Note to our audience:We recently asked Cape Coral residents to tell us their worst traffic nightmares. All of SW Florida has been plagued by nightmare traffic scenarios, from the beaches to inland locations. This logjam of vehicles is especially noticeable during the tourist and snowbird season. Cape Coral’s traffic stress is a topic residents have strong opinions about and we are sharing them in this special series.

Cape Coral traffic nightmare: left lane lunacy

Elaine Belling emailed us twice to let us know her traffic nightmares, which involve making left turns from Cape Coral Parkway. In here opinion these are traffic hotspots.

Here is what she told us regarding the two challenges she faces on this particular stretch of road in one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S.:

More: Cape Coral traffic: ‘My biggest concern is getting to work alive’

‘My nighttime nightmare’

I’m hoping that many people messaged you about a very dangerous left turn lane on West bound Cape Coral Parkway at Chiquita.

I’ve lived in the Southwest Cape for 11 years, and still I get confused at night at that intersection. There have been many accidents there because it looks like you’re in the turn lane to turn south onto Chiquita, when in fact, it is a turn lane that goes into the Fifth Third Bank and Walgreens.

Please send a reporter out there after dark, and you will see what I mean. Countless people have smashed into the two palm trees there.

This lane needs to be shortened

Everyone I know would like to see the far left lane on eastbound Cape Coral Parkway, at the intersection of Coronado, shortened.

Cars mistakenly get in the left lane way, way back, not knowing that it is eventually a left turn only.

Then the poor driver tries to get into a thru lane, angering the people who don’t want to let them in. I have seen road rage there more than once.

Here’s hoping that someone who reads this really cares and is open to change.

Thanks to Elaine for sharing her opinions about the worst traffic nightmares in Cape Coral. We appreciate her taking the time to tell us what’s on her mind and we encourage others to share their observations.

Do you have an opinion about this topic?

Write a letter to the editor and send it to: letters@naplesnews.com and/or mailbag@news-press.com. Keep it to 250 words or fewer and include your contact info. Have more to say: Send a guest column of no more than 600 words. ⁠

You can also share your opinion here, or in this interactive engagement tool:

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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Cape Coral traffic: Residents talk about the dangerous roads