County Adopts New Rules for Bike Safety

By Lisa Neff

Manatee County commissioners cruised through the adoption of an ordinance intended to keep high-speed bicyclists off sidewalks.

In a 7-0 vote, the board of county commissioners adopted an ordinance establishing requirements for the operation of bicycles on public roads, pathways, sidewalks, crosswalks and intersections in unincorporated Manatee.

In early May, Commissioner Bob McCann, District 5, raised safety concerns about bicycling in unincorporated Manatee, specifically issues with people riding electric bikes on sidewalks.

On a May 6 motion by McCann, commissioners voted to direct staff to draft an ordinance establishing regulations for bicyclists on sidewalks, crosswalks and intersections that’s similar regulations in Collier County.

Collier’s regulations prohibit operators under age 16 from riding Class 3 e-bikes on public roads and pathways, institute a speed limit of 15 miles per hour for all e-bikes on sidewalks and require most e-bike cyclists to use bike lanes when available.

The Collier regulations also prohibit Class 2 and Class 3 e-bikes with throttles allowing for speeds over 20 mph from sidewalks.

Manatee County staff researched the issue and identified safety concerns documented in 2024 crash data, which showed 226 bicycle crashes — resulting in eight fatalities and 211 injuries — and 163 pedestrian crashes — resulting in 18 fatalities and 117 injuries — in the county.

Staff, according to a memo from the code and public safety departments, noted, “The increasing use of electric bicycles on sidewalks has created enhanced conflict opportunities with pedestrians due to their sustained higher speeds.”

In response, staff presented commissioners with the “Manatee County Pedestrian Safety Ordinance.”

Key provisions in the ordinance include:

• Restricting adults from operating electric bicycles on sidewalks when bike paths are available;

• Limiting all vehicles to 15 mph on sidewalks;

• Requiring bicyclists to travel in the same direction as traffic;

• Requiring cyclists to yield to pedestrians on shared paths;

• Mandating complete stops at uncontrolled intersections;

• Preserving accessibility for motorized wheelchairs;

• Prohibiting high-powered electric bikes — more than 750 watts — on sidewalks and bike paths.

The cost of implementing the ordinance to the county was estimated at about $15,000 a year for processing citations, public outreach and enforcement activities.

A staff analysis provided to commissioners concluded there would be no direct impact to businesses with adoption of the ordinance but cited three potential financial benefits — “reduced health care expenses and decreased first responder use due to fewer bicycle and pedestrian accidents, along with increased tourism appeal.”

With the increased use of electric bikes, a number of other Florida communities have looked at new regulations this year, including Cocoa Beach, Marco Island and St. Johns County.