[zendog3]

I deduce that most gate houses and guards are there for the same reason golf courses have wooden three rail fences around them: They look good, and Villagers like them. They are not functional. In fact, if someone wanted to design an entrance to cause as many golf cart / automobile accidents as possible, you would do exactly what we do. Golf carts cross roads behind the guard shack. The gate guard never knows if a golf cart is trying to cross the road. The guard shack obstructs the view of drivers looking for crossing carts but that seems not bad enough. The Villages erects large village signs to further obstruct driver's vision of crossing traffic. There are a lot of mechanical ways to make the crossing safer. Including removing guard shacks and village signs and closing the gate after every car, or a sensing mechanism that causes a brief yield light to come on every time a cart approaches.

Don't pick this suggestion apart. The point is, there are many possible ways to make gate crossings safer and cheaper. We Villagers, however, LIKE it the way it is. If it is a little less safe and more expensive, that is a cost we are willing to pay.

[Bilyclub]

They now have access to the internet at the gate shacks.

[Just Wondering]

Why Manned and Unmanned Gates?
Originally there were manned gates allowing visitors on the manned side and residents, with an access card, on the unmanned side access. All unmanned gates allowed residents only. There was no red-button access. This concept gave The Villages the appearance of being a secure, gate-restricted community. Another “misconception” created by the developer to enhance its marketing objectives. So, why the red buttons? Some years ago, The Villages was hit by a tornado that caused severe damage to Mallory Hills and nearby areas. FEMA was called in to assist with recovery and in the process discovered the “misconception.” That The Villages is not a non-political subdivision with private streets and roads, but rather a collection of special-purpose municipalities (CDDs) with public streets and roads. A municipality restricting access by the public. Unthinkable, right? Wrong. According, FEMA announced that if The Villages continued to restrict access by the public, it would not be able to assist with any future natural or man-made disasters. The developer responded by installing the red buttons which minimizes the restriction.

just wondering

[deputydoc]

The staffed gate houses are controlled by deed restrictions. Read your deed.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by RICH1

A Gate attendant is like having a lookout on the Titanic!

I feel the same way about the Community Standards vehicles that drive around..........and DO whatever they are supposed to do.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by MrFlorida

All gates have red buttons, regardless of attendant or not.

And that is because the roads are all public roads, not private roads. So, this is NOT a truly gated community with all the benefits of security that would entail. The Villages system and largeness has MANY advantages, but like any system, there are also disadvantages.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by davem4616

the gates, curved roads and traffic circles are all part of the design to slow the traffic down

That's a good comment. I can believe that. It's like having a passive and low-cost traffic cop.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Incorrect. Their main purpose is to improve traffic flow, albeit at a slower pace...

Traffic circles, likely, cost less than red lights and don't break down as much. Another advantage of a continuous slow flow of traffic is that start and stop traffic means momentum starting and stopping - which would use more fuel, cause more pollution, and may (?) cause more driver frustration and therefore accidents. Another advantage is that the circles make TV Land look like a peaceful, idealic, small town. And flowers are prettier than red lights.

[wbilbrey99@yahoo.com]

How about we take the gates down and put up speed bumps. You would save money on keep putting the gates back up. Stop the back ups.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by wbilbrey99@yahoo.com

How about we take the gates down and put up speed bumps. You would save money on keep putting the gates back up. Stop the back ups.

That wouldn't help in slowing down traffic for the golf carts to cross...

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Manned or unmanned? Unmanned gatehouses are just for the aesthetics...

True. And gates also aid home sales because they give an illusion of privacy, as in "we belong to private, exclusive club and it's pretty affordable. The gates also give the illusion of keeping out crime and the general "riff / raff".

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by maistocars

Pretty sure I would rather have a nice flow of traffic with traffic circles than the huge backup on 466 and Morse that happens every day with the light.

Not the lights problem. There need to be more lanes in a lot of areas in TV Land. Traffic is especially bad in the winter

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

I feel the same way about the Community Standards vehicles that drive around..........and DO whatever they are supposed to do.

No such thing as a Community Standards vehicle.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Just Wondering

Why Manned and Unmanned Gates?
Originally there were manned gates allowing visitors on the manned side and residents, with an access card, on the unmanned side access. All unmanned gates allowed residents only. There was no red-button access. This concept gave The Villages the appearance of being a secure, gate-restricted community. Another “misconception” created by the developer to enhance its marketing objectives. So, why the red buttons? Some years ago, The Villages was hit by a tornado that caused severe damage to Mallory Hills and nearby areas. FEMA was called in to assist with recovery and in the process discovered the “misconception.” That The Villages is not a non-political subdivision with private streets and roads, but rather a collection of special-purpose municipalities (CDDs) with public streets and roads. A municipality restricting access by the public. Unthinkable, right? Wrong. According, FEMA announced that if The Villages continued to restrict access by the public, it would not be able to assist with any future natural or man-made disasters. The developer responded by installing the red buttons which minimizes the restriction.

just wondering

Please provide source of all this FEMA information.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by deputydoc

The staffed gate houses are controlled by deed restrictions. Read your deed.