As of today the answer is no on Fort Myers Beach. While there seems to be a movement to change ordinance 22-04 prohibiting ebikes on sidewalks (and perhaps the beach), it stands for now. No motorized vehicles are allowed on Fort Myers Beach sidewalks. Over on Sanibel that may be about to change.
Ebikes are becoming a popular mode of transportation, especially in high traffic areas such as Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel. The big question being asked of these municipalities is should these higher speed vehicles (compared to most regular bikes) be allowed on sidewalks and shared use paths where pedestrians are walking. Both Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel are wrangling with this issue.
There are three classes of ebikes that are now on the consumer market. A Class 1 ebike is an electric bicycle that provides pedal-assist only, meaning the motor assists you only when pedaling. A class 1 ebike does not have a throttle. A Class 2 ebike is equipped with a throttle-assisted motor. Class 2 allows the rider to engage the motor without pedaling, using a throttle. The motor assistance on these bikes also cuts off when the bike reaches a speed of 20 mph. A class 3 ebike provides pedal-assist up to a higher speed compared to class 1 and 2 ebikes. The pedal assistance in a class 3 ebike cuts off when the bike reaches 28 mph.
On Fort Myers Beach all ebikes are prohibited from riding on sidewalks. Bikes without any type of motor are allowed. There are some ebikers that believe this needs to be changed, that it’s more dangerous for ebikers to ride on Estero Boulevard (especially between Red Coconut and Times Square) than it is for them to be mingling with pedestrians on sidewalks.
On Sanibel, as of today, Class 1 ebikes have been allowed on their shared use paths since 2019. On Monday, Sanibel will consider allowing Class 2 e-bikes on the shared use paths. The Sanibel Parks and Recreation Committee is recommending the City Council approve Class 2 ebikes on the island’s shared use paths. The committee recommended not allowing Class 3 ebikes on the shared use paths. Sanibel has 23 miles of paved shared use paths. The Sanibel City Council will discuss the change this Tuesday at 9AM.
On Fort Myers Beach the issue may come up at an August Town Council meeting. The Public Safety Committee and the Town Council have been discussing whether or not they should change their ordinance to allow ebikes on the sidewalk (and on the beach).
Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers is open to changing the ordinance. “Many of our residents rely on pedal assist bikes to get around the island. The lack of an island wide dedicated bike lane prohibits them from getting around the island without having to get into a car, which is what we do not want. I support promoting alternative modes of transportation to help with out traffic issue. If making the change to the current ordinance encourages and allows our residents to leave their cars at home I would be in full support.”
Dawn Thomas is the Chair of the Fort Myers Beach Public Safety Committee. Thomas says she does not have a problem with bicycles on the sidewalk as long as they are not in motorized mode. “The issue that we have as an island is that once you reach our heavily populated sidewalks, that are congested with pedestrians, we simply do not have room for both bikes and people. But for the majority of the island, there is room for both. The Safety Committee has been hearing many solutions for the biking issue. We’ve talked about creating lanes on the sidewalks, to researching a plan to add a path from mid-island north to accommodate both bikes, rickshaws  and golf carts. We want to encourage people to bike and reduce the car traffic and to give people better and more efficient options to travel to the north section of the island during peak times.”
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