Dan Moser shares thoughts on Fort Myers Beach bicycle lanes

Image: refreshfmbeach.com

Image: refreshfmbeach.com

Avid bicyclist Dan Moser, a founding member of BikeWalkLee and current chair of the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinating Committee, shared his thoughts on the Fort Myers Beach bicycle lanes to date, along with bicycle safety 'Do’s & Don’ts'.

“Remember when you drive a car, you are a threat to take someone’s life. If a car going 30 miles-per-hour hits a bicyclist, the biker only has a 50/50 chance of survival; at 40 mph, that drops to roughly 15% and those who live will most likely endure a life-long, life-changing physical condition, so please keep that in mind, especially on Fort Myers Beach where cars, bicycles and pedestrians are so close together in large numbers and tight conditions."

Read the entire interview at fortmyersbeach.news.

Dan Moser

Fort Myers Beach bike project makes riding safer

Florida Weekly 'Outdoors' column, September 25, 2019
danMOSER
bikepedmoser@gmail.com

Four fitness stations mysteriously popped up along McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers recently. (photo: Dan Moser)

A number of projects and initiatives are underway to make Lee County more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists.

The complete reworking of Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach is coming along, although those who must traverse it on a regular basis are likely thinking it’s happening much too slowly.

I recently had an opportunity to ride my bike from the Park & Ride lot on Little Carlos Island just across the bridge to Bowditch Park south through the just completed Estero Boulevard segment from Lovers Lane down to Strandview Avenue.

It was a pleasant ride throughout, thanks to bike lanes on the town’s well-established section north of Times Square and on the newest segment south of Red Coconut/Lovers Lane.

Sharrows painted on the roadway reminding drivers that bikes would be using any part of the travel lane where there is no room for bike lanes from the foot of the bridge to Red Coconut/Lovers Lane made riding there comfortable as well. In that segment the side paths are nine feet wide so those on bikes who don’t want to ride in the road can opt for that option, although I found road riding to be safe and stress-free.

Dan Moser is a long-time bicycle/pedestrian
advocate and traffic safety professional
who cycles, runs and walks regularly for
transportation, recreation and  fitness.
Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com
and 239-334-6417.

I was especially impressed with the transition design between side path and bike lane where that occurs at Red Coconut/Lovers Lane: a parallel curb ramp allows southbound cyclists to seamlessly get off the side path when the bike lane begins or jump onto the side path where the bike lane ends for those traveling north. One problem, however, persists: some side path bike riders do not understand that they must warn pedestrians and others on bikes when passing, operate at slow speed and must behave in a way that doesn’t put others at risk. As well, e-bikes are not allowed to travel under electric power on side paths but some do, and at inappropriately fast speeds.

As for any kind of bike, except for children or those who aren’t physically capable of operating on the road, the combination of sharrows and a middle turn lane that allows motorists to easily pass makes road riding in the segment with no bike lanes safe and more efficient than the sidepath.

What seemed to be a double-super-secret project that appeared earlier this year but to no announcements or even a mention on the city’s website (at least until after an exhaustive search that finally resulted in finding one city staffer who knew about this project’s background), the “Steel Challenge Course,” a multi-station outdoor fitness course, has popped-up along McGregor Boulevard between the Alliance for the Arts and a mile north of Fort Myers Country Club.

Unlike those in Cape Coral along North Del Prado Boulevard and others found in a few of our parks, this one has only four stations along this two-mile stretch of McGregor (three of the four are on either end), meaning it has far fewer stations and they are located much farther apart than what would seem to be more appropriate.

Besides the city’s failure to let its residents and visitors know it even exists, I’m thinking the tax money used for a project like this, especially in this particular part of town, makes little sense (it’s not like it’s an underserved area in any way other than for cyclists who would rather use the road than sidewalk). Why not instead have used the funds to install public bike repair and air pump stations where they’d be most utilized, or for fixing sidewalks that are in disrepair and building them where they are sorely needed? Oh, well, at least it was well-intentioned.

