[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

Is the other online news correct when stating that Community Watch says about 2,400 gate arms are knocked down every year at $200 a pop to repair?

If so, I hope TV carries "stupid driver gate destruction" insurance.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

Is the other online news correct when stating that Community Watch says about 2,400 gate arms are knocked down every year at $200 a pop to repair?

So. What do you propose as a solution?


Gates that cause damage to cars? No gates? Drivers schools for The Villages? More signs?


It is what it is. I think when the end of March comes, the gate breaking goes waaaaay down. It isn't the seasonal residents, it is the increase in traffic.

[looneycat]

I believe it's a poor design and they needed to change gate vendors. a lot or the arms seem to break just from being constantly over torqued by stopping halfway in their swing because impatient drivers don't wait,as asked, for them to fully close.

[tomwed]

The gates need to be light weight but they don't need to be round. They could even be made from the same material as square drainpipes. A hinge attached in the middle or a little closer to the island so would allow the gate go forward without breaking. In that position the motor that lifts and lowers the gate will be disengaged using a magnet switch or a a mercury switch.


When the person gets out of the cart and swings the gate back in place it will work as it did before. It can stay in place with magnets or Velcro.

[perrjojo]

I feel sometimes the gates get broken because there is an inconsistency in whether they are in a stationary up position or they are active and going up and down. Also there is an inconsistency in how long the gate arms stay up before coming down.

[tomwed]

Originally Posted by perrjojo

I feel sometimes the gates get broken because there is an inconsistency in whether they are in a stationary up position or they are active and going up and down. Also there is an inconsistency in how long the gate arms stay up before coming down.

A guy on a bike zipped by me before I got my car through the gate so it started to come down with me in the middle. I stopped to see what would happen and not scratch my roof. It sensed my car and went back up. That was at Pinelles.

[dillywho]

I, for one, am tired of people constantly bashing the older drivers on here! Hello. This is a RETIREMENT community (or supposed to be) and I know of nobody on this earth that is getting younger...and certainly not because they retire. Of course, many of the drivers here are old! Newsflash: Old ain't dead or useless.

The biggest problem I have seen with the gates is people being in such an all-fired hurry. Leave earlier! You can't spare the time it takes for a gate to close behind the car in front of you and then you open it? Why? I have people tailgating through some gate every single time I go out. And those who do notice that it is down and there is a stop sign? Forget it. Very few actually STOP.....they just blow right on through, "Oh good, the gate is down...saves me just that much more time." Zoom!! I have had people actually honk at me for stopping!

There were also 5 non-street legal carts that ignored the No Carts Beyond sign and crossed CR103 Monday on the way to and from Walmart on Woodridge. They gotta be crazy. That is a horrible intersection for cars, nevermind golf carts. They don't have time to go over to the tunnel? Walmart's open 24-7 so what's the rush?

End of rant, but I feel better. Thanks.

[dillywho]

Originally Posted by Bradley60

My wife parked at the Colony health center ,inside the white lines. When she came out ,some a--hole had hit her new car. It was only 8 days old. $1800 damage. The a--hole didn't,t leave a note or even go inside to tell the ladies at the front desk. The rudeness and audacity of these a--holes is rediculous.. What ever happened to being upfront and honest. Guess that leaves people when they move to the villages. Fed up with this sh--. Wake up people.

They were probably that way wherever they came from. Moving here does not sweeten that kind's disposition.

[Walter123]

[QUOTE=dillywho;1175772]I, for one, am tired of people constantly bashing the older drivers on here! Hello. This is a RETIREMENT community (or supposed to be) and I know of nobody on this earth that is getting younger...and certainly not because they retire. Of course, many of the drivers here are old! Newsflash: Old ain't dead or useless.





Driving is a perishable skill.

[twoplanekid]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

So. What do you propose as a solution?


Gates that cause damage to cars? No gates? Drivers schools for The Villages? More signs?


It is what it is. I think when the end of March comes, the gate breaking goes waaaaay down. It isn't the seasonal residents, it is the increase in traffic.

As a test, I would eliminate all gates arms at the four gates that allow access to the villages south of 466A between Buena Vista and Morse road. As most residents in these areas are newer villagers, they would not be as set in their ways as other residents. I think it is a pain to wait for a gate to open. What’s the purpose other than that’s how it’s done in the Villages?

As far as golf carts go, they seem to move right along at the entrances to Lake Sumter off of Morse and Buena Vista. Pictures can still be taken of all cars going through the open gates. Gate keepers can’t deny access to these areas as the roads are public. I would like to see no gate arms while driving to my house in The Village of Lake Deaton. Let’s try a change to see what happens.

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

As a test, I would eliminate all gates arms at the four gates that allow access to the villages south of 466A between Buena Vista and Morse road. As most residents in these areas are newer villagers, they would not be as set in their ways as other residents. I think it is a pain to wait for a gate to open. What’s the purpose other than that’s how it’s done in the Villages?



As far as golf carts go, they seem to move right along at the entrances to Lake Sumter off of Morse and Buena Vista. Pictures can still be taken of all cars going through the open gates. Gate keepers can’t deny access to these areas as the roads are public. I would like to see no gate arms while driving to my house in The Villages of Lake Deaton. Let’s try a change to see what happens.

I feel much safer knowing a car needs to stop if I'm crossing with a cart. Otherwise it would be an endless stream of cars and carts playing dodgeball. Cars will always win. I don't like those odds nor would I like being played a guinea pig to test my stubbornness.

[twoplanekid]

Originally Posted by RickeyD

I feel much safer knowing a car needs to stop if I'm crossing with a cart. Otherwise it would be an endless stream of cars and carts playing dodgeball. Cars will always win. I don't like those odds.

I would like to look at the golf cart accident statistics for the golf cart crossings of Buena Vista at Old Mill and Morse at Lake Sumter. Is there a problem there with no gate arms? Maybe gate arms should be at all road intersections to help golf carts?

I do believe that gates are a marketing tool for the developer and thus probably will not be entirely eliminated.

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

I would like to look at the golf cart accident statistics for the golf cart crossings for Buena Vista at Old Mill and Morse at Lake Sumter. Is there a problem there with no gate arms? Maybe gate arms should be at all road intersections to help golf carts?



I do believe that gates are a marketing tool for the developer and thus probably will not be entirely eliminated.

Cool, a conspiracy theory. Start a new thread with that title. Sure to be a winah !

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by twoplanekid

I think it is a pain to wait for a gate to open. What’s the purpose other than that’s how it’s done in the Villages?

The purpose is golf cart safety. Gates make it safer for golf carts to cross.
You think it's a pain to wait for a gate to open?
Perhaps the gates south of CR 466A take longer, but further north, it takes seconds for a gate to open.

[Rapscallion St Croix]

A neighbor told another neighbor who told my yardman that their yardman heard from one of his customers that she heard at Bunco that the Morses own the gate arm repair company.