The South Coast Bikeway Alliance invites all supporters of the South Coast Bikeway to the 4th Annual Bikeway Summit March 27 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Fort Taber Community Center – on the bike path – at 1000 Rodney French Boulevard, New Bedford, MA. Welcoming Reception will begin at 5:00 pm. Come meet your neighbors and friends who are committed to completing a regional bike path. The program will begin with Mayor Flanagan and Mayor Mitchell presenting highlights of their cities’ planned bike paths, Quequechan River Rail Trail and Saulnier Bike Path respectively.
Representative Bill Strauss, Chair of the House Transportation Committee, will discuss current status of state planning for bike paths. Eric Weis and Molly Henry of East Coast Greenway Alliance will unveil the Old Colony Bike Touring Loop, including a segment on the South Coast Bikeway. The final routing is the result of a collaborative effort with public input from many local partners and residents along the south coast and along the Cape.
Keynote Speaker will be Willie Weir, nationally-acclaimed columnist for Adventure Cyclist Magazine and the author of Travels with Willie and Spokesongs. Mr. Weir is also a photographer, radio host, inspirational speaker and bicycle advocate. Mr. Weir has cycled over 60,000 miles throughout the world.
Pre registration is appreciated. Go to southcoastbikeway.com click on “events calendar” or call SRPEDD at 508-824-1367 and ask to speak to the Bicycle Coordinator, Jackie Schmidt.
The presentation will be important to all advocates of the South Coast Bikeway: cyclists; walkers; public officials; planners; transit officials; and employers. Presentations will be followed by open discussion of the importance of making the South Coast region a more bike- friendly region.
The South Coast Bikeway is a component of the SRPEDD’s Southeastern Massachusetts Bicycle Plan. The bikeway, once realized, will be a 50-mile continuous system of bike paths (or multi-use paths) and bike lanes that will connect Rhode Island to Cape Cod. Cities and towns included in this plan are Swansea, Somerset, Fall River, Westport, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett, Marion and Wareham. Several segments of the bikeway already exist in Swansea, Fall River, New Bedford, Fairhaven and Mattapoisett.
South Coast Bikeway Alliance is a consortium of South Coast towns who meet monthly with other regional advocates of a regional bikeway, including SRPEDD, Voices for a Healthy South Coast, Mass in Motion both in Fall River and New Bedford.