Pedestrian safety concerns lead to more patrols in Lehigh Acres

Parents and neighbors in the area around 25th Street West in Lehigh Acres are telling WINK News about their safety concerns. That’s because there aren’t any sidewalks for children walking to school, and cars are zooming through the area at alarming speeds.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office deputies are out patrolling the area.

Kari Krumbach recently moved to her new Southwest Florida neighborhood in Lehigh Acres.

“We moved here a couple of months ago from Pennsylvania… and we love the area. It’s a great area,” said Krumbach.

But in her few months living in Lehigh Acres, she noticed there was something missing.

“There are no sidewalks on 25th Street. There is at the beginning of the street,” said Krumbach.

There were no sidewalks for her and the many other parents and children walking to and from Harns Marsh Elementary and Middle School.

Marcelo Vazquez Castro told WINK News the lack of sidewalks is concerning, and he prefers to pick up his grandkids in his car.

But the safety concerns don’t yield for those who walk.

“There have also been dangerous situations myself involved with my children where we were almost hit by a vehicle that was driving on the wrong side of the road,” said Krumbach. “We just had nowhere else to go to avoid the collision of two cars on the wrong side of the road.”

WINK News brought the concerns of these locals to Lee County. They directed WINK News to their website, which explains people would need to submit a written request and make a presentation in person to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

If a project was approved to bring a sidewalk to your community, it could take years due to financing, design and construction. In the meantime, deputies showed up at the intersection of Unice Avenue North and 25th Street West.

“They were re-educating drivers on safety and coming through the school zone and the speed limits and letting them see that there are children in this area walking to and from school,” said Krumbach. “We have wonderful cross-guards, but they can only do so much.”

Focusing on safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Lee County said the monthly Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meets at 3 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month. The next meeting is scheduled for November 15.

Note: WINK News was originally told the group meets on Fridays. It does not.