BikeWalkLee: Parks and prohibitions

BikeWalkLee Column ‘Go Coastal’
The News-Press, May 20, 2021
by Ken Gooderham

Some bike/ped activity from the county brings us new parks and new rules.

Lehigh linear park:

The recent announcement of plans for a 6-mile-long linear park in Lehigh Acres may not be the best part of the recreational news – but it’s still a welcome plan for local bikers, runners and walkers. The park, which will run along the northern side of the Able Canal, will provide much needed bike/ped options away from the roadways while tying together a number of community assets – from Harns Marsh to Lehigh Trailhead Park and including Lehigh Elementary and Lehigh Community Park.

It’s the latter facility that also has some welcomed improvements ahead. The county purchased 47 acres adjacent to the existing Lehigh Acres Park, and a number of new facilities are in design right now to be added soon. Reports say they may include football and soccer fields, pickleball courts, fishing areas and a disc golf course.  

Some of the additional acreage will be devoted to a bus transfer station, further enhancing accessibility to the park and facilities without generating additional traffic.

The linear park is a joint project with Lee County and the Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, with funding from the county ($2 million) and the Florida Dept. of Transportation ($4.9 million).

Construction on the shared-use path is expected in 2023, while work on the park expansion hopefully will begin next year.

Lehigh Acres is often overlooked when it comes to bike/ped infrastructure, so adding a major pathway that will make access to a number of recreational assets easier is welcome and long overdue. As one of the faster growing areas of the county, we expect the new parks (linear and community) will see a lot of use in the years ahead.

Yarbrough trailhead under way:

Moving to another linear park, construction is well under way on the long-awaited trailhead park for the John Yarbrough Linear Park. Featuring parking, pavilions and restrooms, the trailhead is on a 1.4-acre parcel where the linear park intersects Ben C. Pratt/six Mile Cypress Parkway.

Parking has been sorely lacking along the linear park, which runs 4.8 miles from Colonial Blvd. south to Six Mile Cypress Parkway along the Ten Mile Canal. Despite this, the park has still seen considerable use thanks to numerous adjacent neighborhoods and its connections to other bike paths and recreational facilities.

Having a place to park for the park will just expand its use even more… good news for bikers, runners and walkers, as well as dog lovers (on-leash, please) and people who fish the canal.

Weather permitting, construction should be done by early summer.

Rules for the right-of-way:

Finally, last month county commissioners also approved new restrictions on “dangerous uses of public roads and rights of way.”

The condensed version is that folks who have been soliciting money and selling goods along major intersections (which has increased noticeably during the pandemic) will have to find another place to operate instead of standing on narrow concrete medians or beside busy roadways.

The good news? The ordinance cited the county’s unpleasantly high ranking among the country’s most dangerous places for pedestrians as justification for the action, acknowledging a very unwelcome history of pedestrian injuries and deaths along county roadways (even though the activities being prohibited here are rarely the reason for pedestrian fatalities).

The bad news? Some more benign activities may be swept up in the new restrictions, including “Fill The Boot” charitable drives held by local fire departments and some political campaigning where candidates and supporters waving at passing motorists traversing busy intersections.

The new rules apply only to roads in unincorporated Lee County and, while fines and jail time are possible, the Sheriff’s Office plans to work on education and awareness first before more strict enforcement kicks in.

Making county roadways safer for pedestrians is a laudable goal – but the real danger for most pedestrians lies elsewhere than standing at busy intersections. Bad road design, inadequate crossing options, insufficient lighting and inattentive drivers are far more dangerous to pedestrians – and none of these are impacted by the new rules.

And while the tighter regulations are no doubt driven by the rise in homeless people seeking help, it will be interesting to see if charities and candidates push back on the prohibitions once the economy recovers and the restrictions kick in. 

EVENTS 

Summertime has squeezed local running and biking events, with July 4 the biggest bump on the horizon. It’s still smart to confirm events with the organizers and stay flexible in case conditions (and pandemic guidelines) change.

