Now that's a great idea (cart path along the waterway dumping out near Beef O'Brady's) and would solve so many problems at minimal cost. Not all issues resolved, but I bet a good portion.

Thanks. And I love that cat!

Traffic light
 

It seems the discussion can end for now. Today's Daily Sun said that there is going to be a traffic light placed at that location. Let's hope this solves the problem.

I mentioned this to a few people and they thought it a bad idea. Although a traffic light will be installed (today's Daily Sun), I still think the above is a great idea!:pepper2:

Conclusion of an issue has never stopped TOTV posters from continuing to post their opinions..........far fetched as they may seem.:beer3:

Where will the traffic light be located?

From what I can read on this thread, probably where no one wants it.

Z

ok, so at the last meeting it was announced that there would e a bridge built over colony blvd. and in today's daily sun it was announced that a traffic light will be installed. no mention of the bridge. i wonder what next week's solution will be?

I took the time to attend the PWAC (Project-Wide Advisory Committee) meeting yesterday morning due to the critical nature of the Colony Blvd. traffic problem to all of us who frequent that area. Janet Tutt was there. She said that Colony Blvd has a special status that makes it not quite a publicly owned street--it's essentially the responsibility of The Villages district government. As such, if Colony were completely closed off to car traffic, The Villages district government would be financially and legally liable for all costs to the impacted businesses for blocked car traffic to businesses and to Sumter Co for overflow traffic re-routed onto the publicly owned streets (e.g. 466A). For this reason, the PWAC board chose the more fiscally reasonable option to approve installation of a traffic light.

In addition, Janet said the Morse family is amenable to re-looking at the problem again in the future, if the traffic signal light solution proves inadequate to manage traffic flow upon completion of the districts that have not yet been built (district 10 and the new Fruitland Park Village, recently approved).

I think the PWAC has done a fantastic job of exploring the options, getting expert traffic and civil engineering advice, and seeking Villager input. I also applaud the PWAC board for acting promptly to implement a temporary solution, namely hiring Community Watch to direct traffic, just as the danger on Colony Blvd began to increase manifold with the influx of snowbirds. The members of the PWAC have worked cooperatively with the Morse family and it's representatives to provide for our safety. I think they greatly deserve our appreciation and gratitude.

Two questions:

1 - who was it that was responsible for the original design, engineering and construction of this "intersection" ?

2 - is the above party (at a minimum) sharing the cost of the traffic light "solution" ?

1). Colony Blvd lies within The Villages District 7, but I heard no discussion yesterday regarding which individuals or entities designed the roads in the area surrounding Colony Plaza and The Colony Rec Center.

(Do I personally think mistakes were made when the Colony area was designed? Yes. Do I think The Villages is the most unique and amazingly designed retirement community yet developed in this country? Yes. I also understand that when projects on magnitude of scope and scale of The Villages are without precedent, an above average number of mistakes is more likely---"good judgement is based on experience and experience is based on poor judgement." I was recently at The Kennedy Space Center. Not all of our rocket launches were executed perfectly.)

2) The Morse family has already agreed to contribute $100K of the projected $250K cost of installing the traffic signal. Per Janet Tutt, 90% of the infrastructure needed for installation of the traffic signal is already in place, which will enable installation to commence expeditiously once the PWC board approved this option at yesterday's meeting. It is anticipated that the light will be in place and operational prior to summer 2014.

Well said, my very bright and compassionate friend.

I agree with you up to a point. The Colony Plaza did have a precedent, however - Southern Trace. In terms of automobile traffic and golf cart traffic, volumes appear similar. A simple vehicle count to determine average volumes at that plaza would have given good numbers that would have resulted in a far different outcome at Colony. I suspect that either the Town or County may have been responsible for reviewing site plans originally as part of the permit process, and ultimately the ball would have been in their court to determine if The Developer's traffic impact study was correct. Having been involved in review of these studies in my previous career, it has often been the case that Developers try to cut corners to save money. A good reviewer during the permit process will not allow that to happen. Seems like something fell through the cracks in this case, and we the residents are on the hook for $150,000 plus the ongoing costs of flaggers at the intersection.

You can blame the Developer for a lot of things, but cutting corners. I think not. Look around you and tell us where he cut corners. The Villages is the yard stick by which other developments are measured.

I was referring to traffic impact studies. And the statement I made referenced traffic mitigation. The key words were "often the case". Without actually seeing said study in Colony Plaza situation, we have no idea what traffic plan the Engineering group originally offered in the study, whether the Developer approved it, and whether the Town or County did a thorough review. Ultimately, if we are assessing blame, it would have been up to the Town or County to pick up any deficiencies in the study, and make alternate recommendations. If that intersection is now part of the County road system, we should be getting money from them for the signal.