by SC Reporter Emilie Alfino
Results are in from a recent survey of traffic along the shared-use path. Comparing the results to those obtained in 2006 and 2012 surveys yields some surprising results.
The City of Sanibel was designated a Bicycle Friendly Community and awarded gold status by The League of American Bicyclists in 2010, which status remains in effect through 2027.
The surveys were all conducted in April to be consistent, although a reasonable margin of error must be considered as volunteers were responsible for observing and recording path usage with the human eye and hand-written tally sheets. It should also be noted that these studies were conducted less than two years after Hurricane Ian struck.
What the Survey Found
• Total bikers, including e-bikes in 2024, were 1,968, down 2,538 since 2012. This does not include bikers on the road. The busiest locations were Periwinkle and Casa Ybel, and San-Cap and Rabbit Road.
• Total pedestrians were 853, or 488 fewer than 2012. The busiest intersection for pedestrians by far was West Gulf & Tarpon Bay.
• There were 305 e-bikes counted, amounting to 15 percent of bike riders.
• 138 bikes were observed on the road, with most at San-Cap & Rabbit Road.
• Rental bikes made up 313 of the bikes on the shared-use path.
• In closing, the total overall shared-use path users of all types was 2,821, down from 3,134 in 2012.
• There is good news about safety: 51 percent of cyclists wore helmets, up from 38 percent in 2012.
I love the bike paths on Sanibel! We use them every time we are there. However, even before the hurricane they were not in good repair. Some of the areas I would consider hazardous and so we haven’t been using them as much.
I was and hope to be again an avid cyclist for the past 20 plus years but as many others who had their homes destroyed or made uninhabitable by hurricane Ian I have not been able to ride. E bikes are a good choice to get around the island. But they should be limited to 20 MPH max. I will use one and leave my car at home as much as possible.
As to bike rentals there must be better education of the bike shared use path rules for the renters. All too often the renters are not at all mindful of the rules designed for everyone’s safety.
E bikes are a danger for walkers and regular/non non-ebikers
No doubt Ian has had an effect on the numbers …do another one in a couple of years and I’m sure the count will increase.