Fort Myers officials working to make biking on city roads safer

The City of Fort Myers has been working to make biking safer in order to protect you on the roads.

In the nearly eight years Arley Michel and David Williams have owned “Just Riding Along Bicycling Company” in Fort Myers, they say their shop has never been busier.

“We’ve sold more bikes than we’ve ever sold before,” Williams said.

Although they are selling more bikes, Michel says the majority of his customers are still afraid to share the road with drivers.

“Cars, they will win over me, so I will give them preferential treatment to actually be on the road,” he said.

They think the trails and bike lanes that already exist can be improved.

“There are a lot of really good paths and they have gotten better,” Williams said. “They are just not all connected to each other yet and that’s the biggest issue, is connecting some of these great trails that have been developed in the last 10 years or so.”

The last time the City of Fort Myers created a plan to make biking and walking easier was in 2007.

Now, the city says it’s time for an update with the goal to improve connectivity and make Fort Myers a more bike and pedestrian-friendly place and they want to hear your ideas.

“A lot of bikes are going out,” Michel said.

Just Riding Along Bicycling Company hopes all the new bike enthusiasts continue to ride after the pandemic is over.

The City of Fort Myers created a survey to learn how they can improve bicycling and walking around the city and make it safer. If you’d like to participate in that survey, click here.