Cocoa Beach & Cape Canaveral Frequently Allow Blocked Bike Lanes

Compared to Orlando, Brevard County, Cocoa Beach & Cape Canaveral, in particular, strive to be especially bike-friendly by catering to tourists and their bikes. Looking around while driving, even the most casual observer cannot fail to notice the large, numerous, well-placed 'Bikes Sharing Road' signs with wide, well-marked bike lanes and even new, well-maintained separated bike paths. It seems as if the large local population of resident cyclists has been forgotten.  Unfortunately, as diligently as both municipal police from both communities and even Brevard County Sheriff's Department enforce bicycle safety laws with cyclists, Brevard County glaringly fails when it comes to also ensuring cyclists safety when it comes to drivers.

When it comes to motorists, home owners, and even boat-owners who are allowed to park, block, drive in marked bike lanes, and even on completely separated bike paths, local law enforcement either turns a blind eye or, even tells the homeowners that it's OK to do so, as explained by one homeowner on the bike lane.  Vehicles required to stop at side-streets intersecting with Ridgewood frequently blow through stop signs narrowly missing pedestrians, drivers on Ridgewood, and cyclists in their rush to the many public beach access parking spots.

Anywhere from Port Canaveral on King George & N. Atlantic, also on Ridgewood from Central Avenue all the way to Cocoa Beach Pier drivers frequently park their vehicles, boats, pile their yard waste and trash bins in the middle of the bike lanes and separate bike paths. Drivers are often observed driving on bike paths *completely separated* from the roads.

Bike lanes and Bike paths are often also completely obstructed by pedestrians as well. With the brand new bike path on Ridgewood from Central Ave all the way to Cocoa Beach Pier, it appears that the bike path was constructed without any input from the cycling community at large.

The bike path crosses driveways and is almost always blocked by parked vehicles. Unfortunately, with boats, cars, trash and pedestrians walking, driving, parking and blocking the bike paths, cyclists are forced to drive in the street. All of which,  shouldn't be a problem, especially since it's a 25 MPH road. However, drivers are very aggressive and confrontational about insisting that cyclists 'get off the f*cking road and out of the way'.

A *LITTLE* help by local law enforcement by ticketing the boats, motor vehicles, and drivers & home owners who are blocking the bike paths & lanes and even driving on the completely separated bike paths would be most appreciated. Given the indifference witnessed and experienced by this cyclist, I am not hopeful.

*Updated: Sunday, August 1, 2010 1721EST - This morning at 9:30AM a complete semi tractor-trailer in Cape Canaveral was parked on a completely separated bike path on N. Atlantic Ave. between Central Ave. & A1A.  A brand-new black Lexus was also seen driving completely off the street on a bike path on N. Atlantic Ave just north of Central Ave.  There was no other traffic on N. Atlantic in Cape Canaveral at that time, except for pedestrians and bicyclists working their way *around* the vehicles in their path.  Other vehicles have been seen further north driving on a designated bike path using it as a short cut to avoid either King George Street or the light at King George and N. Atlantic from behind several office buildings & a local restaurant.

See Photos Below:

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