News-Press Editorial: Make room for bicycles

Editorial • news-press.com • August 20, 2010

The Sanibel Causeway used to be bike-tolerant; now
it's bike-friendly.

It's a triumph for those who want to see our roads
made fully and safely usable by bicyclists and
pedestrians.

Lee County officially opened improvements at the
causeway Wednesday that allow bikes to pass safely
from the bike lane through the toll area. Used to be,
it was necessary for bikers to merge with traffic, a
dangerous proposition.

Biking, walking and using buses reduce congestion
and greenhouse gases and help reduce our
dependence on oil. It also helps in the war against
costly obesity.

Another opportunity to make a major road bike-
friendly is pending in Bonita Springs. The city
council wants answers from county staff and input
from residents before spending $500,000 in gas
taxes set aside by the county to add a 4-foot-wide
bikeway on each side of Hickory Boulevard.

The disagreement over the impacts of this retrofit
shows why it is important to accommodate bikes
and pedestrians when these roads are built in the
first place.