Safety Gates
 

Perhaps if the gates were put back up? They have been taken off for the past few weeks. They stopped moving cars better than the Stop signs no one stops for.

Yes, you have to walk on the MMP for about 100 yards leaving Sawgrass but then, at the Meggison crossing that this post is about, a Pathway starts and goes nearly all the way to 470 - so no need to do MPP for Newell, Lake Denham or Dabney. You do need to cross Meggison twice though at marked crosswalks.

They need to change where the carts cross Meggison by extending the MMP down to the intersection where the power lines are by the Citrus Grove pool by widening the current ped path for cart use. You can’t put a guard house there as the traffic would back up over the bridge and around the circle. This modification would make it less convenient for golf carts to get to the bridge, the Southern oaks course or Cason Hammock (and future southern carts to get to Sawgrass) but make it much much safer as Meggison is only two lanes at that point. Unless they install a tunnel under Meggison this is the easiest solution to a major safety issue. It is only a matter of time until there is a serious accident at this crossing. Please stop at the stop sign at the Citrus Grove gate - it’s the only chance the carts have to safety cross the road.

I live in the area and use this MMP Crossing almost daily. I understand the concern about the vehicle gates being some distance from the MMP Crossing but I have never had a problem. Like everywhere else I drive, Vehicular or Golf Cart, be cautious and drive defensively.

You are wrong.

I attended the County Commission Board meeting this week, and there was so much discussion about people not stopping at the Citrus Grove gate. It was a bit nonsensical because if the gates were actually installed, cars WOULD be stopping! I have no idea why they took down all four gates and put up little stop signs that don’t really look like legitimate signs. They are on temporary little folding posts and sometimes are laying down. It’s all a mess. The County Administrator tells us this was all built to engineer’s specs but clearly there was no foresight or real planning that took place when they determined the location of the Citrus Grove gate; ended the MMP (putting golf carts on a main thoroughfare); putting in the golf cart crossing; and also, the very narrow streets in this section of the Villages. There are many things we need to petition our District (13) to address. I am going to educate myself on how to get things done with the CDD, starting by attending an orientation. Everyone is talking and complaining, but we need to band together and find out how best to get it fixed! I learned things like this are not resolved at the BOCC.
P.s.-I am sure the gates were removed because they were always being knocked off and had to be repaired but SO WHAT! Supposedly there are cameras taking photos of each vehicle going through, so the District should have teeth to bite these offenders and be able to fine them. C’mon!!

The gate were probably taken down due to the continued construction traffic.

Once that eases, I'm sure they'll put them back up...

The Resident Academy (longer than the CDD Orientation) is also very valuable.

You'll want to note which things are under the purview of the CDD and which are under the purview of the BoCC or even the State. The Villages gates and MMPs/pahts are a CDD issue while the design of the county road (markings, signs, lights) will likely be a BoCC issue.

Exactly….. yesterday while driving my golf cart from Conley toward Sawgrass, there was a Wildwood officer parked maybe 200 ft (plus or minus) on the grass south of the gate watching the traffic go through that gate . He was parked far enough away to be unnoticed until AFTER passing past the gate.

I pulled off the MMP in order to watch to see if he was there to give tickets for blowing through the temporary stop signs at the gate.

Guess what …….NOT ONE SINGLE CAR STOPPED WHILE GOING THROUGH THE GATE !

I watched for about one minute or so and the police officer DID NOT STOP ANY CARS blowing the stop sign. I watched at least a dozen or more cars go by .

Here is my take on it …..

Those temporary stop signs we see at many gates are placed there by Community Watch (in other words, The Villages)

I honestly believe that they are not enforceable (summons wise) as they are not placed there by proper authorities….

I also agree with another poster that a viable solution would be is to turn the walking path between Conley and the Citrus gate into a MMP.

That short paved walking area is actually wider than some of the MMP’s that go behind Fenney towards the Chitty Chatty Bridge over 44

I am pretty sure there are federal and state specifications on STOP SIGNS- color, size. Shape and probably HEIGHT.

Gonna guess, 3 inches from the ground is not to spec - so any ticket would be reversed on appeal.

Not Legal
 

I’m sure the signs are not legitimate. They are smaller and not on a post or at eye level. I don’t see how they could be enforced as regular sanctioned stop signs.

There are a lot of places in The Villages where an MMP crosses paths with a 2-lane road. When we leave Osceola Hills, we have to wait for the gate to open, and the carts have to wait for us to go through the gate.

Once a cart is able to go forward, there is an area for the cart to stop half-way across the intersection in case another car is entering our village.

When a golf cart is leaving Sawgrass on the MMP and wants to go south on Meggison, I guess the cart has to drive across both lanes of Meggison all at one time. I think it would be safer if the cart could cross one lane of Meggison and then have a place to stop until the other lane is clear.

Just found this….

“ The Federal Highway Administration's Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices states the minimum height of a stop sign, measured from the top of the curb or ground to the bottom of the sign, shall be 7 feet.”

You can’t ticket those stop signs on the ground, they aren’t to federal spec.

The STOP signs are not legal. Because of size and placement of the sign, a person cannot be ticketed for ignoring them

As a retired police officer (NY) with 31 yrs of service, I wound tend to be in agreement with you ! ;)