Invite to June 19th Open House on Proposed Bayshore Rd. Pathway

Do you live, work, or play in Bayshore Road area (State Road 78)?  Here's your chance to find out the options FDOT is considering for a proposed pathway on Bayshore Rd. Stop by the Open House on Tuesday, June 19th (any time from 5-7 p.m.) to learn more and provide your input.

 

 

 

June 5, 2018                                                                           

                                                                                                   Zachary.Burch@dot.state.fl.us

 

FDOT Public Information Meeting for Bayshore Road (State Road 78) Pathway

from Park 78 Drive to State Road 31 in Lee County

Fort Myers, FL – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, is holding a public information meeting about the Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study for the proposed pathway improvements along Bayshore Road from Park 78 Drive to State Road 31 in Lee County, Florida.

The meeting will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at the Lee Civic Center, Whaley Hall Building at 11831 Bayshore Road, Fort Myers, FL.

The meeting will be an open house format with a video presentation playing continuously throughout the meeting. There will be no formal presentation. Department staff will be available to discuss the project, to receive public input, and to answer any questions.

This meeting is being held to allow interested persons an opportunity to be informed and provide comments concerning the location; conceptual design alternatives; and social, economic, and environmental effects of the proposed project for the Bayshore Road (State Road 78) Pathway. The proposed project will provide a safe, viable non-motorized travel option for commuters and recreational users along the Bayshore Road corridor and the Fort Myers community, improving multimodal accessibility to area destinations while minimizing potential impacts to the natural and human environments. Alternatives being evaluated for this project include either a sidewalk or a shared use path on the north or the south side of Bayshore Road. The No-Build Alternative, which assumes that no pathway will be provided along Bayshore Road through the year 2040, is also an option and will remain a viable alternative throughout the PD&E study.

You can also stay current with the project and share comments with the study team by visiting the Bayshore Pathway web page at www.swflroads.com/bayshorepathway.

 

 

June 4: Upcoming running/walking/bicycling/tri events

Upcoming events

Running/walking:

• Saturday, June 9: Sugden Stride 5K. The first event in the Elite Events Summer 5k Series takes place at Sugden Regional park.  Runners will have plenty of scenic views as they wind around Lake Avalon on a closed path inside the park. This is a spectator friendly course as athletes can be seen for most of the race. Bring your swimming trunks because after the race, you can cool off in the clear lake or relax on the sandy beach. 7 a.m., Sugden Regional Park, Naples (eliteevents.org) 
• Saturday, June 16: Veterans 5K, Estero Community Park, Estero (active.com)
• Saturday, June 16: Summer Sizzler 5K, 7 a.m., Jaycee Park, Cape Coral (3dracinginc.com)
• Wednesday, July 4: Freedom 5K, 7 a.m., Cape Coral Bridge (ftmyerstrackclub.com)
• 
  Wednesday, July 4: USA Independence Day 5K, 7 a.m., Germaine Arena, Estero (eliteevents.org).
• Wednesday, July 4: Moe’s Firecracker 5K, 7 a.m., Fleishmann Park, Naples (gcrunner.org)
• Saturday, July 14: Beat the Heat 5K, 7 a.m., Jaycee Park, Cape Coral (3dracinginc.com)
• Saturday, July 28: Eagle Lakes 5K, 7 a.m., Eagle Lakes Regional Park, Naples (eliteevents.org)
•  Saturday, Aug. 11: Cape 5K, 7 a.m., Jaycee Park, Cape Coral (3dracinginc.com)
• For more running events visit gcrunner.org/calendar.html; ftmyerstrackclub.com/race-calendar; and 3dracinginc.com

Cycling:

• 
  Friday, June 8: NE-Lee Critical Mass ride, gathers at 7:30 p.m. at the Winn-Dixie, 14600 Palm Beach Blvd. Lights required, helmets recommended. (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL/events/)
• Saturday, June 9: Sanibel Critical Mass ride, gathers at 7:30 p.m. at Jerry’s Shopping Center, 1700 Periwinkle Way, on Sanibel. Lights required, helmets recommended. (meetup.com/Biking-SWFL/events/)
• Ongoing: Join the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club on one of their many weekly rides for members and potential members, with an array of paces and routes to choose from. Check them out online at www.caloosariders.org.
• For more 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).

Triathlons:

• Saturday, July 14: Englewood YMCA Sprint Tri, Englewood. (active.com) 
• Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 15-16: Galloway Captiva Tri. Kids’ events Saturday morning (three age groups), sprint tri Sunday morning. (captivatri.org)
• Check trifind.com to find regional and state tris.

