The issue of safety on multi-modal paths in The Villages is apparently bigger than centerline striping.
That appeared to be the sentiment coming out of Monday morning’s nearly two-hour meeting of the Project Wide Advisory Committee.
“This might be bigger than Project Wide,” said PWAC Chairman Peter Moeller. The idea was raised to schedule a joint meeting about safety issues on the multi-modal paths. The meeting would include PWAC members (representing CDDs 5 through 10) representatives from CDDs 1 through 4 and a representative from the Amenity Authority Committee. The format of the meeting and how it is structured will be determined by District staff.
PWAC supervisors, representing CDDs 5 through 10, expressed a range of viewpoints from their fellow supervisors and their own personal opinions.
“We may have an engineering problem or a perception problem,” said CDD 5 member Chuck Wildzunas. “But to our residents, perception is reality.”
While striping has been at the center of the debate for the past several months, the notion has been raised that inattentiveness, speeding and drinking are all problems out on the multi-modal paths. Other issues include aging drivers who might need to surrender the golf cart keys, nighttime driving, too-bright headlights and bad weather.
“We need to decide, ‘What problem are we trying to solve?'” suggested CDD 9 member Steve Printz.
CDD 4 Chairman Don Deakin, whose district went ahead and striped their paths last year and has been labeled “rogue” for doing so, said his district’s action has gotten people’s attention.
“It has gotten the entire Villages talking about it,” Deakin said