Although not infrastructure projects but rather vital planning tools, bicycle/pedestrian plans (or plan updates) for a number of our municipalities were either recently completed or are in the works. Along with the existing overall Lee County Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plan and Lee County Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (also soon to be updated) these local government plans combine to create a complete overview of the needs, feasibility, and costs for creating a much needed improved environment for non-motorists. Also, our current third edition bike map that was created in 2014 is long overdue for updating to a fourth edition, so I’m hoping that will be coming soon. Check-in with Lee MPO (www.leempo.com) for details.

To learn about this topic and more, visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com and www.streetsaliveswfl.org.¦



For Lee County cycling and tri events visit Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club (caloosariders.org); Florida Mudcutters (mudcutters.org); and SW Florida Biking Meetup Group (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL). The Florida Bicycle Association (floridabicycle.org) is your source for statewide happenings. BikeWalkLee’s blog site has all the information you’ll need to stay abreast of advocacy efforts in Southwest Florida as well as statewide and nationally.

State Road 865 (San Carlos Boulevard) Public Meeting Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, will hold a public meeting to discuss the operational analysis study to identify a series of mobility improvements for State Road (SR) 865 (San Carlos Boulevard) from south of Estero Boulevard to County Road (CR) 869 (Summerlin Road), approximately 3.1 miles, in Lee County. www.swflroads.com/sr865/sancarlosboulevard/

The public meeting is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at the Chapel by the Sea Presbyterian Church, 100 Chapel Street, Fort Myers Beach, Florida 33931.

The purpose of this operational analysis study is to determine locations and types of operational deficiencies that exist along the project corridor and identify specific improvement alternatives that can be developed and evaluated. The goal of the study is to identify ways to reduce travel times on SR 865 (San Carlos Boulevard) during the peak seasons for people getting onto and off of Estero and San Carlos Islands. Adding additional lanes on San Carlos Boulevard may not be feasible, so improvements are needed for all modes of travel including busses and trolleys, cars, bicycles, and pedestrians. In addition to the emphasis on alternative modes of transportation, improvements to safety and accessibility are also an important element of the study.

The proposed project is also intended to promote emphasis for alternative transportation use and to increase public transit ridership. The project will also enhance mobility and safety for vehicular and non-vehicular transportation and increase accessibility and connections between community points of interest.

Traffic volume on SR 865 (San Carlos Boulevard) from south of Estero Boulevard to CR 869 (Summerlin Road) averages about 25,000 vehicles per day during peak season. Traffic is expected to increase to over 31,000 vehicles per day by the year 2040.

Since beginning the study, FDOT has been conducting analyses, meeting with stakeholders, and identifying potential improvements to address the operational deficiencies. Input received to date has been incorporated where feasible. Potential improvements include improved signalization; adding sidewalks and bicycle lanes where currently not present, including the Matanzas Pass bridge and Hurricane Bay bridge; and enhanced transit service.

The purpose of the meeting is to present potential improvements identified by the study team and to obtain comments so that the department can determine which improvements to move forward to the next phase of development. The meeting will be conducted in an informal open house setting. Attendees are encouraged to come to this meeting at any time between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. to review the potential improvements. Project information, aerial photographs and poster board displays will be available for review. Department representatives will be available during the meeting to informally discuss the project and to answer your questions. This meeting will give interested people the opportunity to review displays and talk one-on-one with staff. Written comments are encouraged.

FDOT solicits public participation without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or people who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Jamie Schley, District One Title VI Coordinator, at (863) 519-2573 or by e-mail at Jamie.schley@dot.state.fl.us at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact the agency using the Florida Relay Services, 1 (800) 955-8771 (TDD) or 1 (800) 955-8770 (Voice).

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by FDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. §327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT.

Project Contact

For more information about the project, please contact Marlon Bizerra, P.E., Project Manager, Florida Department of Transportation at 863-519-2250 or toll-free at 1-800-292-3368 Ext. 2250, or by email at marlon.bizerra@dot.state.fl.us.

Written comments and questions can be mailed to Mr. Bizerra’s attention at Florida Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 1249, Bartow, Florida 33831.

Connect with the SR 865 (San Carlos Boulevard) Operational Analysis Study on the web!
www.swflroads.com/sr865/sancarlosboulevard/

Save the date: April 26 project advisory meeting and public workshop, Fort Myers Beach Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan

Fort Myers Beach bike-ped master plan reaching final stages

The News-Press, 4/18/2017
Craig Handel

Fort Myers Beach is two months away from having
a master plan completed for cyclists and pedestrians.
(Photo: Kevin Derrick, Getty Images/iStockphoto)

For decades, Fort Myers Beach officials have wanted to improve their roads and crosswalks for cyclists and walkers.

