I try as much as I can to avoid getting involved in politics, for obvious reasons. I have reached the breaking point, however, on the topic of reflectors on the multi-modal paths (MMPs), a topic that clearly has become political because the safety aspect is obvious to all of us. I therefore submit these comments and questions to our officials and all others in The Villages who are involved with decision-making on this issue:
You are elected by your constituents and supposed to represent our wishes and interests. We are begging you to make the MMPs safer at night, why are you refusing to do that, either by reflectors (the most inexpensive solution) or otherwise?
You hired an engineering firm knowing the conclusion it would reach, the same firm you hired years ago that concluded that reflectors do not help with safer travel at night. Why did you spend our money on a report that you knew would reach the same conclusion it reached in the past?
You have destroyed your argument claiming reflectors do not improve safety and in fact create more risk to bicyclists and pedestrians by having already installed reflectors on certain curves, islands, etc. Why was that done if there is no safety value? Did you install them for their beauty and aesthetics? No, because some of you have publicly and privately said that one of your arguments against reflectors is that they “do not look good.”
You have created a community that we all love, geared toward travel by golf cart instead of automobiles. Why not make the “roads” used by golf carts (the MMPs) as safe as all of the roads used by cars here and everywhere else in the civilized world? This would include, at a minimum, reflectors and if you really had safety as the top priority, striping and more lighting.
You all know that, as officials, you have no personal liability in a lawsuit unless you act grossly negligent, willfully and recklessly. The Villages provides you protection for this with liability insurance. That insurance also protects The Villages overall. With 80,000 or so golf carts in The Villages and a scant number of bikers and pedestrians using the MMPs, it is obvious to conclude where the lawsuit is most likely to occur- from a golf cart accident. And when that accident inevitably occurs it is far more likely to be much worse than any accident that is very unlikely to ever happen to a bicyclist or pedestrian.
You incorrectly believe that the biased engineer report provides you “cover” from lawsuits and public scrutiny. You are being advised very poorly on this, I assure you. Any lawyer will easily find far more credible studies, reports and “expert” opinions concluding that reflectors help to improve nighttime visibility and therefore safety.
In 10 minutes of online research I found countless articles and studies concluding that reflectors improve visibility at night and inclement weather conditions. Anyone with a heartbeat knows that improving visibility improves safety.
You have created a community to attract 55+ year old residents and visitors. As we age, our eyesight begins to diminish. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people age 55 and over and even though many with vision loss can pass a driver’s exam to obtain a valid driver’s license, that does not mean their vision is not compromised, especially at night and inclement weather. Simply telling those people to not drive at night is ridiculous and ignorant of how real human beings lead their lives.
We know that cost is not an issue. District 5 is able to install reflectors everywhere for $12,000, the cost of one, decent used golf cart. District 10, I was told, could install reflectors everywhere for a cost of about $25,000, the price for one, nice new golf cart. If, hypothetically, cost was truly a concern I am confident that the vast majority of Villagers would support a small surcharge on their monthly Amenity bill or, if you preferred to assess those most likely to directly be impacted by safety on the MMPs, how about a $5 or so surcharge assessed on the sale of every golf cart in The Villages and/or any rental of a home? Yes, this would be akin to a “user tax” but would also show sensitivity to many of our neighbors who struggle with any increase in the monthly Amenity Fee.
If reflectors create no meaningful safety value then why do we see them everywhere on the roads and highways across the United States. Why not reach out to one or more of those government entities to ask them why they installed them? You won’t do this because you know they will provide the answer that, for some reason, you don’t want to hear.
Why don’t you even consider the possibility of a compromise? That compromise could be to install reflectors on ALL curved areas and islands on the MMPs. You could then add striping to the straight portions of the MMPs, doing so at a fraction of the cost since other areas would be protected by reflectors. This would result in our MMPs being just like the roads used by cars everywhere.
You tout and market The Villages, rightfully so, as “America’s Friendliest Hometown.” Why not include an even better slogan- “America’s Friendliest and Safest Hometown?”
We all experience risk in our lives simply by getting out of bed and navigating our world each day. Bicyclists and pedestrians know how to ride, walk and run with safety in mind and those of us who hear you cite reflectors as being “dangerous” to those folks find ourselves scratching our heads trying to figure out what really is going on behind-the-scenes. Tell us how many people bike, walk or run on the MMPs at night and who do so without wearing reflective materials. Bikers and pedestrians will know and see the reflectors in place, during daylight when they use the paths, and take adequate precautions as they do for any other type of “hazard” they might encounter, i.e. branches, puddles, rocks, animals, etc.
Many actions by politicians are taken to influence behavior. Are you trying to discourage golf cart users from going out at night? If so, tell us that. Whether intended or not, this is the result of your actions. And remember, it is dark here very early when Daylight Savings Time ends from November to March. This is also the time when the most people are here in The Villages, countless of those just visiting and likely with the least amount of experience driving golf carts and navigating the 90 or so miles of MMPs. They are also the most likely to venture out at night, wanting to understandably take advantage of the short amount of time they have here visiting, not wanting their day to end at 4:30 when it starts to get dark.
Your comments saying that District 5 “went rogue” by not following the script the rest of you got and decided to follow, is insulting to those supervisors and all of us. They, unlike you, listened to the voices of those who elected them, used common sense and had the courage to do what was in our best interests and against the wishes of the very few voices and opinions against them.
Please have the courage and enough respect for us to tell us, truthfully, why you are so resistive to something that is so obvious to all of the rest of us, the people who elected you and who pay the fees creating the funds to make our lives safer. We do not believe the engineer report and, candidly, doubt most of you believe it either.
John Corneille is a resident of the Village of Antrim Dells