Bike Routes
Question
Ted asked: I plan to bike from Tampa to Daytona Beach or Melbourne, FL. Am I allowed to use state roads and interstate highways? I would want to use less used and congested roads as Hway 301 and 50. Is this feasible and legal? Is there an established bike route to get to the east coast?
Answer
When riding a bicycle, you have the same rights and duties as drivers of other vehicles, with few exceptions. The most basic of those rights is the right to use any roadway unless it is prohibited by statute.
Bicycles are not permitted on limited access highways, which include the interstate highways. Signage should be posted accordingly.
We only address the laws on this site, so we suggest other resources for route recommendations, including BikeFlorida, Florida Bicycle Association and a national organization, Adventure Cycling which has bike route maps for many locations.
In particular, between Tampa and the Atlantic coast, the only roads you’ll have to avoid are Interstates and toll roads (except for the Osceola Parkway, which is free for bikes). The closest thing to an established route is the in-development Coast to Coast Connector, which doesn’t quite serve Tampa but is accessible via roads: http://www.fgtf.org/coast-to-coast/