Since we are only talking about driving roads in TV and not the rest of the country, we should remember that while these roads can accomodate driving at 45 MPH, we are sharing the same roads with bicyclists, licensed low speed vehicles and many visitors who are not familiar with the roads or where they are going. Add to that mix senior drivers who may have slower reaction time and it seems perfectly sensible to me to have lower speed limits in our community. I have also noted that there is a good reason for lower speeds limits on bridges entering LSL, but some drivers still have not accepted the lower limits.

Those darn snowbirds get blamed for just about everything! Restaurant lineups, unsuitable tee times, and now bad driving in roundabouts! Watch out, we'll soon be on our way. :girlneener:

Instead of considering Buena Vista a divided four-lane highway, think of it as a lovely residential street (which is what it actually is) designed to accommodate moderately heavy traffic through a retirement community. It is not Interstate 75.

What you said is exactly on the mark. I'm a retired traffic engineer, and what people don't realize is that artificially lowering speed limits actually can increase accidents rather than reduce them. The best speed limit on a roadway is the speed that the majority of the traffic want to drive and is generally based on the geometry of the road, amount of roadside development, driveway density, accident history, etc. School zones are an exemption to this rule. Also, urban areas are often zoned a particular speed - such as 30 mph within the city limits. The goal in setting speed limits is to maintain free flowing traffic. This tends to reduce accidents and congestion. In NY state the speed limits are set by a joint analysis done by traffic engineers and the state police. I'm not familiar with the process here in Florida, so will not comment on the situation here in The Villages.

There is a big problem at the roundabouts when people get in the wrong lane and cut others off. I think they need an education plan, along with posting police at some of the major trouble spots and giving tickets and/or warnings.

The speeders are typically the same who don't think the
 

traffic circle rules apply to them. If you exclude the newbies or visitors and make allowances for the too mature to be driving, most of the problems are residents who just don't care....and non-residents who could care even less.

In the case of the latter two groups....ticket....ticket and more tickets.....

They must be in a hurry to go home and get their geritol and take a nap. Maybe it reminds them of being on their roads back home where even more could care less about rules, regulations, rights of way.

Where ever they hail from they need a simple lesson in courtesy (yes a labotomy!!).

btk

I disagree that it is the speeders who are the cause of the traffic circle problem. The problem comes from the people who enter the circle from the right lane (typically not the lane used by "speeders"). They then proceed to take the right, outermost lane in the circle but, rather than go right at the first or second exits (i.e., take a right turn or continue straight on the roadway), they continue around the circle in the outer lane. By doing this they then cut off any driver who entered the circle from the left lane and wants to proceed straight by using the inner circle. If either person had been speeding, it is most likely the one in the left lane, yet the person in the right lane is the one who is at fault for not using the circle properly.

I'll repeat what I said previously. If you want to make a major improvement in the safety of our roadways, you would divert some of the police attention to speeders and concentrate on the people who don't follow the rules in the circles. If, as you say, it is the speeders who are most likely the cause for traffic circle accidents (which I seriously doubt), then you will have killed two birds with one stone.

I blame the speeders more tha the rest having been side
 

swiped twice by those going too fast and coming across the line into my lane.

Same circle twice within a year and if we were not defensive drivers, it would be a lot more.

The entrance to our Village is off a traffic circle so we get to witness the violations DAILY.

They drive two fast to control their vehicle once in the circle. They drive to fast approaching the circle with no intent of yielding to traffic in the circle.

When I say witness it DAILY it is not an exaggeration.

Tickets....many more tickets please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

btk

Traffic Circles and just plain old proper lane usage
 

I agree.... the traffic circles are a matter of driving in the proper lane and using the lanes properly.

Just as an experiment, I watched the webcam over Spanish Springs Square a few days ago. the camera was trained, such that I could see the corner and watch traffic travel around to the left. Keep in mind, this is a one-way street with 2 lanes of traffic. I watched for about 5 minutes and fully 90% of drivers started from the outside lane and cut across to the inside lane [around the corner] and then back to the outside lane. Not sure why there are lanes there??? No one seems to adhere to proper lane usage. Golf carts were the only exception to this experiment. Here's the website...check for yourself...if the camera is trained in the right place.

Cheers.....

http://www.thevillages.com/lifestyle/cam_ss.asp

If so, then perhaps we can agree to take down the radar "traps" along the straight sections of Buena Vista and Morse and station the cops at the circles instead. That way they can catch both the speeders who abuse the circles as well as the non-speeders who cut people off by not following the proper procedure. The circles are where it is unsafe - let's concentrate our law enforcement there. With our current enforcement procedure, the one place a speeder is most immune from being caught is in the circle - the exact place where he/she presents the most threat.

Thanks for your expert support for what I thought was quite intuitively obvious. It's nice when intuition is backed by scientific study.

No, I think I was in the correct lane. I was in the right-hand lane continuing around the roundabout. The car in the left-hand lane and slightly ahead of me decided to turn into a village on the right side of the road. Is this legal
in Florida?
I might be wrong, but where I come from I was "cut off"

Boy oh boy, I bet they will be lining up to be the one to teach you how to use the roundabouts here.

Peggy if you were continuing around you were in the wrong lane.

This link explains how to navigate the Roundabouts.

http://www.districtgov.org/images/Wh...INAL070908.pdf

If you do a search you will find many discussions on the Roundabouts.

I agree speeding is speeding no matter what the posted limit and good for police giving tickets. But isnt a snowbird someone who pays 12 months of taxes and fees and uses the roads and services for only 6 mopnths or 8 months?