Some quality work has been done on the beach but it hasn’t been extensive.

In about two months, Fort Myers Beach will have a master plan for bike-ped use. In June, an eight-month analysis of the area will be completed.

In addition, Estero Boulevard is undergoing a county-funded bike, pedestrian and transit enhancement. At a cost of more than $50 million, this project could run from 3-5 years.

In the past three years (2014-16) on Fort Myers Beach there have been 67 bike/ped related crashes, but no fatalities, according to Brian Raimondo, Lee MPO using Signal Four Analytics.

Construction employees work along Estero Boulevard in Fort Myers Beach near School Street.
(Photo: The News-Press file photo)

 On April 26, residents and Fort Myers beach goers have another chance to speak about what kind of improvements they’d like to see.

The Town of Fort Myers Beach, in partnership with the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization will hold an interactive, community workshop from 5:30-7 p.m.at Town Hall in the Council Chambers. There also is aproject advisory meeting from 10-11:30 a.m. that the public is invited to that day.

The workshop will include a presentation, interactive exercises to collect ideas for plan recommendations and time to talk with town staff and project team members about ideas to improve walking and biking on Fort Myers Beach.

The master plan is being done by Jacobs, which specializes in architecture, engineering and construction operations and maintenance, as well as specialty consulting. Ron Gogoi, a transportation planning administer with MPO, said the focus is on the East-West roadways and the location of the crosswalks.

Town officials will be asking attendees such questions as:

What does it mean to you to walk and bike in Fort Myers Beach?

How can we improve bicycling and walking in Fort Myers Beach?

What would encourage you to walk and bike more?

How can we better connect you to your destinations?

Past meetings have had little attendance. Bruce Butcher, a former BikeWalkLee steering committee member now on the town council, hopes that changes now that there’s less traffic.

“It’s a quality life issue, the way I look at it,” he said. “The master plan is a supplement to Estero Boulevard to make the experience better for bikers.”

Better means safer and better means a potential boost in tourism. Studies have shown families take trips to areas based on which are considered the most bike and pedestrian friendly.

In addition, there are plans to include a 300-mile bike path from Clearwater to Naples, which Fort Myers Beach would be part of.

“From a master plan side, the impetus is on safety but there also have been some requests about infrastructure improvement, like sidewalks and roadways” said Don Scott, executive director of the MPO. “It’s a prioritization process and there are different funding sources. Safety funds can be obtained quicker.”

Rendering of changes to be made on Estero Boulevard. (Photo: ReFreshFMBeach.com)

The Estero Boulevard improvement is being done in five different segments, Scott said. One segment already underway will be from 8-9 1/2 feet wide in those sections of the boulevard where constrained rights-of-way won't allow bike lanes or would permit only sharrows. The latter are those shared road markings, often with a picture of a bike, reminding motorists that cyclists have a right to use regular road lanes.

The Lee County five-year Capital Improvement Program in the fiscal year ending in 2015 allocated $50 million to DOT for Estero Boulevard improvements. The plan was to do the project in phases with a segment done every other year in order to make the funding work based on  projected revenues.

In order to proceed more efficiently and minimize long-term disruption, the Department of Transportation was  directed to continue the project as a single phase, shortening the timeframe by at least six years. By accelerating the project, the entire project cost is now contained in DOT's five-year Capital Improvement Program with the fiscal year end of 2021 at $59 million. An additional $22 million in utility work brings the total to $81 million.

“The redo of Estero Boulevard has been considered for a long time,” Scott said. “The county got serious the last few years and approved the money.”

Scott said improvements also need to be made in street lighting.

There also have been some serious injuries.

Naples bicyclist Milton Quinonez suffered a brain injury during a crash on Fort Myers Beach on July 12, 2014. They were heading off Fort Myers Beach on San Carlos Boulevard near Buttonwood Drive in the outside travel lane.

That’s why Scott and Gogoi say improvements must be made to the corridors as well as the beach itself.

“Our intention is to put together a bike-ped network,” Gogoi said. “We want to enhance bike-ped mobility as well as enhance the safety for bicyclists.”

