Talk of The Villages Florida - Research Underway for Golf Cart Tunnel Project

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- - Research Underway for Golf Cart Tunnel Project (https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-news-alerts-updates-419/research-underway-golf-cart-tunnel-project-295561/)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Number 10 GI (Post 1666224)

The majority of accidents of all kinds are caused by human error. How does painting a tunnel and adding lights eliminate human error?

My transition lenses stay dark and lighting would help. BTW my driving is too slow for most and am passed by all the time. What’s the hurry? We are retired.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CWGUY (Post 1666282)

:what: How are speed bumps hard on the back if you SLOW DOWN for them? :confused:

How dare you suggest anyone should slow down.
Ye Gods! You will be wanting us to stop at Stop signs next!

I believe all the efforts to light and paint the tunnels is unwarranted. To me golf cart speeding when going into and out of the tunnels is the biggest problem. Cutting corners to turn into the tunnels is dangerous and done frequently. When we first moved to The Villages riding in a golf cart was a leisurely means of travel. In recent years the maximum allowable speed is ignored...I travel Belvedere frequently in a golf cart and am passed as though I am standing still almost every trip. Golf carts are spending everywhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TOTV Specialist (Post 1665951)

In recent news, the Project Wide Advisory Committee is researching potential costs for a new pilot project that aims to reduce the number of golf cart related accidents at tunnels in The Villages. The idea for the project was originally introduced by Development District 6 Supervisor Tom Griffith whose call for action was echoed by Amenity Authority Committee member John Wilcox, among others.

Based on data from the Villages Homeowners Advocates, nearly 80 percent of golf cart crashes are occuring at tunnels in The Villages. One factor contributing to these accidents may be poor lighting in the tunnels, which affects drivers visibility. Community Development District 7 Supervisor, Mark Gallo, discussed with us how the pilot project would be implemented in steps to monitor costs,

“It will start with white washing the tunnels and the new LED lights for night. If that is not good enough, the tunnels will be painted with a reflective paint similar to vehicle tunnels which reflect light to brighten it. Then if that is still not deemed good, the lights will be 24/7. So you see we are also trying to keep cost in mind to get best bang for buck and safety!”

Although this project tackles tunnel lighting, driver error is another reason for a high rate of tunnel related accidents. Gallo, who has experience teaching golf cart safety courses noticed a common trend with tunnel related accidents, “The problem stems from both speed and not using the provided mirrors at the tunnels which allow drivers to see before they both enter/exit so they don't enter blindly. Most enter way to fast cause they don't slow down to look...”

As research for the pilot project continues, drivers are reminded to practice caution when approaching tunnels, and encouraged to attend golf cart safety courses offered throughout The Villages.

Photo Credit: Don Baird

Mirrors should be cleaned periodically. The tunnel mirror at Morse and Moyer is hard to use.

I believe the problem is entirely on drivers. They don’t stop for stop signs. God forbid they should use directional signals (even more so in automobiles!). They defeat the vehicle’s governor and travel faster than is safe. They tailgate. Why is everyone in such a damned hurry??

Quote:

Originally Posted by villagetinker (Post 1665964)

Sounds like a great application for the dreaded speed bumps.
Please do not beat me up too bad!

Please not another bunch of speed bumps. Why does everyone have to endure more to slow down a few unthinking dummies? One problem I’ve seen is almost running into walkers in the dark because of darkness and the pathetic lights on golf carts in the tunnels. They usually plaster themselves to the wall to avoid being hit.

Quote:

The first day of my visit I was tooling down a ramp leading into a tunnel that had a 90 degree turn at the bottom and I had to lock up the brakes to make the turn.

Same. We did a Lifestyle tour a few weeks ago. I was surprised at the 90 degree turns at the bottom of ramps. Add in rain-slick pavement and you have a recipe for disaster.
I'd also be interested in statistics breaking out accidents IN the tunnels vs at the entrances/exits.

And I find the proposed solution odd: First, we'll do this cheap thing. If people still get hurt/killed we'll do this slightly more expensive thing. If people are still biting it we'll spend some more money.
How about 1) Studying the problem well enough to know whether lighting IN the tunnels is the problem, and 2) Doing the thing that will improve safety the most.

My uninformed and uneducated guess is that the problem will be shown to be excessive speed when entering & exiting the tunnels, causing people to crash at either end. And the speed may be contributed to by poor visibility so people can't tell they need to slow down to negotiate with other carts coming the other way.

Tunnels are too Dark !

They need to do something about the Dark Tunnels, but some of these Golf Carts speeds are set too fast. I was sitting in The Village Golf Cart store & I heard the sales person tell a couple that Club Cars are set to do 25 miles ! That"s Too Fast

Your ideas should be passed along to the people mentioned in the OP. Will be more effective than posting here.

Ann Forrester (District 2) Chair
ann.forrester@districtgov.org
352-259-3339
John Wilcox (District 3) Vice Chair
john.wilcox@districtgov.org
352-259-1716
IV Chandler (VCCDD)
iv.chandler@districtgov.org
352-753-6790
Carl Bell (District 1)
carl.bell@districtgov.org
352-750-1251
Don Deakin (District 4)
don.deakin@districtgov.org
352-750-5395
Lowell Barker (Lady Lake/Lake County)
lowell.barker@districtgov.org
352-205-8140

Tom Griffith
tom.griffith@districtgov.org

Yes, that is not all that unusual. I believe a majority of the contemporary golf carts will do in excess of 20 mph.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerrysherry (Post 1666484)

Quote:

Originally Posted by biker1 (Post 1666490)

Yes, that is not all that unusual. I believe a majority of the contemporary golf carts will do in excess of 20 mph.

:oops: And the people doing in excess of 20 mph in them probably have cars that will do in excess of 100 mph. :shocked:

Wait. Are there actually a lot accidents inside the tunnels? I got a feeling they are just outside in the intersections and on the sharp curves at the entrances. Lights aren't going to do a thing except waste our money.

The AAC has a lot of money from the lawsuit......and they love to spend.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jerrysherry (Post 1666484)

We have a Club Car and it can get up to 28 miles per hour........we NEVER drive at that speed. We keep it between 18 to 20 mph, we also drive defensively i.e. “watch out for the other guy.” We may be overly cautious and don’t usually drive in the dark. A bonus we don’t drink and drive even a golf cart.