[Altavia]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

The exit gates are beyond where the cart traffic is. There really is no traffic control with the any of the exit gates.

I never thought this was a gated community for security purposes. I never saw the "illusion" you mention. All one has to do is drive a golf cart around here and realize what the entrance gates are for. Exit gates.....no so much.

Exit gate slows traffic at the exit and probably more importantly, keeps people from using the exit as an entrance.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by 8notes

So the majority of the gate operator's job functions are related to operational and maintenance activities regarding "the gates". If the gates were removed, about the only thing missing would be a person who would greet Villagers and who could give directions to people who don't know their way around. The purpose of gates is not to regulate or slow traffic down. That is a traffic operation that is governed by roadway design and signage. The gates provide little to no security. Everyone can just push a button and go through a gate. As others have stated, the roads are legally under the jurisdiction of the counties, so everyone is entitled to use them. I don't see the gates serving any useful purpose, and staffing the gates is a cost that could be done away with.

You read through 108 previous posts and still make that statement?

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

You read through 108 previous posts and still make that statement?

I'm shocked no one has brought up cloned gate cards

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Altavia

I'm shocked no one has brought up cloned gate cards

If there is no need for a card then there is certainly no need for a cloned card. Besides, they have all stopped working, right?

[mntlblok]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Even though The Villages has over 120 gate facilities spread throughout the community, we are not a “gated community.” Due to the fact our roadways are public roads, access to our communities cannot be restricted. However, our gate facilities do serve a very important function, that of traffic control by slowing vehicle traffic that enters and exits our neighborhoods.

The gate attendant operation falls under the direction of the Field Operations Manager. Of the 120 plus gate facilities, 25 are staffed with gate attendants. Thirteen (13) of the 25 staffed gates are staffed 24/7/365. The other twelve (12) gates are staffed between 6am and 12 midnight, depending on the gate. Our gate attendants are part-time employees, who work a six-hour shift; therefore, we have at least 91 gate attendant personnel working each 24-hour period. During high traffic times an additional gate attendant may be placed at high volume gates.

Fascinating info. Thanks for sharing.

[Pairadocs]

Originally Posted by Altavia

The cards create the illusion of a gated community.

(The entry gates could work like exit gates as they do sometimes during construction)

Yes, "ILLUSION" is all that matters, who care about the traffic back up nightmare we were in yesterday 4/10/24, trying to reach the Bellvedere library location from 466, and also got tied up in the mess the Villages creates on 466 where it intersects with Morris. Honestly surprised the county or state does not step in, but as is always brought up, "it's all about politics, clout, and campaign contributions" perhaps ?

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Pairadocs

Often wonder if rolling down automatic windows thousands of times more often than people who live in ordinary developments would need to, turns out to be expensive for residents, maybe most trade cars before a window would ever fail, but I'm sure it's not an inexpensive repair !

I don't roll my window down, ever. I hold the card up to the window and the gates operate just fine. The trick is to pull up close enough to the reader without hitting anything. I've got it down to a science.

[Normal]

Back in the 60s and 70s the fast food drive-thru evolved. One of many restaurant discoveries was the illusion that food cooked faster. Mc Donald’s and Wendy’s discovered the adding of steps both improved product and the perception of a quick delivery of a meal. Of course nothing could be further from the truth as far as time usage.

The gates appear to be a security measure, however, they actually use time which may assist golf cart crossings.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Altavia

Exit gate slows traffic at the exit and probably more importantly, keeps people from using the exit as an entrance.

I still think exit gates are not necessary. The RABs slow the traffic as there are YIELD signs at every entrance to RABs.

Do you really think drivers would drive on the wrong side of the road to enter in an exit? That scenario never crossed my mind. Anyone who would do that should not have the key fob to a vehicle.

[8notes]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

You read through 108 previous posts and still make that statement?

The purpose of the gates is NOT to slow traffic down. They do function that way, but it is not their purpose. The same function could be achieved by stop signs, sans gate cards and attendants.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by 8notes

The purpose of the gates is NOT to slow traffic down. They do function that way, but it is not their purpose. The same function could be achieved by stop signs, sans gate cards and attendants.

I suppose it is possible that there was an original intended purpose of the gates that did not include slowing traffic. I certainly cannot think of what that might be, but it is possible.

Today, the gates do serve the purpose of slowing/stopping traffic and making the intersection with the MMP safer.

The same could not be achieved by stop signs, sans gate cards and attendants. As stated above, this has been demonstrated time and again when a gate is down.

[Maker]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Today, the gates do serve the purpose of slowing/stopping traffic and making the intersection with the MMP safer.

However, having all that hardware, landscaping, and signage blocks visibility of cars and carts seeing each other. That alone makes the area a lot less safer.

Since there are many times a gate arm is missing, or stuck in the up position, the overall safety at those times is extremely worse because carts have become used to the rhythm of crossing, and are not ready for a car to appear so soon. Cart much more likely to be crossing because they cannot see an approaching car, and risks becoming involved in a collision.

Even when those conditions are present, there are not collisions happening often. So without gates, and all the obstructions around them, things would flow freely, quickly, and safely.
That how it happens everywhere else in the country.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Maker

However, having all that hardware, landscaping, and signage blocks visibility of cars and carts seeing each other. That alone makes the area a lot less safer.

Since there are many times a gate arm is missing, or stuck in the up position, the overall safety at those times is extremely worse because carts have become used to the rhythm of crossing, and are not ready for a car to appear so soon. Cart much more likely to be crossing because they cannot see an approaching car, and risks becoming involved in a collision.

Even when those conditions are present, there are not collisions happening often. So without gates, and all the obstructions around them, things would flow freely, quickly, and safely.
That how it happens everywhere else in the country.

There is nowhere else in the country with this concentration of carts and cars.

See my previous response to collisions. They DO happen and they happen more frequently when the gates are missing.

Do you travel by cart in the Villages? I do.

[firefighter4u]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

I need our card to get through the gate with no red button that provides golf cart access to places like Lowel’s, WaWa, Walmart, Tropical Smoothie, BJ’s, and Aldi. Otherwise, the red buttons work just fine. The gate has no red button because it’s there to keep non Villagers from bringing their golf carts into the bubble (nothing prohibits them from entering by automobile).

We have friends that live in Stonecrest that were given a gate card when they purchased their house.

[Dusty_Star]

Originally Posted by firefighter4u

We have friends that live in Stonecrest that were given a gate card when they purchased their house.

That doesn't sound right. I believe you, & I believe your friends were given a Villages gate card. But Stonecrest isn't in the Villages, is it? To my way of thinking non-Villages residents shouldn't have gate cards. Even though the red button works to allow anyone in.