What: The Town of Fort Myers Beach, in partnership with the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), is developing the town’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

When: Project advisory meeting, 10-11:30 a.m.; Public workshop, 5:30-7 p.m. The public is welcome to both sessions

Where: Town Hall, 2525 Estero Blvd.

April 26th: Fort Myers Beach Community Workshop on Bike/Ped Master Plan

 If you live, work, or play in Fort Myers Beach, your input into the Town's first Bike/Ped Master Plan is really needed!  Mark your calendars now, and plan to attend the April 26th meeting from 5-7 p.m. at the FMB Town Hall. 

4/4/17 Press Release:                   Town of Fort Myers Beach to host 
Second Community Workshop on the Town’s
First Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan

Fort Myers Beach, Fla. — The Town of Fort Myers Beach, in partnership with the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), is developing the Town’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. It is an exciting project that promotes a healthy, vibrant, and safe community through cycling and walking. We want you to help the Town plan for bikeways, walkways, trails, and other related biking and walking projects.

Please join the Town, your friends, and neighbors at an interactive, community workshop on Wednesday, April 26 at the Town Hall (2525 Estero Blvd, Ft. Myers Beach, FL) from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.  

The workshop will include a presentation about the project including a description of the needs assessment and initial programs, project, design, and policy recommendations. The consultant team of Jacobs Engineering and Alta Planning & Design will provide interactive exercises to collect opinions on the plan recommendations, and time to talk with Town staff and project team members about your interests and ideas to improve walking and biking in Fort Myers Beach.

For more information about the project, please check the Town’s website (fortmyersbeachfl.gov) for regular updates.

 Contact: Chelsea O’Riley, Town of Ft. Myers Beach
239-765-0202 x1701
Chelsea@fortmyersbeachfl.gov

Master Plan Presentation PowerPoint 3/27/17

Feb. 15th Fort Myers Beach Community Workshop on Bike/Ped Master Plan

 Want to improve walking and biking in the Ft. Myers Beach?  This is your chance! Please join the Town, your friends, and neighbors at an interactive, community workshop on Wednesday, February 15 at the Town Hall (2525 Estero Blvd, Ft. Myers Beach, FL) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

We want you to share with Town staff: What does it mean to you to walk and bike in Fort Myers Beach? How can we improve bicycling and walking in Fort Myers Beach? What would encourage you to walk and bike more? And how can we better connect you to your destinations?

The workshop will include a presentation about the project, interactive exercises to collect ideas for plan recommendations, and time to talk with Town staff and project team members about your interests and ideas to improve walking and biking in Fort Myers Beach.

 

 Ft. Myers Beach, in partnership with the Lee County MPO and Lee County, is undertaking the development of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.  In addition to the community workshop, the project team has developed an online Community Input Map. This interactive map allows you to note walking or biking issues and/or make comments on improvements to the network you’d like to see, such as a particular bike route you’d like built, attention to a missing link, etc.  The results will be used to identify and prioritize projects during the planning process.

Click on this link to access the map.  Instructions are provided at the link for using the interactive map.

Please feel free to share the online map link and information about the community workshop.  We would like to gather as much input as possible.

LINKS:

Link to map.

Link to information on the Town's website about the project.

LeeDOT's response to Cyclists Safey Concerns on Estero Blvd. in Fort Myers Beach

Thinking of biking on Fort Myers Beach?  Read this first.

Background
In December, BWL was made aware of serious safety concerns for cyclists riding on Estero Blvd. in Fort Myers Beach during the ongoing construction project, with numerous crashes being reported.  We issued a blog post in December about our concerns: BWL blog Dec. 22, 2016: Warning to Cyclists: Don't bike on Fort Myers Beach until the Estero Blvd. Improvement project is completed.  

We have also been working with LeeDOT to address the problems identified by cyclists.  Below is the press release that LeeDOT put out Jan. 9th (just received) that urges caution in the construction zone.


We continue to hear from cyclists about how dangerous it is to bike out there, including Fort Myers Beach residents.

BikeWalkLee continues to be very concerned about cyclist safety during this construction project.  If you do choose to bike out there, please report any problems you encounter to Kaye Molnar:
239-337-1071; kmolnar@cella.cc.

