Crosswalk patrol at Lenell Road begins test

A test trial involving pedestrian safety on the south end “walking district” of Fort Myers Beach has begun.
Crossing guards involving certified employees of Standard Parking Plus, formerly known as B.A.S.E., began shifts at the busy crosswalk at Lenell Road across Estero Boulevard this past Monday, Dec. 22. Hours of patrol are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The “study” within the test trial will continue through Saturday, Jan. 3. That particular area of the island has been deemed unsafe in the past.
The idea of placing crossing guards at that intersection stemmed from discussions involving the Town Public Safety Committee. The Fort Myers Beach Town Council recently approved appropriate funds for the test trial during the Christmas holiday weeks.
“I see using a live human being as a flexible approach,” said Councilwoman Rexann Hosafros, the committee liaison who served on the board prior to her Council election. “We didn’t want to do it for the whole season until we did a test. We’re considering it as an experiment to see how well it works.”
Distracted drivers as well as pedestrian inattentiveness have contributed to incidents in that area of the Beach.
The charge for the service stands at $24.68 per hour. That equates to $197.44 per eight-hour day or $2,369.28 for the 12-day test.
Back in April, safety committee members discussed ways to reduce pedestrian/bicycle versus vehicle issues that have arisen in the area in the past. The intersection in question was No. 1 on the list.
The busy intersection involves a 7-11 store and a condominium on the west side of the main boulevard and a CVS pharmacy and Santini Marina Plaza on the east side of the County-owned road. The committee discussed 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.
Shrub height at CVS was seen as a problem and, after being informed, officials at the pharmacy had the foliage trimmed back. Shrub height within the visibility triangle at any intersection on the Beach is limited to two feet in height, and trees must maintain a six-foot clearance height, according to Town policy.
Two pedestrian versus vehicle fatalities and another 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, earlier. “History of the past four or five years have revealed a death or serious injury once a year in that area.”
During the past summer meetings, Town safety committee members continued discussion about the intersection and inquired about budgetary funds for a seasonal traffic officer to make crossing Estero Boulevard at the Lenell crosswalk a safer process.
“That is the most confusing and congested intersection on the island,” said Public Safety Committee chair Bruce Butcher at the time. “It’s hard to see.”
“Lenell (Road) is the most dangerous intersection on Fort Myers Beach,” committee member Al Durrett added back then.
V.O.I.C.E. members were looked into, but the voluntary force of the Lee County Sheriff’s Office was said to be stretched too thin around the county. Police deputies were also discussed, but the rate of pay to have uniformed officers with guns and patrol cars was deemed to high. Even the notion of private contractor security guards was brought up, but eventually Town officials decided on its already contracted team that is also responsible for enforcing parking and pet leash regulations.
In June, the consensus decision of the advisory board was to seek funds for a test trial for the holidays. The idea was pitched to Council and later agreed upon.
“This is something that we can put in place as needed, like if there is a special event going on,” said Hosafros. “I see this as a good approach because a traffic device year round is something we do not need.”
Patrol to start at Times Square light Dec. 26
Sheriff deputies and the department’s voluntary force officers (V.O.I.C.E.) will begin detail at the crosswalk at the blinking yellow light adjacent to Times Square the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, according to Lee County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tiffany Wood. The hours of patrol will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day through Easter 2015.