Apr 16, 2014 7 min read

An intersection on the south end “walking district” of Estero Island has been deemed unsafe for some time.

The Fort Myers Beach Public Safety Committee is discussing ways to reduce pedestrian/bicycle versus vehicle issues that have arisen where Lenell Avenue meets Estero Boulevard. The committee met last Wednesday at Town Hall.

“That is the most confusing and congested intersection on the island,” said Safety Committee chair Bruce Butcher. “It’s hard to see.”

The busy intersection involves a 7-11 store and a condominium on the west side of Estero Boulevard and a CVS pharmacy and Santini Marina Plaza on the east side of the County-owned road. The committee has been discussing visibility triangles -known as an area created by an intersection of property lines at the corner of two abutting streets involving the view from a stop bar to the traffic zone- at certain spots on the beach. The intersection in question is No. 1 on the list.

“We feel that intersection is in violation of the visibility triangle,” said Butcher.

Town officials have been asked to inform CVS that the visibility triangle from Lenell Avenue looking north on the boulevard appears to be blocked by store landscaping. A draft letter will be crafted, then is expected to be reviewed and signed by Town Attorney Derrick Rooney and sent to CVS to ask them to maintain relative height limitations that are outlined within the Town land development code.

According to Town Planning Coordinator Josh Overmyer, shrub height within the visibility triangle is limited to two feet in height, and trees must maintain a six-foot clearance height.

“This provides drivers with a clear space from 2-6 feet above ground to view oncoming pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles,” he stated via email.

Committee member Al Durrett, who recommended the letter, believes the letter should explain the concept of the visibility triangle and compliance to LDC Sec. 34-313 would help the sight line and thus safety.

“Lenell (Avenue) is the most dangerous intersection on Fort Myers Beach,” he said. “One of the things that would help improve that is for (CVS) to redo their hedge line. It’s a hazard.”

“The left turn (from side street to boulevard) is really worse,” added committee member Alice Mack, who resides on Lenell Avenue.

Distracted drivers as well as pedestrian inattentiveness have contributed to incidents in that area of the Beach.

Beach resident Pete Heyd provided public comment at the meeting and reported that his wife was recently struck while crossing the boulevard at the crosswalk at the Lenell intersection. She is still recovering, while the driver was found at fault.

“That intersection needs to be corrected,” he said. “People do not pay attention. Something innovative needs to be done.”

Two pedestrian versus vehicle fatalities and one more serious incident have occurred in the vicinity of the Santini Marina Plaza area in the past two years. In January 2013, a lady crossing Estero Boulevard at a crosswalk near Bay Beach Lane was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital where she later died. In April 2012, a visually impaired woman was struck by a vehicle while crossing east to west at a crosswalk near Holiday Inn on the Beach and was transported to a local hospital via Med Flight with serious injuries. She lived but suffered many broken bones. One month later, another lady was struck by a vehicle while crossing Estero Boulevard towards Santini Marina Plaza and died at the site.

“It’s a bad stretch of road as far as accidents are concerned,” said Councilman Alan Mandel, who resides in a condo unit near that intersection. “History of the past four or five years have revealed a death or serious injury once a year in that area.”

Heyd brought up lowering the speed limit during seasonal months in that area. Safety committee officials have already looked into that suggestion without great results. State statutes would not legally permit it.

“We have had discussions about a seasonal speed limit several times. That is something we are not allowed to do,” replied Lee County Department of Transportation’s Rob Phelan.

Phelan believes the issue is more related to driver inattention and that pedestrians or bicyclists should make sure they have eye contact with drivers at crosswalks before attempting to cross.

Butcher also believes speed is not the issue in regards to the incidents that have plagued the area.

“I think where areas are more congested, people tend to drive slower,” he said. “People naturally slow down a little bit regardless of what the speed limit is. People probably drive faster, closer to 35 miles per hour, in wide open areas like by Bay Beach Drive. I don’t know if changing the speed limit does anything.”

Butcher says the issue is involved with congested.

“There is just too much going on there,” he said. “I’d like to see a traffic circle there. That way people have to slow down to proceed around the circle. When you have a circle, you’d have signs there that say you must yield to people within the circle. That would control the traffic there.”

Councilwoman Rexann Hosafros, the committee liaison, stated there have been discussions about bringing Lee County Sheriff’s Office volunteer officers at that intersection for next tourism season.

Committee member John Kakatsch believes other side street intersections with sight visibility issues at the boulevard need attention. He listed Fairweather Lane, Jefferson Street, Delmar Avenue and Dakota Avenue.

“What has happened (on these street corners) is people have planted shrubs in the right-of-way. That is OK, but they have started to grow and develop,” said Butcher.

The Public Safety Committee will meet next on Wednesday, April 30, at 9 a.m.

Beach preserve not for bicycles

Public Safety Committee member Alice Mack stated she recently visited Matanzas Pass Preserve and had confrontations with two bicyclists at two different parts of the trail. Bicycles are not allowed in the Beach preserve at the end of Bay Road.

“The first one I encountered was a man blocking the entire boardwalk. Then I saw a woman riding her bicycle when I was walking on the trail,” she said. “That is certainly not a bike path. It doesn’t seem to be clearly marked. It also doesn’t say it on their brochures.”

Matanzas Pass Preserve board member Tom Myers, also a committee member, confirmed bicyclists are not allowed within the preserve. There have been talks about adding a path for bicycles there.

“We are thoroughly against putting a bike path in the preserve,” he said. “It’s a bad idea.”

Remove advanced pedestrian signs

Beach resident Sam Lurie believes all advanced pedestrian signs, signs leading to crosswalks informing pedestrians to cross in a certain amount of feet, should be removed.

Many of those particular signs have been removed, but some remain. Those that do remain, the part that indicates how many feet the crosswalk is from sign, is no longer a part of the sign.

Lurie requested five streets that the Public Safety Committee should give attention to: Lanark Street, Albatross Street, Buccaneer Drive, Bay Beach Drive and Flamingo Street.

“On more than one occasion, he noticed they were confusing to motorists,” said Hosafros, who was passing along the information. “He believes the signs were causing confusion.”

“For most part, all of the advanced pedestrian signs were removed, except for locations where we felt they were appropriate,” explained Phelan.