Pedal power

by Stacie Charbonneau-Hess

A few years ago, I was riding my bicycle on Mattapoisett Neck Road (the road where I grew up) and headed to the section of the bike path that was paved: the trail that heads west to Brandt Island Road, and beyond that Fairhaven was headed into downtown New Bedford over the Fairhaven bridge, navigating a bit off the bike path as I cycled through Fairhaven village. While I was crossing Neck Road in Mattapoisett, I met a family of four on their bikes. They were stopped, looking down at a map, and considering how to get to Cape Cod. We chatted for a while, and they told me they were from Germany, and asked for advice about how to go east. I shuddered. That direction would lead them to Route Six (intimidating, especially with a family) and along some roads with no sidewalks onto back roads in Rochester and beyond. They were perplexed and I felt like a terrible host. This was my town, and I had no options to offer them for their journey, so with a resigned farewell message (“Good luck! Be careful! Auf Wiedersehen! ”) I pedaled in the other direction, wondering about what it was like to bicycle where they’re from. Easier, I bet.

Today, their journey in Mattapoisett would be much safer and more bucolic. From Neck Road heading east, the new section of the Rail Trail, some twenty years in the making, takes cyclists and walkers alike over raised sections of wide planks with expansive views of the Mattapoisett River, marshes, the Mattapoisett YMCA, Reservation Golf Course, and then on into Mattapoisett Village where one can be refreshed with a beverage from Town Wharf General Store or the Inn at Shipyard Park’s iconic porch. If you want to make a day of it or take a picnic, it’s even possible to lock up your bike at the trail head and hike down to Nasketucket Bay State Reservation. You can swim or walk on the rocky shoreline of Nasketucket with a quick hike down a grassy trail.

In other words: we are getting closer to being good hosts to cyclists and pedestrians in this part of the South Coast. Now, it’s here for all of us. The bike path was officially christened with a ribbon cutting on June 12 this year.

Nostalgia might creep in to those of us who grew up along those formerly dirt roads, with overgrown brush, visions of our teenage selves scrambling down from a rickety bridge to dip our toes in the Mattapoisett River, or lean over the railing to see the Herring Run. But I don’t feel an ounce of regret for the progress. It makes sense to me that these interior views of Mattapoisett – the ones I saw as a child – now belong to everyone.

As any student of history knows, prior to colonial settlement in the 1600-1800s, the land belonged to no one, and remains the ancestral territory of the Wampanoag tribal peoples. Perhaps this bike path is a way to reach across the long arm of justice and give the views back to the people, though admittedly the Wampanoag tribe did not have a say in the creation of the path nor of the taking of their land centuries ago.

What these paths do is highlight our most prized and glorious asset on the South Coast: our waterways. They reduce traffic (if you’re biking instead of driving), contributing to our overall health and wellbeing. There is a sense of pride, too, looking out at the vistas of salt marsh, replete with sea birds and sail boats and kayakers. You can take an early morning or sunset walk or bike and have some sections of the bike path all to yourself.

Logistically speaking, accessing the bike path is easy and you have several options. In Mattapoisett, park in the small lot on Depot Street, near Main Street in Mattapoisett village. If you’re coming in from Fairhaven or New Bedford, park in the medium-sized paved parking areas on Main and Arsene streets. From New Bedford, you can park in the Elm Street garage and walk your bike across Route 18 to access the path in the median which takes you over the Fairhaven bridge. Dogs are allowed on leash. These paths are ADA accessible, so please check the website for parking options if you have a wheelchair.

Summer on the South Coast is short, but a weekly or even daily ride along the Mattapoisett Rail Trail or Phoenix Bike Trail can infuse the season with unparalleled gratitude for the blessings of nature—free and accessible to all.