Don't forget anonchick.

Yeah I got my Gatling all loaded up and ready for some serious knee-shootin fun! YAHOO!
:pepper2:

TV and common sense? Think that may be a dichotomy (anything run by committee usually lacks common sense IMO). Gotta be a little cooler to wear that black shirt, though, but I'm game to try. Gracie?

These changes are in fact a result of a Federal Law that takes effect on January 1, 2011. This law has been adopted by the Florida legislature, and accepted by the counties of Sumter, Lake, and Marion. In essence, the law states that there must be complete traffic control of all "vehicles" entering and exiting The Villages. As a result, the following will be implemented in our community:

Maybe it's my pc, but that was the end of your post. Is there something missing?

Bill

Just my humble opinion, but I say it is time we take down the gates. They are only decorative in nature and are of no effective value.

I beg to differ. They can be a deterrence for the uninformed. They still intimidate my wife.: )

They also slow down traffic which is one of the main reasons for having them. For some, it's a great reminder they're entering a residential area and they. actually. slow. down!

What she said.

Speed bumps slow traffic down too, and are much less costly to maintain.

In Boston we use potholes to slow the traffic and save money on road repairs.

Who do you expect to intimidate with gates? The criminals who are going to find a way in anyway? They are a nuisance and a waste of money. Ever have to stick your hand out the window to punch a button in the rain?
And as for slowing vehicles down. Just how long do you think it takes to speed up once through the gate?
But back to the why of the new laws regarding the gates; I think a reasonable explanation is that most gates that impede traffic on a public road are found at train crossings. Ever see someone foolish enough to go round the end of the bar to cross over the tracks? Many, many accidents are caused this way. Therefore, we now have a generic law mandating the length of the bar-probably to keep the impatient ones from getting killed.

Atjack and redwitch -
I agree with you that the gates are a deterrence for the uninformed and do slow down traffic.
However, I have always felt that TV's advertising as a gated community is a misnomer. Because the streets are owned by the county,
there is no way the gates can be completely secured. If the developer had chosen to maintain the streets, our current amenity fees
would probably be doubled.

I have reservations about what our security will be when our population reaches 100,000+.
I moved from a community where the gates were manned by two officers and no one was permitted without the authority of the
property owner. The owner would call in guest's name and guest would pick up a pass at a designated spot to gain access so
I was shocked when I moved to this "gated" community. I would have welcomed the amenity fee for that security.
Hopefully TV's security will increase as the population increases.

I disagree with those who want to no longer have gates whatever their lengths. Something is better than nothing in today's world even in The Bubble.

Since I do not know. Where in advertising for TV do they portray TV as a gated community?

Yeah that's confusing to me too. As someone who doesn't live there yet, I consider it a master-planned active retirement community, not a gated community. Technically, it isn't even a retirement community, since many residents work. It isn't -really- even a senior community, because there are sections reserved for employees and their minor children to live.

It's a community that has gates, but it is not a gated community. My mom's development is gated - you cannot enter without having either a bar-code sticker on your window, or the guard at the gate verifying your authorization to be there.

My grandmother lived in Century Village - THAT is a gated community. A gated community means something specific, and The Villages doesn't meet that criteria.