Here are links to the six jurisdiction blog reports:
1. Unincorporated Lee County
2. Cape Coral
3. City of Fort Myers
4. Bonita Springs
5. Sanibel
6. Fort Myers Beach
Report by Darla Letourneau, BikeWalkLee
October 13, 2012
Overview
Lee County is a large far-flung area, with 804 square miles
of land and 625,310 people. There are
almost 1,000 miles of major roadways (arterials and collectors) and hundreds of
more miles of local roads. It's
sometimes hard to see the totality of new bike/ped facilities that are being
added in the county, but progress is happening!
For the second year, BikeWalkLee has worked with all the local
jurisdictions, FDOT and Lee MPO staff to report on new and improved bike and
pedestrian facilities countywide added over the past year, along with facilities underway that will be
online during the coming year.
Countywide, during 2012, 41.4 miles* of existing paved shoulders
were converted to signed and marked bike lanes, and 8.0 miles of new on-road
bicycle facilities were added. In
addition, 7.1 miles of new shared use paths were constructed, along with 19.8
miles of sidewalks*, and 1.3 miles of shared use paths were widened. A major feature of the MPO countywide
bike/ped plan was completed in 2012--LeeDOT completed wayfinding signs on two
demonstration loops envisioned in the plan--The Tour de Parks Recreational Loop
and the University Loop. In total, 65.4
miles are now connected by wayfinding.
In total, during 2012, 35.0 miles of new bike/ped facilities
were added. This is in addition to the
38.6 miles of new bike/ped facilities constructed in 2011; for a total of 73.6
miles of new facilities over the last two years. This pace is picking up substantially in
2013, with almost 60 miles of new bike/ped facilities scheduled to be completed
during the coming year.
Total
new and improved bike/ped facilities on all public roadways in Lee County:
2011-2013
(in lane miles. i.e., both sides of bike lanes
& sidewalks counted)
Year
|
New
Wayfinding
|
Conver.
to bike lanes
|
New
on-road bike facil.**
|
New
shared use paths (SUP)**
|
New
side-walks**
|
Improved
bike/ped (e.g. widened)
|
Total
new bike/ped facilities**
|
2011
|
8.0
|
5.0
|
25.6
|
1.5
|
38.6
|
||
2012
|
88.4
|
41.4
|
8.0
|
7.1
|
19.8
|
1.3
|
35.0
|
2013
|
4.8
|
22.0
|
5.9
|
31.7
|
1.0
|
59.6
|
|
TOTAL
|
88.4
|
46.2
|
38.1
|
18.0
|
77.1
|
3.8
|
133.2
|
**total
new facilities = new on-road bike facilities, plus new SUPs, and new sidewalks
----------
*
throughout the report, miles listed refer to "lane miles", which
means that both sides of bike lanes and sidewalks are counted, consistent with
national reporting norms.
The good news is that since the MPO adopted the countywide
master plan in early 2011, the county will have added a 3-year total of 133.2
miles of new bike/ped facilities. This
total doesn't include the 46.2 miles of paved shoulders that have been
converted to bike lanes or other important improvements, such as 88.4 miles of biking connected with wayfinding
signs or widening of shared use paths.
Many of these new bike/ped facilities are part of larger road
improvement/expansion projects, especially on state and county-maintained
roads. As a result of the complete
streets policies adopted by the county in 2009, bike/ped facilities are now
included in the design of almost all road projects.
 |
| FMB's North Estero Blvd. complete streets model project |
Simply looking at the number of miles of new bike/ped
facilities doesn't tell you the full story of the progress in creating a
connected bike/ped network. For example,
in Cape Coral, the construction of 2.2 miles of new bike lanes actually resulted in a new
17-mile connected biking loop, since these two small bike lane additions closed
the gaps, creating two new biking loops.
Another exciting development was the 2011 completion of Fort Myers
Beach's North Estero Blvd. drainage and
road improvement project which fully incorporated a complete streets approach. N. Estero Blvd. serves as a model complete
streets project for other communities in Lee County to consider.
 |
| Share the Road signs appearing throughout county |
There are other indications of progress not just in the
construction of new facilities but in usage of the county's bike/ped
network. As an indication of the value
of investments in this infrastructure, Sanibel conducted its second shared use
path survey this year and found that during the intervening 6 years since the
first survey, path usage had increased by both cyclists (up 56%) and
pedestrians (up 77%). In addition, as a
result of a model public/private partnership, a new Sanibel Path Welcome Center
was opened this year.
 |
Exhibit W in Lee MPO
Countywide Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan (shows bicycle facilities as of
2010.) Click here for larger view of map
|
The new bike/ped facilities throughout Lee County reflect
the County's commitment to complete streets (policy adopted in 2009), and the
subsequent adoption by the Lee MPO of the first countywide bicycle and pedestrian master plan adopted in 2011.