BikeWalkLee's Letter to Estero Council on Estero Parkway Options

On May 29th, BWL issued an action alert re: Estero Council's upcoming June 6th decision on the Estero Parkway design.  On June 1st, BWL sent a letter to the Estero Village Council with its comments on the Estero Parkway Options (see below).  Communicate your preference to Estero Council members in several ways:  complete the ECCL survey by Monday, June 4th (Estero residents only); attend the June 6th Council meeting (starting at 9:30 a.m.) to speak during public comment period; and/or write, call or meet with Estero Council members before June 6th. For background on the two options, click here.  Click here for letter to Council from Dr. Margaret Banyan, author of the FGCU Estero Infrastructure Study, requested by Estero Council in 2015. Click here for Streets Alive of SWFL's letter to Council, both in support of the complete streets approach (Option 2).

 

June 1, 2018

Village of Estero Council

9401 Corkscrew Palms Circle 
Estero, FL 33928

 

Dear Mayor Boesch and Council Members:

 

BikeWalkLee is a volunteer countywide coalition advocating for complete streets. With Lee County being ranked as the most dangerous area in the country for pedestrians, it is clear that our roadways are “dangerous by design” and local governments must begin to design our streets for safety, which is what the complete streets approach is all about. 

 

As the Village Council gets ready to vote on the final design for Estero Parkway, BikeWalkLee would like to communicate its strong support for Option 2—the 2-lane “complete streets” option.  Our overriding priority is safety and Option 2 is the only option before you that is designed to make the roadway safer for all users—pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike.  Option 2 also best supports the new FDOT Complete Streets Implementation Plan and the Village’s original vision of Estero Parkway as a signature project that will serve as a model street for the Village.

 

Streets play an enormous role in determining a place's quality of life.  While people may not know the term "complete street", they know the characteristics of their favorite streets-- streets with tree canopy and attractive landscaping; safe, comfortable and shady places to walk and bikes buffered from traffic; moderate traffic speeds, safe ways to cross the street, and inviting places to be for all kinds of uses.  The holistic and integrated planning of a roadway (the entire right-of-way public space) is context sensitive and reflects balance among the needs of the various users.  Again, we believe that Option 2 best balances the needs of all users.

 

The roundabouts in Option 2 are key components to slowing down the traffic and making the roads safer for everyone.  Research has proven that roundabouts are safer—there is a 35% overall decrease in crashes; a 76% decrease in injury crashes; and a 71% to 81% decrease in fatal/incapacitating crashes for single lane roundabouts. As then FDOT District 1 Secretary Billy Hattaway told the MPO Board and the Bonita Springs City Council in 2015, there is often opposition to roundabouts from businesses and the public before installation.  According to Hattaway, 75% of the public is opposed to roundabouts before installation, and as soon as the roundabouts go in, it flips to 75% support of them. FDOT promotes the use of roundabouts and has developed an informational guide for cars, pedestrians, and bicyclists about roundabouts: FDOT Brochure: A guide to Roundabouts (One-Lane)

 

Option 1—the 4-lane option will essentially make Estero Parkway another highway in Lee County…one designed to prioritize and move vehicles as fast as possible.  Research has proven that speed kills, especially for vulnerable road users.  Not only will the “highway” with virtually no traffic calming features be less safe, it ignores the needs of those bike riders (whether children, seniors, or others) that are not comfortable riding on the road.  Only installing narrow sidewalks (as called for in Option 1) means that the needs of these types of bike riders and their safety are not being addressed.  As the Village continues to grow and change demographically, if Option 1 is adopted, in a few years the Village will inevitably face citizen demands for a wider path so it can be used safely by both walkers and bikers.  It’s much more cost effective to install wider paths now.  According to the MPO, the costs of retrofitting will be 5 to 10 times the cost of doing it right the first time….something that many communities throughout Lee County have learned the hard (and expensive) way.   Finally, Option 1 is essentially “more of the same” which means that the Village will lose its once in a lifetime opportunity to create the promised model street that could help define the Village as a walkable/bikeable/livable community that is a place where people want to live, work, and play. The option that is chosen for Estero Parkway will help define the future of Estero.

Thank you for considering our views.  We appreciate the efforts that the Village has made to consider a range of options and to invite public participation throughout the past 2+ years. We hope as leaders that you will take all of this into consideration and choose Option 2 in order to do what is best for the safety of all residents now and well into the future.

 

Sincerely,

 

Darla Letourneau and Doug Saxton
on behalf of BikeWalkLee

 

cc: Steven Sarkozy, Village Manager
      David Willems, Public Works Director

 

Related Links:

Dr. Margaret Banyan's June 4, 2018 letter to Estero Council in support of Complete Streets Option
(author of FGCU Estero Infrastructure Study, requested by Estero Council in 2015)

BWL's June 1, 2018 letter to Estero Council re: comments on Estero Parkway Options

Streets Alive of Southwest Florida's June 5, 2018 letter to Estero Council in support of Complete Streets Option 2.

 

 BWL Blog May 29, 2018: Action Alert: Estero Council decision on Estero Parkway design on June 6th

FDOT Brochure: A guide to Roundabouts (One-Lane)

FHWA brochure concerning roundabouts and 1st responders