Below the press release is this week's project update.  If you want to sign up to receive these weekly updates, you can sign up at http://www.refreshfmbeach.com/.  Just click on the "Contact Us" button to fill out the form, be sure to select the “Please add me…” button at the bottom of the page.

Lee County Press Release on Jan. 9, 2017 (received by BWL on Feb. 1st)

Estero Boulevard Improvements Project
Reminder to use caution in construction zone

Contact: Kaye Molnar, Project Public Information Officer

Cella Molnar and Associates, Inc.

239-337-1071

kmolnar@cella.cc

Fort Myers Beach, FL, Jan. 9, 2017 – As cooler temperatures and sunny days prompt outdoor activities such as bicycling, walking and running, many enthusiasts are heading to Fort Myers Beach. The Lee County Department of Transportation reminds bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists that construction continues on Estero Boulevard from Lani Kai Resort to Publix, and caution should be used when traveling through the construction zone.

One of the two major goals of the Estero Boulevard Improvements Project is to improve safety for bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists. The second goal is to improve the storm drainage on Estero Boulevard. During construction bicyclists should obey traffic laws and ride for the travel conditions. In some cases, bicyclists may feel safer walking through the construction zone. Pedestrians should be aware of bicyclists and motorists around them. Motorists should watch for pedestrians and bicyclists on roadsides, side streets, and boulevard crossings.

Crews monitor and sweep the work zone routinely to make bicycle and pedestrian travel as safe as possible during construction; however, Estero Boulevard is an active, ever-changing construction zone. Conditions change daily, hourly and minute-to-minute. Bicyclists and pedestrians may experience changes in roadway surfaces and elevations, steel plates and loose gravel.

Once construction of Estero Boulevard is complete, most of the boulevard will provide travel lanes with designated bike lanes and wide sidewalks on both sides. Bicyclists will share the travel lanes from Crescent Street to Lovers Lane due to the limited right-of-way. In the meantime, all travelers may need to change their habits during construction, and all need to stay aware and use caution. The end result of this much-needed, very challenging project will be a boulevard that provides improved stormwater drainage and treatment and an improved roadway design for motorist, bicyclists and pedestrians.

Details about the Estero Boulevard Improvement Project are available online at www.reFRESHFMBeach.com or by calling (239) 337-1071.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estero Boulevard Improvements:  February 1, 2017 Bulletin
Traffic shift scheduled Monday night (2/6)
North of Chapel Street to south of Lovers Lane
Beginning Monday night 2/6, crews will start shifting traffic to the outside lanes of Estero Boulevard to begin construction in the center turn lane from north of Chapel Street to south of Lovers Lane. During this work, barrier wall or construction barrels will be necessary on both sides of the center lane due to a 1 to 1 ½-foot difference in elevation between travel lanes and the work zone.

Vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to cross Estero Boulevard (from north of Chapel Street to south of Lovers Lane) at the following locations.

· Fort Myers Beach Town Hall
· Tropical Shores Way
· School Street
· Bay Road

Want to improve walking and biking in Fort Myers Beach? Share your ideas online on Community Input Map

Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Underway

Ft. Myers Beach Community Input Map is first opportunity for input

Want to improve walking and biking in the Ft. Myers Beach?  This is your chance! The Ft. Myers Beach Community Input Map is the first step in a larger effort to improve walking and biking in the Town.  Ft. Myers Beach, in partnership with the Lee County MPO and Lee County, is undertaking the development of a Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.   This interactive map allows you to note walking or biking issues and/or make comments on improvements to the network you’d like to see, such as a particular bike route you’d like built, attention to a missing link, etc.  The results will be used to identify and prioritize projects during the planning process.

Click on this link to access the map.  Instructions are provided at the link for using the interactive map.

In addition to the online map, there will be other opportunities to provide your input in person and help shape the goals for the project. 

Please join the Town, your friends, and neighbors at an interactive, community workshop on Wednesday, February 15 at the Town Hall (2525 Estero Blvd, Ft. Myers Beach, FL) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. We want you to share with Town staff: What does it mean to you to walk and bike in Fort Myers Beach? How can we improve bicycling and walking in Fort Myers Beach? What would encourage you to walk and bike more? And how can we better connect you to your destinations?

