Correct. I thought we were only debating the rare situation where there is that big red octagonal sign on the road because a gate is not present. I would agree that the gate itself does not qualify as an official traffic control device( although I do recommend stopping for it :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:)

That being said, the academic discussion does very little good. In my experience, many drivers actually speed up when a gate has been removed, stop sign notwithstanding

I don't like being waved through either. They risk being rear ended by someone not paying attention.

So I try to slow down or stop a few cart lengths away from the crossing if I see a car coming to encourage them not to stop before reaching the gate.

I’m sorry I ever bought my golf cart. It was a waist of $15,000. It takes me 25 minutes by golf cart to get to Brownwood, 7 minutes by car, 1 hour to get to Lake Sumter by golf cart, 15 minutes by car, 1 1/2 hours by golf cart to Spanish Springs, 1/2 hour by car. I drive it every 2 weeks just to keep the battery from Dying. I’m active in The Villages but what a waste of money the golf cart purchase was.

Carts are allowed on Moyer Loop where the speed limit is 30 mph, but most vehicles are going 35 to 45.

Good Lord....where do you live????

I absolutely agree with you. My wife and I have been here for 15 years and have never needed a golf cart. For one thing.......I don't particularly like golf and prefer more ACTIVE sports where you actually sweat on both a hot or cool day. We have had basically 2 cars and at one time a moped and also a 250 cc motor scooter and various bicycles to get around on. Lately, we have gotten an E-bike. When we used the scooters and bikes, it was to go about a maximum of 15 blocks one way. Typically, we stayed in our village and avoided crossing large roads with high traffic. We relied on cars to get around to other areas and Villages within The Villages for work, sports, movies, and shopping.
.........The problems with golf carts are that they are slow, some older gas ones smell, the gas ones pollute, they vibrate, they are less safe than an automobile, and they are loud. For some reason, the gas carts have terrible muffler systems. The NEWEST Yamahas (quiet tech) are actually about as quiet as most cars. Many other and older makes of golf carts are noisier than most automobiles. Also, I agree that golf carts cost about as much as a new or 1-year-old smaller car. Insurance for an automobile is NOT so costly that it would make someone pick a golf cart over an automobile.
........That being said, my wife's macular degeneration is going to force her to give up driving a car and she will be able to drive only a golf car within about one more year. We are planning to get an Electric golf cart because it is better for the environment and the center of gravity of the vehicle will be lower - this improves both acceleration and braking. We will NOT want it to go above 20 MPH and we will NOT be raising the center of gravity with bigger wheels or any of those childish stunts.
.........Also, I am amazed that the powers that be in the Villages allow (not enforce) golf cart speeds commonly into the 30 MPH range. Pull drivers over (you can hear that the engines rev louder) and give them SERIOUS TICKETS and the problem will go away. Having golf carts with different potential top speeds is self-defeating for safety and dangerously STUPID! Does the management of the Villages OWE a better standard of enforcement to the ordinary residents of the Villages that LOOK UP TO THEM FOR SAFETY AND STANDARDIZATION!!!!!!


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[QUOTE=Bilyclub;2255396]I was referring to the gates at the entrance to a vilIage, where the only cross traffic is golf carts. I am not really familiar with other gates that don't have golf carts crossing behind the gate.

Really, you expect me to read 17 paragraphs about golf carts?

I live Accross the street fro Everglades Rec Center and Magnolia Plaza in the village of Linden

One advantage of driving a golf cart is the same as a motorcycle, bicycle, roller skates, and skateboard.........the driver / rider feels more in tune with the environment. In a car or truck, you are surrounded by a large protection of steel and you are going faster, so the driver / rider has MORE SEPARATION from environmental factors like wind, rain, sun, pedestrians, birds, butterflies, insects, dogs, smells, and sounds. Since you are moving slower in the non-automobiles, you can slow your brain down better and get into a more meditative state than a fast-moving car.
....You take a car or truck to get somewhere quickly or go a long distance through an environment. You take a bicycle or rollerskates to get some exercise and ENJOY the environment.
.........Driving in a golf cart is somewhere in between those 2.
.........Of course, it is possible to enjoy driving in a car - you just take in less details about the environment.

LOL. I don't need to be in tune with the environment. I just want to get from Point A to Point B, quickly and safely. But, I do enjoy a smooth, air conditioned ride.

When we first moved to TV in 2003, driving a golf cart was fun. With in a year, the novelty wore off and I realized I don't enjoy it at all. Too freakin' hot, uncomfortable, felt like driving a car with all the windows down (which I also hate), not feeling safe, and takes too long to get anywhere with all the convoluted paths and tunnels. If I was alone, I would not own one. Give me a nice safe SUV with A/C any day!

If a super modern city could be designed with many one-way roads and every once and awhile a cross street with an elevated bridge, then theoretically a small 3 or 4 wheel vehicle that went 40MPH and did NOT have to stop for red lights could get around a city faster than a standard vehicle (like today's car or truck). And it could have a small motor either electrical or the equivalent of about 30 HP gasoline engine. Throw in some crash avoidance safety measures and MAYBE a golf cart sized vehicle COULD BE the vehicle of the FUTURE?

Except for some odd situations, anyplace you go will be faster by car. If that is the most important factor for you then maybe a golf cart isn't useful.

I'm about 25 to LSL. I consider LSL to be fairly close and go there frequently. Pretty much equivalent to your trip to Brownood. It takes me much longer to get to Edna's, Fenney, Sawgrass, and Eastport (when it finally opens). Those are the "close" destinations for someone who lives south of the turnpike.

I go to meetings/activities at Seabreeze, Colony, Eisenhower, and Rohan. I also go to activities at Fenney, Everglades, Aviary, Homestead, and Okahumpka. I imagine our drive times are similar, just reversed for the two sets.

A golf cart isn't for everyone. I enjoy the ride, have no need to get anywhere that much faster, and like to think about the money I'm saving on gas. Others don't consider the savings to be that much and don't enjoy the journey. To each his own.

I hate golf carts, especially gas ones. That’s why we own three of them and almost never drive a car when at our Villages home. Sometimes I take the car out for a quick spin, just to circulate some fresh gas through the fuel delivery system, when it hasn’t been started for four or five weeks.