The other day we were heading south on Morse Blvd. on our way home from a doctor’s appointment when we saw flashing lights up ahead. As we approached the scene of what was obviously a motor vehicle accident, we dutifully got in line expecting we would soon be able to inch our way through to the other side and be on our way. It soon became apparent this was not going to be the case as more and more emergency vehicles arrived and no traffic was getting through in either direction.
Morse Blvd. is one of the main arteries in The Villages, and there is little recourse for an alternate route if an accident occurs. We, along with several other cars, reversed direction and headed back north in search of a way to get home using side roads. Using our GPS, we did manage to navigate our way through some lovely neighborhoods we had never seen before, then turned west onto 466 and then south onto Morse. As we did so, another emergency vehicle was trying to reach the scene of the accident, but was having a slow go of it with the traffic jam that was now backed up to the entrance gate.
Being the curious person that I am, I wondered what had happened, so the next day I texted a friend of mine who lives just a few houses down from Morse near the accident site to see if she knew any details. She was surprised to hear there had even been an accident, although she had heard sirens. Why was she not aware? Because accidents and sirens along Morse are such a common occurrence it didn’t catch her attention. A long-time resident of The Villages, I agree with her observations: “The street is not able to handle the amount of traffic it now gets. It is a cut through to 441 for vehicles who have no reason to be in The Villages.”
Perhaps there is a solution, but since we are not a gated community, I doubt it. However, I do remember when we first began spending time here twelve years ago, we did have to go through the visitor lane and the gate attendants asked us who we were visiting.  Now it seems their job is simply traffic control.
Speaking of which, it is hard to keep under the speed limit when the roads are wider and traffic is heavier and residential roads become thoroughfares. I’m sure local law enforcement is aware of this, and doing their best to patrol our streets, but I must admit we are getting a bit of a kick out of the empty cruisers now being used to enforce speed limits. We noticed the one on Morse had to be moved for the mowers last week.   I think most Villagers are “on to” this new method.
P.S. Take advantage of The VHA’s Golf Cart Safety Clinic, held monthly, stay on top of bicycle safety tips, be a defensive, courteous and safe driver. And if you have any questions about those pesky roundabouts, go to www.districtgov.org/community/Roundabout-02-08-12.pdf for “all you need to know” to navigate them safely.
Jan Palmer, Editor
The VHA Voice