FORT MYERS, Fla. — A bicyclist died after being hit by a car in a Fort Myers crosswalk early Tuesday morning, prompting local cycling advocates to renew calls for improved safety measures.
Fort Myers Police said the cyclist was struck around 6:30 a.m. near Trailhead Park off Veronica Shoemaker Boulevard. The bicyclist was in the crosswalk at the time of the collision, and police indicated speed was not a factor in the crash.
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"If a cyclist or a walker pedestrian is in the crosswalk, then they've got the right of way, and traffic is required to stop," said Terry McLaughlin, president of the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club.
McLaughlin said his organization plans to become more involved in establishing safety systems for cyclists on local roads.
"Flashing lights at that intersection that are cyclist-activated so that they'll flash. There's something similar at Crystal and Metro, where people are riding the John Yarborough bike path," McLaughlin said.
The location of Tuesday's fatal crash presents specific visibility challenges, according to McLaughlin.
"I've seen on that that's a four lane road with a divided median in the center, and if you're coming up, the car in the nearest lane may see you, but the car in the far lane may not," McLaughlin said.
Fort Myers City Councilmember Diana Giraldo, who represents Ward 2, said she has personally experienced a bicycle accident and plans to meet with city and county officials to develop safety strategies.
"I know that the city of Fort Myers were earmarking $30,000 for bicycle and pedestrian safety education. We've never had an allocation of money in our budget for that," Giraldo said.
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Giraldo explained that regional planning efforts are already underway to address these safety concerns.
"Lee County, in combination and in conjunction with the city of Fort Myers and all of our municipalities, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, they just finished a study is the safe streets for all plan, and in the plan, we have outlined the, you know, different mechanisms that we can have or use, even a breakdown pricing of what the cost of, you know, any technology that we can use to improve safety on our roads, for bicycle and pedestrians," Giraldo said.
She emphasized the importance of driver responsibility in preventing accidents.
"For drivers just to follow the law, follow the speed limits, as I mentioned, the faster you are, the harder is going to be for a car to slow down and stop, and if someone gets it, you know, if you look at the trends, if you're driving 30 or 50 or 70 miles an hour, you know the fastest you go, that the gravity of the accent derives from that," Giraldo said.
As the investigation into Tuesday's fatal crash continues, Giraldo said she will use the findings to determine appropriate safety measures for the intersection.
"And seriously, maybe this intersection right there needs a light, a camera so we can monitor what the challenges might be there," Giraldo said.
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