FORT MYERS TRACK CLUB (ftmyerstrackclub.com):

• Priority Business Solutions Freedom 5K Run/Walk & Gunterberg Charitable Foundation Kid's Fun Run, Sunday, July 4, Cape Coral Bridge
  

GC RUNNERS (gcrunner.org):

• SNIP Collier 5K, May 31 
• GCR Firecracker 5K, July 3-5, virtual

ELITE EVENTS (runeliteevents.com):

• USA Independence Day 5K, Sunday, July 4, Estero
  

OTHER RUNS

• Publix Run to the Arts 5K run/walk – in-person is now delayed to Nov. 20, runsignup.com or runtothearts.com
  

OTHER RIDES

• Costco/CRBC Golisano Children's Hospital Benefit Ride, Saturday, May 22, starts at 7:30 a.m. from Costco at the Gulf Coast Town Center. 45 miles, five speed groups, minimum $20 donation, no reservations needed. Info at caloosariders.org.
  
• Wheel Lee Fun instructional series for young riders. Four weekly sessions beginning July 5, go to crbc.clubexpress.com/wheelleefun for details.
  

The Caloosa Riders are offering member rides, but some are open to non-members (and it wouldn’t hurt you to join the club); check their ride calendar (caloosariders.org) for a description of the distance and speed, and to see if the ride is open to all.

SW Florida Critical Mass is offering their usual slate of family-friendly rides. Check out their line-up online (www.meetup.com/Biking-SWFL/events/) for details and times (and to make sure the ride is still rolling).

• SW Florida Critical Mass ride, first Friday of the month. A family-friendly slow night ride through Fort Myers. Front and rear bike lights required. Helmet and lights required, meet in the parking lot at 2180 West First Street, Fort Myers. 
• Sanibel Critical Mass night ride, second Saturday of the month. Gathers at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended.
• NE Lee Critical Mass ride, third Friday of the month. Gather in the Winn Dixie parking lot on Palm Beach Blvd. about five miles east of the Interstate; gather at 7 p.m. and roll at 7:30 p.m. for a slow ride through Fort Myers Shores.
• Cape Coral Critical Mass ride, fourth Friday of the month. Gather at the Southwest Florida Military Museum parking lot at 4820 Leonard Street for a family-friendly night ride through the Cape; helmets and lights required.
• Saturday Morning Slow Roll, fourth Saturday of the month. Meet-up at 2160 McGregor Blvd., Fort Myers. Recommended for inexperienced/young riders. Distance is 6 miles, includes group ride instruction.
  

If racing is not your thing but you’d like to support their return nonetheless, consider volunteering to help out at the few in-person offerings ahead. With Covid concerns still confining some of the usual volunteers, a few new helping hand would certainly be welcomed.

TRIATHLONS:

• 2021 Heartland Triathlon, June 12-13, Sebring. Kid’s event Saturday, adult Olympic and sprint triathlon, duathlon and aquabike Sunday.
• Fort Desoto Triathlon, June 26, Fort Desoto (St. Petersburg), sprint and Olympic
• Sirens & Merman Triathlon & Duathlon, June 27, Sarasota
• Top Gun Triathlon, July 17, St. Petersburg
• Siesta Sprint Triathlon, Aug. 1, Siesta Key
• Fort Desoto Triathlon, Aug. 14, Fort Desoto (St. Petersburg), sprint and Olympic
• Fort Desoto Triathlon, Sept. 11, Fort Desoto (St. Petersburg), sprint and Olympic
• St. Anthony’s Triathlon (St. Petersburg) rescheduled to Oct. 1-3, 2021
• City Island Triathlon, Oct. 10, Sarasota
  

 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RIDE:

Have a favorite route you like to bike, or a unique walk you’d like to share with others? Tell us about it at info@bikewalklee.org, and maybe we can feature it in an upcoming column.

# # #

Ken Gooderham writes this on behalf of BikeWalkLee, a community coalition raising public awareness and advocating for complete streets in Lee County — streets that are designed, built, operated and maintained for safe and convenient travel for all users: pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Information, statistics and background online at www.BikeWalkLee.org.