The Fort Myers Beach Town Council has voted to change its ordinance and will now allow ebikes on town sidewalks. Council members are hoping riders use common sense while riding close to pedestrians. It’s going to be nearly impossible to enforce.
The danger zone is basically from the Sea Grape Plaza to Times Square. That’s where the bike lane in the street ends and as you get closer to Times Square, pedestrian traffic increases, especially during season. It’s in that area where it becomes more dangerous for all bikers to ride. The Town Council is trying to make ebiking on Fort Myers Beach safer while not making it unsafe for walkers. It’s a tough needle to thread.
The ordinance change must allow ebikes to go up to a max of 15MPH due to state regulations. The Town Council was hoping to require ebikers to ride at a much slower speed on sidewalks but Town Attorney Nancy Stuperich said that’s not possible due to state rules.
The change will all begin with education. Bikes can not be clocked by radar. While Lee County owns Estero Boulevard and the sidewalks, the town’s code enforcement officers will be keeping an eye out for bikers who may be endangering the safety of pedestrians. If they spot a bad actor he or she may get a verbal warning. The ordinance also includes the possibility of issuing a $100 fine.
There was no public comment about the issue Monday but that may have been because the item did not come up until 6PM.
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I hope that no one gets seriously hurt…spring breakers are not the best when it comes to sensible decisions and judgement of what is safe.
As much as everyone seems to hate eBikes they reduce the amount of traffic on island, I’ve owned one for over 5 years and regularly ride over the pass and up and down the island, the ONLY time I’ve seen anything considered a dangerous situation is kids and some adults riding the motocross style eBikes that can reach speeds up to 70mph, these are not legal for public roads but I see them on Estero Blvd and on Bunche Beach (with people present).
In my opinion all bicycles should stop and be walked past pedestrians if they are stopped or pass on the blvd in a crowd, yes, that’s common sense.
NYC just had a little girl get hit by an e bike in the bicycle lane almost died..Ebikes not allowed on city streets because of the danger…pedestrians beware.
City sidewalks. . Correction.
Dear Council, Hope is not a plan.
I promise I will ride my Harley 15 mph if I can ride on the sidewalk.
I’ve seen guys ride Harleys on the sidewalk on San Carlos last season, fortunately they got busted.
“ Council members are hoping riders use common sense while riding close to pedestrians. It’s going to be nearly impossible to enforce.” This statement is the reason e-bikes shouldn’t be allowed on the sidewalk.
Can someone tell me or show me where to find the state regulation that says e-bikes can’t go slower than 15 mph on the sidewalks. All of the articles I read said that the cities can draft their own regulations/ordinances regarding e-bikes.
Reading comprehension. It doesn’t say e-bikes can’t go slower than 15. It says 15 is the max. The council would most likely prefer the max to be 10, but that’s where it says state regulations state the max must be 15.
I’m sorry but I can read. I think you need to read the article again! You need to read what it says, not what you think it says. “The ordinance change must allow e-bikes to go up to a max of 15 MPH due to state regulations. THE TOWN COUNCIL WAS HOPING TO REQUIRE E-BIKERS TO RIDE AT A MUCH SLOWER SPEED ON THE SIDEWALKS BUT TOWN ATTORNEY NANCY STUPERICH SAID THAT’S NOT POSSIBLE DUE TO STATE RULES.” The town council said that they wanted the e-bikes to go slower on the sidewalks but it’s not possible due to state law. Why can’t the city decide how fast the bikes can go on the sidewalk? I said nothing about how fast e-bikes can go or the max speed, I asked where it says in the state regulations e-bikes can’t go slower than 15 MPH on the sidewalks, like the town attorney stated.
Lol. Read your initial post. Your words:
“find the state regulation that says e-bikes can’t go slower than 15 mph on the sidewalks.”
What does that say to you? To me, it says that an e-bike going under 15 mph on a sidewalk is in violation of the state regulation, which is not the case here.
It is the case, paragraph 3 says they were hoping riders can rider slower on the sidewalk but thats not possible due to state rules. Just wondering why the city can’t regulate the speed on the sidewalks.
So, is there a requirement for e-bikers to have insurance like other vehicle drivers ?
Nope.
FL Statute 316.20655(2): no insurance or driver’s license required.