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With sunshine virtually year-round and few elevation changes, Florida would seem to be a bicyclist's paradise. However, Florida also has many thoroughfares with in excess of 50 mph posted speed limits in addition to a lot of traffic lights and many roads with multiple lanes of traffic. This combination may not be conducive to safe bicycling. In fact, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association recent report, Florida has consistently ranked as the most lethal state for cyclists in the nation.

With the high number of bike and pedestrian crashes and fatalities, Lee County is ranked at No. 9 in the top focus areas in Florida. There were eight cyclist fatalities on Lee County roads in 2014 and also 196 crash-related injuries involving cyclists. In January 2015 the News-Press reported on the 90-minute ride of Bonita Springs officials and Bicycle-Friendly community specialist, Stephen Clark. During the ride a young male motorist blared the horn while another, whose age was between 25 and 40 years old, told Bonita Springs Councilman, Mike Gibson, to "get off the road and onto the sidewalk." The day before an older motorist almost ran Mr. Clark over while he biked in south Fort Myers.

Bicycle-friendly communities were formally recognized by the Bicycle League of America in June 2015. There were 350 bicycle-friendly communities across the 50 states. Florida had 16 communities on the "bicycle-friendly community" list. The League recognized the communities for "providing safe accommodation and facilities for bicyclists and encouraging residents to bike for transportation and recreation."  The one community in Southwest Florida which made the list was Sanibel. The Bike League's assessment ranked Lee County as a whole at a score of 3 out of 10.

What makes a community bicycle-friendly?

The Bicycling League recognizes five essential elements across five categories when rating bicycle-friendly communities. These are referred to as the Five E's.

1. Engineering: Creating safe and convenient places to ride and park.
2. Education : Giving people of all ages and abilities the skills and confidence to ride.
3. Encouragement: Creating a strong bike culture that welcomes and celebrates bicycling.
4. Enforcement: Ensuring safe roads for all users.
5. Evaluation and planning: Planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option.

What efforts are being made to make Southwest Florida more bicycle- friendly?

The News-Press reported on June 12, 2015 that there are steps being taken by bicycle enthusiasts, law enforcement, officials and some elected leaders to make biking safer in Bonita Springs, Naples, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and even Sanibel. Lee County received a $10.4 million federal grant to fund projects to add bike paths, bus shelters and sidewalks, all in an effort to make Southwest Florida more bicycle-friendly.

The Fort Myers Florida Weekly reported at the end of last year that Bonita Springs and Estero appeared to be on track to become two of the most bike/ped-friendly communities in Lee County.

BikeWalkLee in August 2015 reported that Cape Coral's bicycle-related achievements over the past two years included:

• Completing 90 miles of seven interconnected bicycle routes.
• Installing more than 1,500 community-sponsored signs.
• Forming a police bicycle patrol.
• Debuting the web page, net/Bicycling.
• Creating three public service announcements for TV and the web.
• Printing brochures with bike route maps that were distributed online, locally and to five Florida interstate visitor centers.
• Posting downloadable bike route map.
• Sponsoring 13 park kiosks with maps and QR code links to the city's bicycling web page.

"If Southwest Florida wants to keep vulnerable road users from being injured and killed at totally unacceptable levels, we must improve efforts to become more bicycle friendly. If you have been injured in a crash between a bicycle and a motor vehicle, you should consult a personal injury attorney at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. to determine your rights," said Fort Myers Bike Accident Attorney, Randall Spivey.

Fort Myers Bike Accident Attorney, Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com.  Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.