All the businesses that rent bicycles on the beach will soon be paid a visit by the town. After councilman Bill Veach said he saw bikes all over the Boulevard one evening without lights and bells, Town Manager Roger Hernstadt said the town is on it.
The town will be going to all the locations that rent bikes to make sure the bikes are equipped with lights and bells.
In February of this year the town passed an ordinance requiring lights and bells on every bicycle on Fort Myers Beach. The ordinance requires all bikes to have a light that can be seen for 500 feet on the front of the back and a light that can be seen from 500 feet on the back of the bike. It also requires a horn that can be heard for not less than 50 feet but cannot emit an unreasonably loud of harsh sound or whistle.
The ordinance goes on to say that all bicycle owners or riders/operators of the bicycle, including entities that rent or loan bicycles to others for use on the public rights-of-way are responsible for compliance with these regulations.
There is nothing in the ordinance that says anything about penalties for noncompliance or who is responsible for enforcing the ordinance. The Lee County Sheriff’s Department has told the town council they have no plans to issue tickets for bike light or horn violations.
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