[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

Mrs Fox has great difficulty seeing the arms at dusk and a brighter color would certainly be of benefit to her.

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!)

[toeser]

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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by billethkid

Which is what one is supposed to do!!!!!!

(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.

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

Gate crasher videos…..
VCDD Risk Management

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.

[spubear2]

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

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Annie66

We went to the golf cart safety course and we were told that on average there are 2500 gate strikes per year.

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.

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

Just for the record, neither I nor Mrs Fox have ever hit a gate arm, so there's no need to get excited and rude, Number 10, just read my posts more carefully.

All I said was that Mrs Fox finds some gate arms hard to see at dusk.

As an earlier poster pointed out, it is the exit gates that are more often damaged as there is no other "hardware" there. No white box; no "Thank you for visiting the Village of Dreams" sign.

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.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

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.

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

[DAVES]

Originally Posted by Hackercraft

How about putting solar powered led’s on the arms so the aged population can see them better.

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.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by thevillages2013

Awesome! I love it! There are cameras there so we could also wager on the make of vehicle that had the most whacks

Prius, of course

[vb993]

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.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by vb993

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"

[Bill14564]

Originally Posted by vb993

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.

- 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

[Arctic Fox]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I would suggest that she not drive at dusk, if she is unable to see well enough to do so safely.

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.

[CWGUY]

Originally Posted by spubear2

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

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.