 |
| Exhibit V in Lee MPO Countywide Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan (shows pedestrian facilities as of 2010.) Click here for larger view of map |
Because there are at least seven jurisdictions involved
(unincorporated Lee County, five municipalities, and FDOT), there was a need
for a countywide plan. As noted in the
master plan, Lee County has significant bicycle and pedestrian facilities but
they are fragmented and lack continuity and connections. The countywide master plan identified 668
miles of bicycle gaps and 758 miles of sidewalk gaps. (Note: this data is in terms of
linear miles vs. lane miles and only covers arterial and collector roads, not
local roads.) (See exhibit MM from the master plan for the distribution of
those gaps by jurisdiction.) Jurisdictions throughout the county are working to fill
these gaps so that the goal of having a comprehensive and cohesive countywide
network can become a reality.
So, take a walk, a
run, or a bike ride and explore these new and improved biking and walking
facilities. Spread the word to your friends and neighbors. Send us a photo or
comment on BikeWalkLee's blog or Facebook page about these new facilities. Last
but not least, say “thank you to the elected officials and government staff who
made these improvements possible. Progress is being made. Thanks, LeeDOT, FDOT,
Lee MPO, and local cities and towns!
NEW & IMPROVED BIKE/PED
FACILITIES ON ALL PUBLIC ROADWAYS IN LEE COUNTY, BY JURISDICTION: 2011-2013 (note--FDOT & LeeDOT-managed projects reflected
in relevant jurisdiction)
New
and improved bike/ped facilities on all public roadways in Lee County completed
in 2011
(in lane miles. i.e., both sides of bike lanes
& sidewalks counted)
Jurisdiction
|
New
Wayfinding
|
Conver.
to bike lanes
|
New
on-road bike facil.
|
New
shared use paths
|
New
sidewalks
|
Improved
bike/ped (e.g. widened)
|
Unincorp.Lee
|
1.6
|
|||||
Cape
Coral
|
4.0
|
24.0
|
||||
Fort
Myers*
|
*
|
|||||
Bonita
Sp
|
8.0
|
|||||
Sanibel
|
1.0
|
1.5
|
||||
FM
Beach
|
||||||
TOTAL
|
8.0
|
5.0
|
25.6
|
1.5
|
*projects
planned for 2011 were completed in 2012, so shifted to 2012 report
New
and improved bike/ped facilities on all public roadways in Lee County completed
in 2012
(in lane miles, i.e. both sides of bike lanes
& sidewalks counted)
Jurisdiction
|
New
Wayfinding
|
Conver.
to bike lanes
|
New
on-road bike facil.
|
New
shared use paths
|
New
sidewalks
|
Improved
bike/ped (e.g. widened)
|
Unincorp.Lee
|
65.4
|
41.4
|
1.7
|
5.9
|
10.3
|
|
Cape
Coral
|
4.4
|
3.6
|
||||
Fort
Myers
|
3.5
|
|||||
Bonita
Sp
|
0.4
|
|||||
Sanibel
|
23.0
|
1.2
|
1.3
|
|||
FM
Beach*
|
2.0
|
2.0
|
||||
TOTAL
|
88.4
|
41.4
|
8.1
|
7.1
|
19.8
|
1.3
|
*includes 2011 complete streets project, which wasn't
included in 2011 report
New
and improved bike/ped facilities on all public roadways in Lee County to be
completed in 2013
(in lane miles. i.e., both sides of bike lanes
& sidewalks counted)
Jurisdiction
|
New
Wayfinding
|
Conver.
to bike lanes
|
New
on-road bike facil.
|
New
shared use paths
|
New
sidewalks
|
Improved
bike/ped (widened)
|
Unincorp.Lee
|
6.3
|
3.0
|
10.6
|
|||
Cape
Coral
|
4.8
|
3.9
|
7.0
|
|||
Fort
Myers
|
10.0
|
0.3
|
12.7
|
|||
Bonita
Sp
|
1.8
|
0.8
|
3.4
|
|||
Sanibel
|
1.8**
|
1.0
|
||||
FM
Beach
|
||||||
TOTAL
|
4.8
|
22.0
|
5.9
|
31.7
|
1.0
|
**Includes
1.2 mile Pond Apple/Shipley trail
Links to 2011 report:
BikeWalkLee's blog on Oct. 13, 2011 Oct. 19, 2011 blog post
Some of the future bike/ped projects approved for funding over
next 5 years:
In addition to the new projects in 2012 and 2013,
there are many more planned for 2014-2018.
Click below for information on these upcoming projects:
June 23rd blog post on Lee MPO
bike/ped projects recommended over next 5 years.
Sept. 20th blog post on LeeDOT
projects funded over next 5 years.
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