Trying to project what others are thinking, if they are thinking is clearly a waste of time.
Solutions are far more productive. I seems to me that not all the gates work the same.

Clearly the gates in work differently that the gates on the way out.

Far a security, does anyone think someone with criminal intent could not get through the gates. If, no other way than to drive through the gates. If, the car is stolen they do not care about a few scratches.

One SOLUTION is to have an opener trigger installed in your car and golf cart. We don't have one but it is available. Aside, perhaps because of type of windows, our card does not work through the glass. I understand some do. That makes the gates more of a pain in the rain.

Wow SOLUTIONS. I expect like most things someone or something makes money repairing the gates, Our gate, perhaps, a newer version, simply snaps back into the actuator. You can bet whoever gets PAID for this does not mention how simple it is.
They, it is fairly regulatory knocked down, have someone put up a stop sign then send out a truck to snap it back in.

In the end no matter what people will complain rather than having solutions to offer.

Gate crasher videos…..
VCDD Risk Management

Easy enough to find out, call the Villages offices. "Ours has been down of over 2 months?"
I would expect there is a reason. Construction? Older system being updated? Perhaps, someone just lost track of it? Lost track of it? About 10-15 years ago they found a steam locomotive a an abandoned station under ground in Brooklyn, NY. In today's dollars it was work millions. Hey Louie what happened to engine 2172. I'll get back to you. Louie, retired and 2172 was forgotten.

Stilting is that you call The Daily Sun, "RAG". Shame on you, Villager!!

I would suggest that she not drive at dusk, if she is unable to see well enough to do so safely. There are stop signs at all the gates - surely she would notice those, and stop - and then have time to also notice that there's a gate directly in front of her? Especially considering that she should have her lights on at dusk. And glare-resistant sunglasses are a must around here, that might help immensely if "dusk" means "the sun is setting right in my field of vision." (Every freakin afternoon in the winter here!)

I don't know how many of the gate strikes happen at night but the reflectorized material that is used on some of the gate arms is borderline useless. I'm glad I know the arms are there or I might take out one myself.

(sit and wait for the gate to come down then inch forward to trigger it to raise again)

That would mean stopping about where the golf carts cross, prior to the electric eyes, while the car in front exits. Then waiting there for several seconds for the system to determine no other cars are present and lower the gate.

Many (most? all?) the exit gates I go through seem to be adjusted to keep the arm up for a steady stream of cars to pass; the gate only goes back down a few seconds after the final car has gone by. I assume this was done intentionally to facilitate exiting traffic flow.

However, when I venture to other areas I occasionally encounter a gate that doesn't wait and comes down immediately and between cars. This unexpected behavior has caused me to hit the brakes in a hurry. I can understand how this might result in some gate strikes. k

Just as all the reader plates should be at the same height and same distance from the vehicles, all the exit gates should operate the same so drivers know what to expect.

I couldn't see the gate being hit in the Belvedere video.

Interesting that all those videos are of golf carts crashing the gates, not cars. None of them seem to be accidents, they all seem to be drivers that chose to push through the gates rather than stop and use the card or red button. And in the Antrim video it appears the cart is entering via the exit lane!

We can discuss how to reduce accidents but none of that will prevent people from intentionally hitting the gates.

I noticed one gate arm was very hard to see. They should make sure that all gate arms have reflectors on them.

It is usually safe drivers that attend a golf cart safety course. Read the posts. While all using pseudo names you can guess those that are a problem.

I have a friend who moved to the villages before us. A sort of quote from him. In terms of rude. It is the same people. They don't get better they get worse as they age.

Maybe because these are unsolved incidents....no license plate.
The ones involving licensed vehicles most likely get solved.

This is not at all a new problem. Coast guard orange is the traditional color seen best in all lighting situations. It is available where it works as a reflector for use where headlights are involved. A simple SOLUTION to an obvious problem. Might even save some money.

There are many gated crossings where you are dealing with golf carts, walkers, and the gate.

Prius, of course:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

So here we go again. What is the purpose of the gates. They don't prevent anyone from entering that knows the magic button. The guards just smile and wave everyone through. One argument is traffic control at the golf cart crossings. But what purpose do they serve at not golf car crossings. Besides, wouldn't a 4-way stop sign be just as effective. Some would argue that it is just a marketing ploy to imply that the Villages is a gated secure community as they ride potential gullible buyers around in the tour bus. The only benefit is that gates may act as a deterrent to stop those from entering that don't know the magic button option.

Another "this is not a true gated community" post. Yes, it is not truly gated, and no, the gates are NOT there to "dupe" gullible potential buyers. But there is 24/7 video surveillance and 3x/day community watch passes by each house. Gee, maybe there's a reason that 32162 and 3 are among the safest zip codes in the country, despite not being truly "gated"

- Not everyone knows about the magic button
- Waving cars through, after answering questions, is what the attendant is there for
- At non-golf-cart crossings they still may take photos of the cars coming in
- While some don't stop at the gate (the subject of this thread) fewer would stop at a stop sign
- Some will find a conspiracy in everything - it makes for interesting reading the first dozen or so times

Never fear, OBB. Mrs Fox hasn't driven at dusk for some time, and I do so as little as possible.

