Saturday, October 5 is Bike New Bedford Day, celebrating biking in and around New Bedford

Meet at 10:00 a.m. in the Whale’s Tooth Parking

Lot for three facilitated fun rides

New Bedford, Massachusetts– The City’s Department of Parks, Recreation & Beaches and Department of Planning will host “Bike NB Day” on Saturday, October 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon, featuring several facilitated fun rides around New Bedford.

The meeting place to begin these rides is the Whale’s Tooth Parking Lot, 532 Acushnet Avenue, just east of downtown New Bedford. Those planning to participate should arrive for 10:00 a.m.

The event will showcase New Bedford’s commitment to bicycle planning for public health and outdoor recreation, with safety demonstrations from police, a short welcome from City representatives with information on bicycle planning in New Bedford, networking with regional bike advocacy groups, children and adult games, and three facilitated fun rides.

The three facilitated fun rides will include:

– A 3-mile, family-friendly ride with members of the New Bedford Police Department
– A 5-mile ride along New Bedford’s working waterfront
– A 15- mile Blue Lane ride along the CoveWalk and parts of New Bedford and South Dartmouth to get to know the local bike paths, ending back at the Cove Walk

For some, cycling is a sport, a hobby or an eco-friendly mode of transportation, but cycling also has an important role to play in terms of public health. Growing evidence indicates that bicycle-specific infrastructure including off-street bike paths, residential bikeways and cycle tracks (such as the HarborWalk and CoveWalk) offer substantial safety benefits and increase bicycling as a hobby, as well as improve local air quality by providing an alternative mode of travel.