Residents, commissioners raise safety concerns over e-bikes and proposed A1A speed humps in Cocoa Beach

Multiple residents urged the Cocoa Beach City Commission to address hazardous conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers caused by high-speed electric bicycles and by proposed speed humps on State Road A1A.

Resident Vern Thomas said children ride electric bikes at high speeds along the bike path and described witnessing a crash: “6 months ago, I was turning into sunset off a minuteman heading west. Heard a thump and 2 kids on a e bike crashed into the the the right rear of my car.” Thomas also described seeing riders without helmets and urged commissioners to observe conditions in person.

Rick Anderson, who said he lives on Minute Maid Causeway, supported earlier pedestrian-safety improvements such as crosswalks and reduced speed limits but questioned Florida Department of Transportation plans to install speed humps on A1A. “If a car hits that speed hump at 45 or 50 miles an hour… the car is gonna be airborne,” he said, and asked whether FDOT had conducted studies of the proposed devices.

A commissioner who serves on the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization said prior proposals for multiple traffic tables were reduced after review to a much smaller set of traffic-calming measures. He said federal vehicle-clearance requirements influenced placement and height, and described an agreement that reduced the number of tables and limited one at Fourth and First Street to a 4-inch height. He added that FDOT “owns the road” and that the agency “listens to us in the past” but that the city’s ability to control the design is constrained.

Commissioners and a member of staff asked the city attorney to review the scope of local authority and any legal limits imposed by state law before advancing local restrictions. One commissioner asked the city attorney to “look at what if any limitations we have on any restrictions we might want to bring forward,” so the commission can prepare an enforceable proposal for a future meeting.

Why it matters: high-speed e-bikes and traffic-calming measures on A1A raise public-safety concerns for schoolchildren, pedestrians and drivers; FDOT ownership of A1A and state limitations affect what the city can implement without external approvals.

Public comments included additional viewpoints: a port ambassador and other residents observed big increases in local port traffic and noted safety implications for nearby roads; another resident urged enforcement of parental responsibility for children riding high-powered bikes.