Winkler Ave traffic study proposal expected at Fort Myers meeting

A stretch of road in Fort Myers was the scene of a crash that caused car fire we showed you during our shows last night. City leaders hope to find a solution for the road that has been the site of a number of other traffic incidents. We looked at the solutions being proposed ahead of the decision by the city.

Fort Myers Councilman Johnny Streets plans to propose a traffic study be conducted along Winkler Avenue in Fort Myers to improve traffic safety.

Since January, there have been 97 crashes on the stretch of road along Winkler. A majority of them have been at intersections with Veronica S. Shoemaker Boulevard and Colonial Boulevard, so part of the proposal will include installing another street light on the roadway in between those two streets.

Samantha Piazza lives in an apartment complex in the middle of the two intersections that have seen a high number of crashes. While she believes something needs to be done, she is unsure a traffic light is the right answer.

“I don’t know about a light, maybe like a stop sign or something,” Piazza said. “That’s going to kind of like yield it, but I think a light would be a little bit kind of overkill because then the area has three lights in a row. But maybe a stop sign or something to like break it up a little bit.”

Rosie Estevez said she has trouble driving out of her apartment complex on Winkler Ave. on a daily basis.

“The traffic is really bad,” Estevez said. “It doesn’t matter what time of day; it’s constant. And people are actually constantly speeding.”

She is happy to hear that Streets is proposing the traffic study near her home and determine if another stop light will add to traffic safety.

“That would actually make a big difference, I think,” Estevez said.

The city council meeting begins at 4:30 p.m. at city hall and the agenda item is open for public comment.