To the editor:

A recent Cape Coral survey has been posted for resident’s to give input about the city. I would like to share some ideas that I feel need to be addressed by the city as it looks to the future.

Traffic is a major headache and stoplights are a major delay in getting around. If one was to hit every light on Cape Coral Parkway heading to Fort Myers and each light was a 90-second wait one loses about 16 minutes just driving from Chiquita to the bridge. If we had well-designed roundabouts traffic, although slower through the roundabouts, would continue to move and that transit would save one about 14 minutes that would have been lost at the lights. Many major cities are moving to roundabouts as they not only move traffic in a steady flow, but also slow down vehicles that may be speeding. I think the city should seriously put together a public forum and project design for more roundabouts.

The city also needs to look at the congestion on the bridges out of the Cape. A bridge can be widened but if there are choke points at the ends because of poor traffic disbursal all that has been created is another expensive traffic jam in another location. I ask that a public forum and project design be looked at creating another bridge off of the Cape. I understand that no matter where it is placed it is going to be a headache for some residents but I propose looking at a bridge that would collect traffic off Pelican heading south, with a bridge over the river with a terminus in Punta Rasa -Shell point. This would collect traffic from the southwest Cape and allow direct access to Summerlin Road which is a major arterial to the Fort Myers area or allow for easy access to the Fort Myers beach or Sanibel Island.

I am sure there are many options to be looked at but something must be done with the traffic as the Cape grows.

J. Caplin

Cape Coral