The workshop will include a presentation about the project, interactive exercises to collect ideas for plan recommendations, and time to talk with Town staff and project team members about your interests and ideas to improve walking and biking in Fort Myers Beach.

Please feel free to share the online map link and information about the community workshop.  We would like to gather as much input as possible.

Thank you for your contribution toward this effort.

LINKS:

Link to map.

Link to information on the Town's website about the project.

Town of Fort Myers Beach to host Community Workshop on the Town’s First Bicycle and Pedestrian Master

Save the Date--Feb. 15th--to participate in an interactive community workshop to develop the Town of Fort Myers Beach's first ever bicycle/pedestrian master plan.  If you live, work, or play on or near Fort Myers Beach, this is your opportunity to help the island shape its future bike/ped facilities and programs.

Fort Myers Beach, Fla. — The Town of Fort Myers Beach, in partnership with the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), is developing the Town’s first Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan. It is an exciting project that promotes a healthy, vibrant, and safe community through cycling and walking. 

 

We want you to help the Town plan for bikeways, walkways, trails, and other related biking and walking projects.

Please join the Town, your friends, and neighbors at an interactive, community workshop on Wednesday, February 15 at the Town Hall (2525 Estero Blvd, Ft. Myers Beach, FL) from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

We want you to share with Town staff: What does it mean to you to walk and bike in Fort Myers Beach? How can we improve bicycling and walking in Fort Myers Beach? What would encourage you to walk and bike more? And how can we better connect you to your destinations? The workshop will include a presentation about the project, interactive exercises to collect ideas for plan recommendations, and time to talk with Town staff and project team members about your interests and ideas to improve walking and biking in Fort Myers Beach.

Warning to Cyclists: Don't bike on Fort Myers Beach until the Estero Blvd. Improvement project is completed

Below is a message from Tina Sujana, an area avid cyclist, past bike shop manager, local realtor, and current member of the MPO's Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinating Committee, about the dangers of biking on Estero Blvd. in Fort Myers Beach.  Thanks, Tina, for bringing this to our attention.

Message to BikeWalkLee on Dec. 22, 2016:

Just wanted to send a warning out to anyone who cycles to avoid Fort Myers Beach, or proceed with extreme caution. Three of us went down this morning due to the road works. We were not going fast but the new curb in the middle, the metal along the way, and the various ways the road is torn up is extremely detrimental.

The fact that they are conducting these road works in the busiest part of the whole beach during season is astounding.  As I mentioned, three of us went down independently, riding as a group but not as a cause of the other. We all hit our heads and have various contusions and scrapes.  Our bikes all need some kind of attention due to damage, and 2 helmets are cracked. Luckily a friend picked us up so we didn't have to ride any further.   

Thank goodness for helmets, and that this was not more serious.

 Perhaps you could warn other cyclists about this area of extreme danger which extends basically from just past the traffic light at the base of the bridge, to the fire station. Our accidents were around the 50 feet or so in front of Mango St.  

I would just like to state the obvious though, in the hopes it gets passed along. This is not just about us as locals.  This is a tourist destination. Tourists are going to come here and want to ride their bikes and are going to be faced with these same problems, or worse because they are staying on FMB. Not a very smart move on behalf of the city of FMB. [BWL NOTE: this is a County-maintained road and LeeDOT managed project.]  I have seen this stretch of road go from not that bad to absolutely terrible and dangerous, and here we are about to hit the height of season in a few weeks.  

As a realtor in the area I should be advising visitors who contact me to avoid the beach area until, I am told, several years from now when this might be completed.  As a cyclist, I owe it to other cyclists to do the same. 

And I would like to report this to the correct authority so that they know this has happened. Do you know who I would contact?

Thank you

Tina Sujana

Dan Moser Column: Pain before gain on Fort Myers Beach

Dan's column this week  reviews the history of the Estero Blvd. Improvement project on Fort Myers Beach, which is set to begin construction later this year.  His advocacy corner criticizes FGCU for its lack of bike/ped-friendliness, as the TIGER project gets underway.

Florida Weekly, May 27, 2015, Outdoor Section

It’s going to get much worse before it gets a whole lot better. That may not seem like a good thing but it’s actually great news for residents and visitors of Fort Myers Beach now that work has begun to make the long-awaited improvements to Estero Boulevard. According to project managers, it may take up to 10 years to complete this massive undertaking, which includes utility work, stormwater management, and sorely needed bicycle, pedestrian and transit upgrades — all on the one and only through road on the island.

