To the Editor:
A recent Letter To the Editor may represent a misunderstanding either by its author, or myself. Upon our relocation to The Villages we were advised the Village gates were not a matter of security, but rather an attempt to exercise (albeit minimally) a degree of traffic control, and perhaps to a lesser degree a means of welcoming residents and visitors.
The gates will not prevent the entry of the “bad apples”, or “riff-raff” noted by the author of the October 8, 2017 letter titled, Gates are costly “smoke and mirrors,” although it could deter “bad guys” unaware of the gates intended purpose – i.e. an unintended benefit.
If our understanding is correct, the gates are intended to, and have been instrumental in reducing fender benders, and more serious accidents.
During the period cited by the author, following hurricane Irma, we have noted a number of near accidents between golf carts and larger vehicles utilizing our roadways.
The near accidents noted occurred at the intersections of multi-modal paths and neighborhood streets. Village entrance marquees, at these intersections, commonly obscure line of sight. Stop signs placed at these intersections during the absence of gate arms do little to slow, let alone stop the larger vehicular traffic. For my two-cents, I would rather have gate arms replaced as soon as possible, rather than face the prospect of a long wait at our Villages Emergency Room, as the result of a preventable vehicular accident.
Rich Pelkowski
Village of Dunedin