My mistake. I was going straight (no around) Continuing on the present road.

A car making a Right hand turn from the Left lane is legal? You're right, I guess I do have alot to learn.

Trust me, I am not bashing snowbirds, I was warned by your neighbors--other Villagers. I'm new here

If you were in the right hand lane "continuing" around the roundabout, you were in the wrong lane. To continue around the roundabout, you should have entered and stayed in the left lane, as the car next to you was, until you exited. If you were, you would not have been cut off. There have been numerous videos and directions posted in these forums about roundabout protocol if you do a search... unfortunately, common sense and caution will be the only safeguard as there will never be a time when everybody follows all the rules.

Here is a picture show that will tell you how to to the round-a-bouts. Enjoy.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/eesc/CAE/des.../mpg_index.htm

I'm afraid that this video does not apply to the round-a-bouts in the villages. The pavement markings on the round-a-bouts here are different depending on which one you are using. Some direct you off at the first exit, some allow you to go all the way around, others send you off at the second exit. It's very confusing if you don't look at the painted lines on the pavement. It's easy if you look at the solid and broken lines.

Also see how many people just drive across the solid lines and continue around.

Sorry, this doesn't come up for me. But Jan is right its not the same here. If you look at the handout about roundabouts, it does show a continuing arrow around the entire circle in that right hand lane and is marked as a "circulatory Roadway".


I was continuing south in the right lane approching the roundabout on Morse Blvd (according to my GPS) taking "the second exit". A car in the left hand lane turned "right" in front of me to go into Bonita--cut me off. You're telling me this is a legal turn?

When entering a roundabout you must yield to traffic already in the roundabout.....obviously if a car was that close you, did not yield.
BTW cut and paste the url and it should work for you.

I agree!

I don't care what anyone says. If I am in the right lane and a car from the left lane cuts in front of me to turn right he is in the wrong. I don't care if it is in a roundabout or on a regular street. It is just plain wrong. The driver in the left lane should make sure that you are turning before he cuts in front of you. That would be the intelligent and careful thing to do

If the roundabouts have those confusing yellow line barriers and the solid line then I agree. But there are only two of those confusing painted roundabouts in the Villages. One at the Springdale-Piedmont area and one at the Stillwater area. If there are more on the south side I am unaware of them because I don't go over there that much.

If the Villages/State of Florida want those confusing painted roundabouts to work, they should paint them all so we understand that all roundabouts have the same rules.

roundabouts
 

pretty simple. do not drive close to another car. I have no trouble.

I don't allow anyone to be near me when I'm in a roundabout!

I'm afraid the judge won't see it that way. You may be continuing to claim that you are right, but you will be doing so while you write out the check for damages done and increased insurance costs.

The speed limit of 35 M.P.H. Maximum in The Villages is so that we can operate golf carts. Increse the speed limit-remove the carts. Personally, if you speed or run a red light, you deserve what you get.

Speeders Beware
 

Hello all, My best advice as not to get a speeding ticket is simple, DON'T SPEED. Only law breakers receive tickets. In my old profession, I used to give speeding tickets only to those who deserve them. Also, many bad criminal types have been brought to justice because they were stopped for speeding. So don't worry where the police are doing radar, only keep a close eye on your speedometer and keep our roads safe for all. Have a good day. Coop

Speed Traps???
 

I agree that if the objective is to promote safety through keeping drivers to the speed limits.....keep a cruiser visible.:thumbup: If it's to generate revenue, set up radar where motorists cannot see it until too late.:yuck:

My concern is that those who are ticketed are residents, not workers coming into and leaving TV. The troopers are not out during the morning and afternoon rush hours when the workers are on the roads. They are only out after and before those hours. Is this just a figment of my imagination?

Why are you concerned that residents are getting tickets for speeding?????

Post # 68 says it best .. simple, but true. :agree:

I agree

I completely and emphatically agree that roads where cars share the roadways with golf carts that the limit should be no more then 35. My point is that major roads such as Buena Vista and Morse, south of 466 do not have golf carts on them and are designed to safely handle speeds of 45 MPH.

It was pointed out that these roads also can accommodate LSVs and hence should be kept at 35 for this purpose. I disagree with this completely and argue that this is more of a reason to raise the limit to 45. By doing so, it would eliminate the LSVs from being on these roads. Because LSVs have a maximum speed of 25, if they are on a road where cars are going 35, they create an unsafe condition (see the posts above about disparity in speed is the real cause for unsafe driving, not speed per se.)

If you don't break the law and speed you won't be ticketed. I wish there were a dozen officers out there every day to enforce the traffic laws.
:police::police::police::police::police::police:

:agree:

I HAVE TO AGREE! I have never seen so much red light running and illegal manuevers in my life! It is almost like anything goes, all rules of the road have gone by the wayside. And then people wonder why all the speed traps and cops...if you obey the rules of the road you should not have anything to worry about except for other guy.....IT IS GETTING WORSE and not just here in TV but I have to agree it is really bad here....shrug:

If people navigated the round-a-bouts in the correct lanes, there would be no "cuttin
 

They need to put up lights and do away with the circles.

I beg of all of you: PLEASE no new round-a-bout talk - I couldn't take it! :) :) :)

speed trap
 

They are still giving tickets on Chula Vista, between Rio Grande and 466....I think the speed limit of 25 mph is correct speed, there are many many walkers, it is residential obviously, and several handicapped residents on this street, so please be safe.

Love my cruise control. This saves me from going over the speed limit. I'm not sure how anyone can control their speed without it, especially 25 or 35 mph.