Expansion of South Coast Bikeway Focus of

Weekend Event
Brian Fraga September 11, 2020

FALL RIVER – With an eye to connecting a bike path between New Bedford, Fall River and
beyond, the South Coast Bikeway Alliance will host its third annual Pedal for the Path bike ride
this weekend.

From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, participants will bicycle from Horseneck Beach State Reservation
in Westport through Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett before returning back
to the start line.

MassTrails and BayCoast Bank recently awarded grants to the South Coast Bikeway Alliance to
complete the second phase of a feasibility study to determine the best way to connect New
Bedford and Fall River with bicycle paths through Westport and Dartmouth.

“The South Coast Bikeway Alliance’s purpose is to promote active transportation, recreation and
to help advocate for and build networks of trails,” said Sarah Labossiere, a Fall River member of
the South Coast Bikeway Alliance.

Labossiere, the coordinator of Fall River Mass in Motion, said it is not likely that 100 percent of
a bike trail between Swansea and Wareham would be paved.

“That’s just not likely,” she said, adding that paving “as much of it as possible to improve the
safety of it, that’s the idea.”

The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) has been
implementing the first phase of the bikeway’s feasibility study. In its 2016 Regional
Transportation Plan, SRPEDD identified the proposed bikeway as a regional priority. The
bikeway is also part of the Bay State Greenway’s long-distance bicycle transportation network.

Given that the coronavirus pandemic shut down most of normal life this year, Labossiere said
she has seen evidence that public awareness of the bike paths in SouthCoast has increased this
spring and summer as residents look for recreational outlets.

“Now people are recognizing the value of (the bike path), and seeing where some of the
challenges lie, what the things are that make it difficult for people to go out and ride and how to
make that better,” Labossiere said.

There are portions of paved and unpaved bike trails between Somerset and Wareham that are
paved while others in rural areas are unpaved, though many of them have marked lanes and
proper signage.
“In Fall River, we have the Quequechan River Rail Trail, which is amazing and wonderful,”
Labossiere said.

The Pedal for the Path ride on Sunday is intended to promote the completion of the bike path in
SouthCoast. It will be a socially-distanced casual ride with no registration fee. Participants will
be required to wear masks when the group gathers at stops and cannot maintain six feet of
separation.

Labossiere said she plans to do the bike ride, and may even start from Fall River before meeting
the group at Horseneck Beach.

‘I’m training for a 100-mile event so I need my miles,” she said.

For more information, including how to register or donate, visit here:

https://www.facebook.com/southcoastbikeway/.

Brian Fraga, FRC Media, www.frmedia.org

1.

Sarah Labossiere September 16, 2020 at 12:13 pm

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

Thank you Brian, for increasing the awareness of the Southcoast Bikeway Alliance
mission! Our socially distanced ride on Sunday was very successful, and riders can use
the routes posted on Facebook to participate independently all through September, which
is Bay State Bike Month!

Just a clarification – when I mentioned that it is not likely that 100% of the Bikeway
would be paved, I meant that more and more sections are being created as paved “off
road” paths, separate from the nearby roadway, but it is likely that some sections will
remain as marked routes that utilize the existing roadway.

Also, I would like to encourage readers to visit the SRPEDD link so they can offer
feedback on proposed route changes and improvements along the Bikeway: https://scba-
feasibility-study-srpedd.hub.arcgis.com/

Finally, I would like to offer the East Coast Greenway website www.greenway.org as
another great resource for biking in the Southcoast and beyond. Many sections of the
Swansea to Wareham Southcoast Bikeway are included in the routing chosen for the East
Coast Greenway.