Even before the community became a municipality in 1995 it was obvious that Estero Boulevard needed to be fixed, especially for the many people walking and riding bikes. To that end, one of the first orders of business the newly formed Town of Fort Myers Beach undertook was to formally lay out its wishes for this county road that serves as the main arterial. Experts were brought in, including renowned planner Dan Burden, to help craft the plan for a walkable community, and the resulting product was formally adopted into the town’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan, a guiding document required by the state of Florida. Seeing it finally begin to come to fruition — even knowing all the pain the work will bring — is something I and others were starting to think would never happen.

A good part of Estero Boulevard will include all these features.

Of course there are those who think that because more motor vehicle lanes aren’t being added that this is not really a fix. But there’s no practical or affordable way additional right-of-way could be purchased, so there’s always going to be bottlenecks at either end of Estero Island at the bridges, even if more cars could be accommodated on the roads. So the design that will become reality is the best option for residents, visitors and businesses. I hope those who continue to believe more motor vehicle travel lanes is the answer will eventually accept this Complete Streets project as the real solution.

Advocacy update

Work on projects funded by the TIGER grant — the $10 million award to improve our bike/ped environment — has begun on roads and sidepaths from Colonial Boulevard south to the Collier County line. One notable change that strays from the formally agreed upon project list comes from FGCU. The university’s unexpected backtrack comes with an even bigger surprise. It is nixing the main entrance bike access improvements that would finally bring it closer to the standard of the roads it connects to by claiming “environmental concerns” and “future plans for the entrance.” The bigger surprise is that the “future plans” are already happening: it is somehow creating an elaborate entrance instead, something the university never mentioned as the TIGER plan moved forward, all the way to final design and as recently as a TIGER stakeholder meeting just a few weeks ago.

Since the inception of FGCU, it has resisted making access to the campus bike/ped-friendly, even though both the university and Lee County included bike lanes and sidepaths on the campus’s internal road and Ben Hill Griffin Parkway, respectively. When it first opened, the campus’s main entrance initially lacked even one non-motorized access feature. No bike lanes, bike path or even a sidewalk. After a lot of pressure was put on, FGCU added a pedestrian-scaled sidepath (i.e., sidewalk) on one side of the four-lane entrance road that it considered adequate to accommodate all non-motorized traffic. The north entrance, created a few years after the other, is no better, having only a sidepath on one side.

The TIGER grant project was supposed to add a multi-use path on the south side of the main entrance. Early in the TIGER process it balked at the bikes lanes, so the south side path was reluctantly approved as the only feature to be added. But much to the dismay of many who worked so hard on this project, and even though it would cost nothing, FGCU later decided that allowing even that was going to be difficult, supposedly because they would have trouble obtaining necessary environmental permits. That reason apparently was its own $1.5 million plan, which creates an entrance that completely ignores those on foot or bike. Oh, did I mention the university announced this grand entrance plan just days before a public meeting is scheduled to take input on its master plan update and never told the folks on the TIGER grant stakeholder committee about it at the earlier mentioned meeting? So much for transparency and serving as a model of sustainability. For more about this and many other important community matters, visit bikewalklee.blogspot.com.

Until next time, I’ll look for you on the roads and pathways.

Upcoming Events 
 Running/walking:

 FMTC Membership 5K, Saturday, June 6, Hammond Stadium, Fort Myers (ftmyerstrackclub.com)

 Various summertime dates, FMTC Summer Fun Runs, (ftmyerstrackclub.com)

 Various summertime dates, 3D Racing Summer Series, (3dracinginc.com)

 Cycling and other events:

 SWFL Critical Mass, Friday, June 5, downtown Fort Myers (swflcriticalmass.wordpress.com)

 Wheels & Wings, Sunday, July 12, Punta Gorda (peaceriverridersbicycleclub.com)

— Dan Moser is a long- time bicycle/ pedestrian advocate and traffic safety professional who cycles, runs and walks regularly for transportation, recreation and fitness. Contact him at bikepedmoser@gmail.com or 334- 6417.