Edison & Ford Winter Estates wants safer roadway conditions in front of property

There is a call for action from the leaders of a city landmark to keep pedestrians crossing a busy road safe.

Cars speeding along McGregor Boulevard happens all the time, and Mayor Kevin Anderson in Fort Myers knows it.

“When I’m walking or driving, I’m always watching to see what they flash,” Anderson said. “And it’s not unusual to see people in the 35-mile zone doing 50 miles plus.”

The people who run the Edison and Ford Winter Estates want something done about it. The estates sent a letter to Fort Myers City Council saying in part, “For years, speeding vehicles have crashed into our fencing or slammed into royal palms, and it is truly a miracle a pedestrian has not been hit.”

Among the estates’ list of complaints includes speeding near crosswalks. The speed limit is 25 mph in front of the estates’ property, but during a quick check Thursday afternoon, we clocked a handful of drivers going closer to 35 mph.

“McGregor was never designed to handle the traffic it handles or to move traffic the way it needs to be moved,” Anderson aid. “And it’s protected by state statutes. It’s a historic highway. There are only certain things you can do to improve the traffic., so the next best thing is traffic-calling devices.”

The estates would like to see LED lights added to the crosswalk edges, redesigned driveways at its multiple gates and reducing the pavement width to one lane entering and exiting the neighborhood.

“Narrow streets tend to have a calming effect as opposed to the wide streets,” Anderson said.

Anderson told us this is one of the realistic ways to slow down traffic in front of the city’s landmarks

One other idea is making the intersection of McGregor Blvd. and Virginia Avenue the main entrance for the estates.

Fort Myers City Council is expected to speak about this issue during its regular meeting Monday.