Cape Coral to reduce the speed limit in the entertainment district

Reporter: Anika Henanger
Published: Updated:
Cars stop for walkers on a busy street in Cape Coral. (Credit: WINK News)
Cars stop for walkers on a busy street in Cape Coral. (Credit: WINK News)

Your safety is the reason the City of Cape Coral wants to bring down the speed limit on a major roadway on Monday.

The city will approve or deny a speed limit change on SE 47th Terr. from Coronado to Del Prado. It is the core of Cape Coral’s entertainment district. It is also an important road to help you avoid commute congestion on nearby Cape Coral Pkwy.

The move is to slow down vehicles from 30 mph to 25 mph as the city starts improvement from the Streetscape project. Cape Coral decided to do a speed study and found the current 30 mph speed limit does not work with the changes.

The Streetscape project remodeled the area for people to walk around. Cape Coral is trying to make it an even busier area that is safe for walkers and bicyclists. Right now, there are 18-foot paths on both sides of the roadway, a roundabout and new streetlights.

But that did not come without controversy. The long and disruptive construction was hard on businesses, but they quickly saw customers return.

“People are already going up and down the sidewalk more than we’ve ever seen before, and it’s just gonna increase with time,” said Mauricio Pelletier, the owner of nearby Duval’s.

“It does. It looks great. Don’t get me wrong,” said Jill Bacus, who owns Ciao Wood Fired Pizza. “The trees look nice, the lights they look nice, but we have to think about user-friendly as well.”

The city manager said it is bringing in more people and additional businesses. But more opportunities for collisions. Lowering the speed limit, he said, will also free up space on 47th Terr.

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