Council favors restoring two 11.5‑foot lanes on Airport Road; e‑bike safety and enforcement remain unresolved

Destin — Councilmembers agreed Monday to restripe Airport Road with two roughly 11½‑foot travel lanes — a change staff said could modestly discourage speeding and provide a slightly wider outside lane for bicyclists — and discussed additional measures to manage e‑bikes on sidewalks. Engineering review: City engineers described the existing pavement width (approximately 23 feet total, split about 11½ feet per lane) and recommended options including two 11‑foot lanes with a 12‑foot outside lane or two equal 11.5‑foot lanes. Council favored restoring two 11.5‑foot lanes as an initial step. E‑bike enforcement: Council discussed whether to require e‑bikes traveling at motor speeds to be on the roadway rather than sidewalks and whether to require a city permit/placard so enforcement officers can distinguish permitted sidewalk electric bicycles from mopeds. Sheriff’s Office staff told the council that differentiating e‑bikes from motorized mopeds by radar or laser enforcement is difficult and that a placard/permit approach inspected by code enforcement would be the most enforceable method. Why it matters: Council members said narrower lane widths and clearer markings can reduce vehicle speeds and improve safety for bicycles and pedestrians; residents reported seeing high‑speed e‑bikes on sidewalks and asked for enforceable controls. Next steps: Council instructed staff to restripe Airport Road to the two 11.5‑foot lanes discussed and to return with options for formalizing e‑bike sidewalk restrictions, a permitting/placard program and signs or pavement markings that identify shared lanes.