Naples Brings Bike Safety

MANY RESTAURANT WORKERS NEAR DOWNTOWN NAPLES, RELY ON BICYCLES TO GET TO WORK. THAT MEANS THEY OFTEN ARE WRITING TO OR FROM WORK IN THE DARK RECENTLY, THE NAPLES POLICE DEPARTMENT, VOLUNTEERS AND THE NAPLES PATHWAYS COALITION JOINED FORCES TO HELP MAKE THE BICYCLIST JOURNEYS SAFER. WGCUS BRYANT MONTEILH HAS MORE. >> OVER THERE WHERE WE ARE ALWAYS EXCELLED. I THINK THEIR SAFETY >> RATHER BE SAFE THAN SORRY, YOU KNOW, KIND OF ACTION THAT HAPPEN EVERY DAY. YEAH, IT REALLY HELPS US. >> TERRY STAFF REINCE HIS BIKE TO WORK EVERY DAY, ALI MILES, EVERY MORNING, 4 O'CLOCK AND I GET DOWNTOWN AT 5 O'CLOCK EVERY MORNING AT THE CAFE, HE REALIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY AND USING SAFETY EQUIPMENT AS A BIKE COMMUTER. HE CAME TO GET SOME FRESH FREE SAFETY GEAR AT THE GIVEAWAY EVENT HELD BY THE NAPLES PATHWAY COALITION AND THE NAPLES POLICE DEPARTMENT. >> I HAVE THE SAFETY VEST. WITH NOWHERE. WE HAVE THE LIGHT RECHARGEABLE ONE, PUT THEM ON. AND ALSO HAVE A LOT. LET'S GO LOOK IT UP. AND NOW YOU CAN SEE IT. SAFETY FIRST. >> THE IDEA FOR THE EVENT AT CAMBIER PARK IN NAPLES CAME FROM A SIMPLE BUT STARTLING OBSERVATION. ONE NIGHT AS MAPLE AS POLICE OFFICER OR A RE AS EXPLAINS IT WAS COMMUNITY POLICING OFFICE OF ITS AREA. >> I HAPPEN TO SEE ONE OF THE WORKERS GOING HOME ON A BICYCLE LOT OF HIS WAY WITH A WITH A CELL PHONE. AND I WAS LIKE, WOW, THAT'S SO DION SAFE SAID SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT. I CONTACTED NAPLES PATHWAYS CO LISTEN THE DIRECTOR MICHELLE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO MEET WITH ME. >> AND WE CAME UP WITH THIS PROGRAM, MICHELLE OF BROWN IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF NAPLES, PATHWAYS COALITION. WE WANT EVERYBODY TO BE SAFE. IT'S IT'S TERRIBLE. BUT FLORIDA. >> HAS THE WORST STATISTICS. FLORIDA KILLS THE MOST PEDESTRIANS OF ANY OTHER STATE AND THE MOST CYCLISTS OF ANY OTHER STATES. THAT'S WHY WE WORK SO HARD TO HEALTH AND THE SAFER. >> ACCORDING TO DATA FROM THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, FLORIDA CONSISTENTLY LEADS THE NATION AND BICYCLE CRASHES AND FATALITIES BETWEEN 2019 2023, THERE WERE RECORDED 890 BICYCLIST FATALITIES IN FLORIDA IN 2023 ALONE, THERE ARE OVER 8,000 BICYCLE CRASHES WITH THE MAJORITY OCCURRING AT DAWN DUSK OR AT NIGHT, SOME OF THE MAIN FACTORS FOR BICYCLE CRASHES INCLUDED DISTRACTED DRIVING SPEEDING FAILURE TO SHARE THE ROAD AND IMPAIRED DRIVERS FOR CYCLIST OF BROWN SAYS SO. WE RIDE WITH TRAFFIC. >> I ALWAYS WEAR YOUR HELMET. THE ONLY PROTECTION NEVER WEAR EAR BUDS ARE IN YOUR PHONE'S. ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT'S ILLEGAL, BUT IT'S ALSO IT JUST TAKES AWAY OUR SENSE OF WHERE SOUNDS ARE COMING FROM. SO KNOW YOUR BYES. WHAT A FUN HOLDER KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO STAY HYDRATED. OBVIOUSLY KUZ WHERE IN FLORIDA AND BE AS VISIBLE AS POSSIBLE. AND FOR DRIVERS OFFICER RARE SHARES COURTESY. >> PATIENTS RIGHT OF WAY. YOU'RE GOING TO GET YOUR DESTINATION. THE WHOLE IDEA IS FOR EVERYONE TO GET TO THEIR DESTINATION SAFELY. REMEMBERING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SAFETY. >> BEING VISIBLE, EQUIPPED AND STAYING FOCUSED ON SAFE TRAVEL IS THE KEY TO THE MISSION FOR EVERYONE ON THE ROAD. WE JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO BE AWARE. >> WE'RE SHARING THE ROADS. EVERYBODY HAS SOMEONE WHO LOVES THEM AND WANTS THEM TO COME TO RESPECT EACH OTHER'S PICK. THE PEOPLE DECLINED. HOPE THAT PEOPLE RESPECT. YOU WANT TO BUY. HE WASN'T EASY TO GET HIT. >> HARD TO GET UP. FOR WGCU NEWS IM BRYANT MONTEILH