CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A new pedestrian and bicycle path could be coming to Cape Coral. Officials said one of it's primary purposes is to keep everyone safe.
The Florida Department of Transportation is doing a study of the area to find the safest way to connect Cape Coral to Pine Island Road through a shared-use path.
FDOT presented their recommendations to Lee County and Cape Coral leaders at a meeting Tuesday afternoon in which the public was invited to give feedback or suggestions.
One cyclist said this path could be a huge boost for the area.
"Bike paths there would be fabulous. [It] clearly would make it safer and draw more people to them. [It would] make it safer for them because they are going to be further away from the road," cyclist Michael Hannon said.
Until a final plan is narrowed down, FDOT does not know how much it will cost. Representatives say they are planning to have a public workshop in the late summer or early fall.
Fox 4's Stephanie Fernandez spoke with Diane Holm. Holm is the co-owner of Fort Myers Cyclery. Holm said she loves to ride her bike adding it's been her passion ever since she was a young girl.
"I ride for exercise and entertainment," Holm said.
Holm said she heard about the FDOT's shared-use path proposal. It's a study in which the agency is conducting to build a safe route for bicyclists and pedestrians from Cape Coral to Pine Island Road through a shared use path along Pine Island Road.
Holm said as a cyclist she feels that the path is a good idea.
"It will enable people to traverse from Cape Coral out to Pine Island in safety. Most riders choose not to do that right now because it is so unsafe," Holm said.
But Holm isn’t the only one.
"The bike paths would clearly make it safer and would draw more people to them," Hannon said.
FDOT said they are doing the study at the request of the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Lee County, Cape Coral via the transportation planning process.
While this is just the beginning phases, the cycling community is excited for what could come.
"There are ways to do it safely by creating a multi-use path like this, like [what] is being proposed. Then, we improve safety exponentially," Holm said.
If you could not attend the meeting, you can also give feedback or suggestions on the shared-use path by clicking here.
