SLOW DOWN: Should Cape Coral lower neighborhood speed limits from 30 to 25 mph?

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Cape Coral is considering reducing speed limits in some residential neighborhoods from 30 miles per hour to 25 mph to respond to a concerning trend in traffic safety data.

Fox 4's Bella Line spoke with neighbors about the potential change:

According to the city, it recorded more than 500 crashes on neighborhood roads in just four years, with speed identified as the primary contributing factor.

City of Cape Coral

City staff is now proposing the speed limit reduction as a safety measure, though local residents have mixed opinions about the potential change.

"Is it going to make a difference if they reduce it to 25 and nobody is here to reinforce it?" asked Diana Wright, a neighbor in Southeast Cape. "Hopefully, I guess it would make a difference if it hit someone going that five miles difference, but I don't know."

Many people who live off Pelican Boulevard, near SW 51st Terrace where the city collected data, told Line they don't believe speeding is a significant problem in their area.

"25 miles an hour is fine. They don't go fast here really at all," David Nickerbocker said.

Kinsy Prescott agreed, noting the residential nature of her street.

"I really don't notice a ton of people speeding on this road. It's residential like, but there's not a go through to anywhere else," Prescott said.

Instead of speed limit changes, some people would prefer to see other infrastructure improvements.

"They need better lighting and sidewalks would help. I don't think we need to slow people down even further in Cape Coral, though," Prescott said.

A spokesperson with the City says that sidewalk installation is on a case to case basis.

"Sidewalk projects are prioritized based on safety factors such as roadway type, traffic volume, speed, and known pedestrian safety concerns; proximity to community destinations including schools, parks, transit stops, commercial areas, and other activity centers; connectivity and gaps, with emphasis on segments that close missing links or connect to existing sidewalk networks; and surrounding land use and expected pedestrian demand, so areas with higher potential foot traffic receive greater emphasis," said a City of Cape Coral spokesperson.

The city will hold a public workshop Wednesday to discuss their traffic study findings. It'll be from 4 PM to 7 PM at the Public Works Operations Center, located at 815 Nicholas Pkwy E, Cape Coral, FL 33990.

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