The most dangerous section of road in The Villages is North Morse Boulevard.
This section of road runs 2.5 miles from U.S. Hwy. 27/441 to County Road 466. One mile of this road has an off-the-road multi-modal path for walkers, wheelchair riders, bikers and golf carts. The last 1.5 miles is a two lane road that was built as a country road with shoulders and no sidewalks for residents. Years ago, it connected the Spanish Springs Town Square area located on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 with the watermelon farmers on County Road 466. North Morse Boulevard was hardly used before The Villages decided to expand past County Road 466.
Fast forward 20 years, this little stretch of “country road” carries upwards of 20,000 vehicles including 18 wheelers, ambulances, fire trucks, contractors pulling trailers, not including bikers, golf carts, wheelchair riders or walkers. The hospital, shopping centers, and a town square and a regional recreation center are located on or near U.S. Hwy. 27/441. The shoulders of this country road were converted to a multi-modal path.
By far, North Morse Boulevard is the most dangerous section of roadway in The Villages. Sumter county acknowledges at least five deaths and Florida Highway Patrol reports hundreds of accidents over the years since The Villages expanded past County Road 466. Precisely how many deaths and seriously injured are hard to determine because the details are redacted and thus hard to extract and the county is very tight-lipped about the details.
But should you EVER decide to take the time and talk to the residents living around North Morse Boulevard or those that use the road frequently, many are scared to death to use the multi-modal paths adjacent to the roadway with their golf carts and several moved away totally to avoid using North Morse Boulevard. Almost everyone has a horror story of a near death experience riding in a golf cart or on a bicycle. Every neighborhood adjacent to North Morse Boulevard seems to have at least one victim seriously injured or killed on North Morse Boulevard.
Three thousand residents living and using North Morse Boulevard signed petitions to make it safer and get the multi-modal paths off the main road. With upwards of 20,000 vehicles, the road is extremely dangerous especially during high season here in The Villages.
When one approaches the county asking for traffic lights, stop signs, slower traffic, you get the federal standards. The 10,000 residents living adjacent to North Morse Boulevard and dying or getting seriously injured on the road are just incompetent at driving or bike riding. NEVER have they said the road is designed wrong for current standards. It is a country road and they changed the shoulders into multimodal paths. So now there are no shoulders on the road and people pull into the multimodal path to park cars or trucks, avoid emergency vehicles, get around vehicles or golf carts turning left, or to write tickets when there is an accident. This parking in the multi-modal path forces residents in golf carts or bikes or wheelchairs into the main vehicle traffic lane on the road.
How many more residents need to get killed or seriously injured before the county does its job to protect the residents. North Morse Boulevard needs to be redesigned into what it really is, a “CITY STREET” with sidewalks for pedestrians and wheelchair riders and an off the road multimodal path for bikers and golf carts. Add stop signs or traffic lights, lower speed limits in congested areas, and add turning lanes for the entire road. That is what the road should resemble, not a converted country road.
Please stop using county resources to counter the request of the residents, but rather use county resources to find and implement a solution to the safety issues and concerns of residents on North Morse Boulevard.
If you do not know anyone killed or injured on North Morse Boulevard, you do not know North Morse Boulevard!
James Vaccaro is a Villager who has long advocated for steps to improve safety on North Morse Boulevard.
