[Polar Bear]

I know people who let carts go first are just trying to be nice, and I won't condemn anyone for that. But overall it is simply more efficient and safe to follow the rule of the road...cars should take the right-of-way and carts should wait their turn.

[Mleeja]

Does not the traffic in the roundabout have the right of way? This would include golf carts. In this case I would allow the cart to proceed before I entered the roundabout.

[NYGUY]

Originally Posted by Mleeja

Does not the traffic in the roundabout have the right of way? This would include golf carts. In this case I would allow the cart to proceed before I entered the roundabout.

The carts are not in the roundabout.......we hope!!!

[bagboy]

Complaints about drivers endangering golf carts and being reckless. Now complaining about drivers trying real hard to be courteous to golf cart drivers....just a small wow...

Originally Posted by jebartle

I've observed MANY close calls, cars that allow carts to cross (even thou it is not their right-away) causing havoc behind them!....As a golf cart driver, I would prefer to wait my turn...I appreciate that cars are being kind BUT I think it is causing traffic problems. What is the solution?

I think the problem is renters & newbies. They just don't know the rules yet. If a car tries to waive me on I just waive them on and say "you have the right of way. We're not supposed to do that."

[rhood]

I heard somewhere that stopping and waving a cart across is considered as directing traffic which is covered by a statute and is illegal. I go when it is safe, not when someone waves me across.

[MikeV]

Originally Posted by Polar Bear

I know people who let carts go first are just trying to be nice, and I won't condemn anyone for that. But overall it is simply more efficient and safe to follow the rule of the road...cars should take the right-of-way and carts should wait their turn.

Totally agree.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by NYGUY

The carts are not in the roundabout.......we hope!!!

Not many carts in the roundabouts BUT Occasionaly you do have a Street Legal in the roundabouts----lookout for them!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by Polar Bear

I know people who let carts go first are just trying to be nice, and I won't condemn anyone for that. But overall it is simply more efficient and safe to follow the rule of the road...cars should take the right-of-way and carts should wait their turn.

Safe is right. When our kindness makes new people in carts think they have the right of way, we put them in grave danger.

[tomwed]

"Golf carts should always yield to other vehicular traffic in all cases."
I found this on a couple of sites.

I think it just boils down to common sense not right or wrong, legal or illegal.

I play Turtle Mound quite a bit. Using my car I have the right of way to cross the cart path to park my car. But I come to a complete stop because I'm not sure the cart drivers will come to a stop, even though there is a stop sign. I wait for eye contact and a wave or just for a big gap.

Sometimes the police are in the parking lot waiting [I suppose] to see if carts stop. I saw many carts roll through the stop sign but I never witnessed the police do anything but observe.

I think the south end of town is very different [traffic wise] than the sumter and SP areas during this season. So I don't experience the congestion others do.

[OCsun]

Here's the problem - what's the solution. Example of the traffic these days at both St. James gate and Sunset Point Gate.
St. James gate has traffic coming in through the gate which is heavy and the cars will not even wait for the gate to go back down before they swipe and go through the gate. The carts can barely make make a quick right or get across to the middle of the road where carts can stop. There, they find the traffic is continuious so they are stuck in the middle of the road unless someone waves them through. I understand that it is not a good idea to wave carts through but the traffic at that point is constant at certain times of the day.

Example - At times it is so heavy when we are in our car on the first street by the gate (Neptune), trying to make a left onto St. Charles we need to force our way into stopped traffic or make a right on Charles and go out another gate. The golf carts at these time ARE totally at the mercy of thr car drivers. It can be a real mess and is just plain dangerous for the golf cart drivers.
When driving a cart, I dread going past the Sunset Point Gate, because it is always busy too!
Just saying!

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by OCsun

Here's the problem - what's the solution. Example of the traffic these days at both St. James gate and Sunset Point Gate.
St. James gate has traffic coming in through the gate which is heavy and the cars will not even wait for the gate to go back down before they swipe and go through the gate. The carts can barely make make a quick right or get across to the middle of the road where carts can stop. There, they find the traffic is continuious so they are stuck in the middle of the road unless someone waves them through. I understand that it is not a good idea to wave carts through but the traffic at that point is constant at certain times of the day.

Example - At times it is so heavy when we are in our car on the first street by the gate (Neptune), trying to make a left onto St. Charles we need to force our way into stopped traffic or make a right on Charles and go out another gate. The golf carts at these time ARE totally at the mercy of thr car drivers. It can be a real mess and is just plain dangerous for the golf cart drivers.
When driving a cart, I dread going past the Sunset Point Gate, because it is always busy too!
Just saying!

The solution will arrive in six weeks at the end of March when we don't have as many people here. I love snowbirds, I do. But this is the busiest time of the year.

[George Bieniaszek]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

The solution will arrive in six weeks at the end of March when we don't have as many people here. I love snowbirds, I do. But this is the busiest time of the year.

I agree Gracie !! This is the time of the season where The Villages is at capacity with people and we all have to be extra vigilant in our driving.

Getting out of the house 5-10 minutes earlier to run errands or golf, etc. so that you don't have to rush would make your day a little less stressful and a little more enjoyable too

[OCsun]

Gracie, I agree with you and I love snowbirds too! Having snowbirds drive carts in these sticky situations is worrisome to me.

More than that, it worries me that if the number of houses currently built were fully occupied, some parts of The Villages would have infrastructure issues. Did the the traffic plans for the number of houses built take into consideration that they would only be fully occupied three months of the year? Won't all the new homes being built south of 466a and the new Fruitland park area, put even more strain on the current golf cart infrastructure which doesn't seem to be easily fixable?
I love people and truly feel, the more the merrier. I am just concerned for the safety of all!

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by OCsun

Gracie, I agree with you and I love snowbirds too! Having snowbirds drive carts in these sticky situations is worrisome to me.

More than that, it worries me that if the number of houses currently built where fully occupied, some parts of The Villages would have infrastructure issues. Did the the traffic plans for the number of houses built take into consideration that they would only be fully occupied three months of the year? Won't all the new homes being built south of 466a and the new Fruitland park area, put even more strain on the current golf cart infrastructure which doesn't seem to be easily fixable?
I love people and truly feel, the more the merrier. I am just concerned for the safety of all!

So how often or how many accidents have occurred at the St. James and Sunset Point Gate?