Cocoa Beach sets 15 mph e-bike limit on busy sidewalk

COCOA BEACH, Fla. - Cocoa Beach has posted a 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes on a busy sidewalk along Minutemen Causeway, a move city officials say is intended to improve safety for students, pedestrians and riders.

The new signs apply to bicycles and e-bikes using the sidewalk, not to cars traveling on the roadway. The route is frequently used by students traveling to and from school.

What they're saying:

Mayor Keith Capizzi said the city wants to encourage e-bike use while making sure riders and those around them remain safe.

"E-bikes, I mean, they’re the future," Capizzi said. "We just have to make sure that we keep them safe and keep the people around them safe."

The 15 mph signs are currently posted only along Minutemen Causeway. Capizzi said the restrictions are not intended to target students who ride e-bikes to school but instead to remind riders that they share the sidewalk with pedestrians.

Capizzi said allowing students to ride to school can also reduce the number of parents driving and help ease traffic.

For now, city officials plan to emphasize education and warnings rather than fines. Capizzi said a fee schedule for violations has not yet been established.

Cocoa Beach police are also reminding riders to yield to pedestrians, give an audible warning before passing, slow down at intersections and driveways, obey traffic signs and remain below the 15 mph sidewalk limit.

Capizzi said the city's immediate focus is educating riders rather than issuing penalties as officials work out enforcement details.