further away from the gate. That way, even if people are in a hurry, the gate will be up before they can get to it. When the sensor is so close people tend to jump the gun. It’s not gonna prevent it, but there will be a lot less

[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

I've heard (not verified) that to replace an arm costs the driver of the offending vehicle $200. But those things are designed so that when they ARE hit, there are a couple of teflon bolts that just shear off leaving the gate arm itself with no (or minimal) damage. So the "fix" is just to replace the bolts and make sure everything lines up and runs as it should. The money (less the pay for the guy doing the fixing) goes to TV.

Thanks but who keeps the dollars the developer or the district?

[ithos]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

So how long do you wait for the arm to come back down? ie is there a default timer when the gate arm is up after x seconds its comes back down?

curious safety driving course test question creators want to know!

You make a good point. You don't have to wait for it to start coming down. But I wouldn't recommend it on a chat forum.
I usually pull up just short of the gate to trigger the input from the pad. If it stays up then I will go through. After hundreds of times through the gates you should have a good sense of the timing.

Now let the admonishments begin.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Bwanajim

The villages could easily solve the broken gate problem by putting the traffic sensor further away from the gate. That way, even if people are in a hurry, the gate will be up before they can get to it. When the sensor is so close people tend to jump the gun. It’s not gonna prevent it, but there will be a lot less

So the answer to the problem of drivers not slowing or stopping at the gate is to move the sensors so they don't have to slow or stop at the gate? Isn't the proposed modification just a more costly method of removing the gates altogether?

There are pages and pages of thoughts on how to solve the gate-strike problem. All (?) the solutions involve changing the gates rather than changing the behaviors of the inattentive or impatient drivers. Most of the solutions make the areas even more dangerous for those walkers, bikers, or cart drivers using the MMP simply to accommodate bad habits.

Fix the problem - fix the bad habits of the drivers. The gates serve their purpose well, leave the gates as they are.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by ithos

You make a good point. You don't have to wait for it to start coming down. But I wouldn't recommend it on a chat forum.
I usually pull up just short of the gate to trigger the input from the pad. If it stays up then I will go through. After hundreds of times through the gates you should have a good sense of the timing.

Now let the admonishments begin.

Are we talking entrance gates or exit gates?

On an entrance gate I'll use my card (or the button) every time and I'll take care to let the car in front trigger the close first. I've seen too many times when an entrance gate that seemed to be stuck open decided to close or when the card was presented to open the gate before the preceding vehicle triggered the gate to close.

On an exit gate I do exactly as you wrote. If it is open then I'll pull up to it and pause for a second. If it stays up then I'm good.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by kcrazorbackfan

And the cart driver will probably get the ticket for failure to yield to an oncoming vehicle (bike).

probably