New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

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Old 07-17-2008, 12:39 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

I use this street once in awhile (In my golf cart) not to go faster but it is much smoother then the golf cart path along Buena Vista. I will continue to use it but go no more then the 19 mph I was going before. I feel bad for the people who live there but it is not a private street unless they decide to pay all the upkeep.
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Old 07-17-2008, 01:37 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

joanne,

did the Sumter deputy specifically mention the new signs? If so, did he inform whether the 'no thru traffic' applies to golf carts as well as cars?

Stepped up enforcement for excessive speed (cars and golf carts) I can see. Still baffles me that these signs were erected with no official prior notice.
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Old 07-17-2008, 03:55 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

I've never had occasion to drive this street, nor do I expect to in the near future. However, it suggests a troubling precedent if applied more broadly. On the south side of TV many residents are not pleased with drivers who use Belvedere as a shortcut from Buena Vista to 466. Couldn't residents of that area justifiably (based on the Oak Forest precedent) demand the same restrictions. Other areas may have streets that they believe warrant restrictions, too. :'(

Of course, speed limits and street signs should be enforced and violators held accountable.
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Old 07-17-2008, 04:42 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

I drove by the post office on Oak Forest Drive just to see what Cliff and others are talking about. They do have this "No Through Traffic" very plainly marked.

Doubt if this sign will stand any legal challenge though. That's my first time in three + years even on Oak Forest Drive so I see no reason to use it in the future though.
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Old 07-17-2008, 05:07 PM
Cliff Cliff is offline
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

:cop: :dontknow:I have been fortunate enough to receive a copy of the Oak Forest Traffic Study today. I have found that I was mistaken when I stated that the second step in correcting the Oak Forest traffic problem was to reduce the speed limit to 15mph if the signage does not work to reduce the cut-through traffic. The second step as outlined in the traffic study is to turn Oak Forest into a one way street. That will put an end to at least one half of the traffic on the street, both auto and golf cart traffic. Unfortunately, this is a tough bullet to take for the residents of the Oak Forest area. Going for our mail will turn into up to a couple of miles of travel for some of us. My snowbird next door neighbor, after hearing the news, has informed me that he will be putting his house up for sale if the one way street solution is put into affect. So, dear readers, you can do all of us a favor and cease using Oak Forest as a shortcut or cut-through. You would get a big "Thank You" from those of us residents of Oak Forest.
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Old 07-17-2008, 05:11 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chazz
I've never had occasion to drive this street, nor do I expect to in the near future. However, it suggests a troubling precedent ...Of course, speed limits and street signs should be enforced and violators held accountable.
I agree that this is a troubling precedent [restricting the right of the public to travel on a public street].

As Villages07 noted in a different thread on this topic, it appears that the decision to post the ""NO THROUGH TRAFFIC" signs was made by the Sumter County Commission after consideration of the issue at its 6-24-08 and 7-8-08 meetings. Presumably this issue came to the Sumter County Commission as a result of complaints from residents on Oak Forest.

I would like to know details of the issue and the legal basis for the approach chosen to deal with the issue so I am contacting the commissioners and requesting an explanation of their decision. I would encourage others concerned about the action and/or the precedent set to do the same. The commissioners can be contacted via the Sumter County Board of County Commissioners home page (http://sumtercountyfl.gov/bocc/index.htm).

John



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Old 07-17-2008, 05:13 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Cliff,

Question for you as a resident of this street....

What to you is/are the biggest problems?

Speeding cars? Volume of extra car traffic???

or Volume of golf cart traffic? We can assume that the vast majority of golf carts are going less than 25 mph speed limit, so, their speed should not be that much of an issue?

I have to admit, we use Oak Forest to get up to Glenview....because it is a smoother ride and quite frankly, prettier to look at all the nicely landscaped homes than riding along Buena Vista trail. In my own experience on this road, the car volume presents the bigger challenge for residents trying to get in and out of their driveways.