We don't have a car so almost all of our golf-carting is on roads without gates anyway. We are fortunate to have kind neighbors who drive should we be heading out in the evening.

:shocked: In my 18th. year here. Full time. This place is not a golf vacation destination for me...... it's my home. In those 18 years I've NEVER seen a gate arm without reflectors. Could you please point out to me where you have? I won't post about it.....I'd call the appropriate people and have it replaced or repaired. :ho:

Strikes most often happen in day light hours. Community Watch tracks strikes and if struck by automobiles / trucks, a photo is taken. Hopefully they're able to contact the "striker" and issue an invoice for trpair.

Exit gates have you pull up and when you trip the sensor the gate opens. If you pull up in a hurry that gate may not have time to lift before you hit it. Entrance gates are waiting for you to push the button or swipe your card. Once you do the gate lifts and as you pass the sensor it then comes back down. If you don't move forward and trip the sensor the gate will stay open until it times out. (which isn't very long unless you are in a hurry, then it seems forever) If you are behind a car that starts to go & you don't wait for the car to clear the sensor before you swipe your card, your card will not register. If you proceed, that gate will come down when it is timed out & you will be a piggy backer. Regarding the statement that all gate post card card readers should be at the same height...the posts were here before the business got started of wanting to install cards in the mirrors. Therefore, not all vehicle mirrors will be at the same height as the post sensors so not all may work the same.

:icon_wink: No need....... uninformed/ignorant buyers "dupe" themselves. :duck:

I read that there are about 2500 broken gates a year. What is that about once a year per gate, lol. Anyone know how many gates there are?

Typo
 

I think that they meant NOVEMBER. Once recently they showed 120+ strikes in a single month!

I’m sure many of the strikes are about timing also. There is a “loop” system in the ground. first opens it, middle keeps it open and the third closes it once past.

Trailers aren’t the problem.
I’ve been in the parking industry over 30 years dealing with “gates”.
Making the arms stand out would be the best idea! Reflective tape, a different color, or multiple colors would be an excellent idea. Peoples eye sight with some of the background can be a problem. 😊

I am pretty sure they use the colors required by the Department of Transportation. If they use a different color, and an accident happens, they couldn’t defend why they went with a different color, unless a lot of money is spent researching why one color is safer than the other. Now they defend the colors by saying its the DOT requirement.

We just got back from a wedding in Palm Beach Gardens at Mirasol (a golf club community). They have rectangular beam gates with lit up RED led lights that are IMPOSSIBLE to miss...

Don't know if they're solar powered, but they're on day and night...

:icon_wink: Any properties "For Sale"......asking for a friend. :)

You assumed wrong...

Plenty. But if you're used to TV prices, you'll have a freakin' heart attack there!

There’s an article in Golf Digest this month about Jupiter Island. Since COVID, 30 homes in Palm Beach have sold for more than $30 million. That is driving development north.
If you sell your house in the Villages, you might be able to pay the entrance fees for most of the country clubs between Palm Beach and Boca.

Yes!

The District owns and maintains approximately 93 gate facilities, of which 23 are staffed with Gate Attendants.

Information from District website below ->
VCDD Risk Management

I believe most would have two gates in and one out with several one in and one out. A few have two in and two out. So, total gate count would be ?? I can ask.

The previous posts ARE WRONG. The exit gate arms are in the minority for being struck and knocked off by a long shot. Rarely have I ever seen an exit gate with the arm missing. Entry gates all the time

:bigbow:

I agree, I've seen the exit gate at Pinellas Place to Morse knocked off a few times, but have seen the entrance gate broken several times.
:ohdear::boom:

One useful purpose of the gates is to slow traffic down. This is especially useful and obvious when one is in a golf cart trying to get across a busy street near a roundabout. Without the gate arm coming down and staying down for a beat or two, it would get really dangerous to try to get across two lanes of cars coming into a village.
I get annoyed when the inside gate is left in the "up" position, and I'm trying to cross in my cart. It's hard to see around the gate house and shrubbery, and you really have to creep slowly to be sure you are safe.

Can you imagine how fast cars would go without the need to stop and wait for a gate to open? Golf carts as a significant source of travel in TV would be dangerous to the point of being impractical. A consequence of that would be doubling (or more) the number of cars on the streets. That would be a total snarl.

So, the lesson here is that "The gate is your friend".

I agree that the arms can be hard to see at times, and a simple improvement would be to put optic green reflective tape rather than the red. Also, many people should just slow the F*&# down.

I thought maybe painting some gates neon!!

Very simple process: If you come upon a little white building with a lane or two on each side, SLOW down and prepare to stop. It does not matter if you can see the gate from a distance, just slow down and come to a stop. After stopping at the building and still can't see the gate, then proceed with caution to the nearest eye testing facility and get examined for new glasses. Been here for almost ten years and have never come close to crashing a gate. And I wear glasses. Saying "I didn't see the gate" is a lame excuse for being oblivious to your surroundings. The gates are NOT camouflaged. If you can't see the gate, then either quit driving or get yourself a seeing eye dog that will warn you when you near an entrance/exit. On second thought, don't put your dog in this dangerous situation. Just stay home or hire a taxi.