JohnM....just read your post while writing this one; kudos to you for proactively calling the County for an explanation. Please share with us what you find out.
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Old 07-17-2008, 05:29 PM
Cliff Cliff is offline
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Villages07. The problem is a combination of all the items you mentioned. We have lots of golf carts traveling in both directions on Oak Forest, and, some EXCEED 35mph. We have a lot of cars and trucks traveling in both directions and some do even faster than 35mph. Oak Forest is not a wide street and there is no golf cart lane on the street because it was not designed to handle the volume of traffic it is now having to handle. Yes, getting out of one's driveway is a major problem for the residents and 95 % of the homes on Oak Forest have their driveway entrances on Oak Forest. At 5 in the morning you can hear gas golf carts riding by the houses with the operators shouting to each other in order to be heard over the noise of the gas cart. For those people who have not been aware of the Oak Forest problem, it has been going on for years. Residents have complained and complained but the buck was always passed on to another department. Finally, after numerous appearances and appeals to CDDs and the Sumter Commissioners, something is being done to solve the problem. It certainly has not happened overnight. A lot of people have spent a lot of time and effort in getting this thing to this stage. Sorry if some readers feel we are trying to get away with something here on Oak Forest. Everything that is happening is being done in accordance with Florida law and after much investigation.
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Old 07-17-2008, 09:21 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Who in their right mind,would have put those No Through Traffic signs up?
Do they think that all us people who live here are some kind of idiots.If the people on that street and side streets do not want through traffic,a barricade should be installed some where in the middle of the block and let all that live in that area go around also.

Apparently they figure if they can scare some of us off that street,that would be good for the home owners on Oak Forest and all the side streets.
Police would have to be at one end of the street and radio the police on the other end with the license number of all vehicles entering the street and see if they come out the other end, and that would also have to happen in both directions,what a waste of police time.


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Old 07-17-2008, 10:06 PM
Cliff Cliff is offline
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Autoshow. For the reasoning you present, we, the residents on Oak Forest, hold out no hope at all that the signs will solve our problems. Sumter County also realizes that. But, in order to justify something like making the road a one way road or to build a berm across the street halting traffic from both directions, they had to start off with the sign idea. When enough idiots ignore the signs (not necessarily including you among the idiots) then they can go on to more drastic measures. This is all well thought out and much of the stuff being posted on this blog is fully anticipated. One of the things that we would least expect would be for the idiots to reverse their reasoning and start to use the Buena Vista Blvd and cart path trail. You would not do something like that would you? Hell, if you did, this blog would have no purpose.
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  #26  
Old 07-18-2008, 01:14 AM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Public roads are public roads regardless of signs...dare me!
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Old 07-18-2008, 01:16 AM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

I dare you, I dare you, I D double dare you. :-* ;D
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Old 07-18-2008, 01:17 AM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Pfffft....
  #29  
Old 07-18-2008, 02:59 AM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

This appears to be a great example of being careful for what you ask. I can understand the frustration of residents there, and evidently a number of them demanded a solution. Unfortunately, this solution seems to fall a bit short. There are alternatives, several of which have been cited here. Again, though, each of these seems to be a bit lacking.

One way traffic would undoubtedly cut traffic, but how would you like to drive an extra mile or so whenever you left or returned home. You have a 50 yard cart ride to the postal station/pool, but to return home you have to go out to Buena Vista, drive up to Talley Ridge and drive all the way back down Oak Forest. Not good.

A barricade was suggested. If Polo Ridge ended about 1/2 way down Oak Forest, say at Melville Loop, and the Village of Glenbrook started, that could be a solution. Probably would not make many people happy in that it would inconvenience the residents there, the very people who have the problem anyway, but it would retain the villages' integrity.

Another solution would be to limit parking on Oak Forest -- not on my street. Same with speed bumps. Maybe some other types of traffic dampers? Eh, not so much.

So the issue seems to come down to a public thoroughfare, by definition open to the public. For a variety of reasons, it seems to be preferred over Buena Vista by some people. If I'm going between Talley Ridge and Southern Trace, Oak Forest seems a logical alternative. Same if I am going from the cart path north of Talley Ridge to Southern Trace. Otherwise, Oak Forest seems to offer no benefit to the non-resident.

I figure there is no logical or legal way of reducing traffic short of really ticking off residents of that area. Any solution will be far worse than the problem. The only viable solution could address only the other aspect of the problem -- speed. Convince the Sumter Co Sheriff that Oak Forrest is an untapped financial resource via speeding tickets. Especially nail a few speeding golf carts and hit them hard. They don't have to to do it daily, just enough to build a reputation.

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  #30  
Old 07-18-2008, 04:56 PM
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Default Re: New traffic regs on Oak Forest Drive

Quote:
Originally Posted by autoshow
Who in their right mind,would have put those No Through Traffic signs up?
The commissioners on the Sumter County Board of Commissioners (there are 5 of them) at their 7-8-08 meeting.

See earlier posts.

John
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