To the Editor:

May is Bike Month. Tour de Creme is here again. New off-road paths have opened in New Bedford and Fall River, and there is great news about construction of our own bike path. Biking in South Coast continues to be great.

This year please make it your priority to share the road wisely and look out for others on the road. Each year there are more than 50 serious accidents and 500 potentially serious crashes across the commonwealth. Our “crash rate” is lower than most but let’s all concentrate on keeping each other safe. Look for family safety classes in June.

Please visit us at the “The Tour de Crème” fundraising event benefits the Bike Path and the Mattapoisett Land Trust : Sunday, May 21, or consider joining the Baystate Bike week “Bike Hike” to Shaw Farm Trail on May 13. Join the group anywhere along the route from New Bedford Nasketucket. More info and registration at www.SouthCoastBikewayAlliance.com

What’s else is new in Tri-town biking? A $1000 Bike Safety Scholarship, sponsored by Dunn Insurance and Arbella Insurance, is being offered to the best statistical analysis of the state’s database of bike-car crashes. What can be learned from the crash reports of the latest 5 years? The competition is a pilot project undertaken by the Friends with assistance from ORR Statistics teacher Melanie Kellum; MassBike; The state’s Registry of Motor Vehicles, and MassDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator. Winning work may be presented to a state wide audience at the MassDOT’s fall conference about biking and walking. Students will compete for the scholarship as part of their end of year class project.

We’ll report back with what they learned. Meanwhile, please ride with the traffic, walkers walk against the traffic. Motorists, keep at or below the speed limit and be alert to walkers and riders. Only pass bicyclists or walkers if it is safe to do so and you can give them a 3’ safe space. Riders should not wear earphones as they need to be alert to motorists behind them. When cars are there, ride single file to facilitate passing. Always approaching intersection with caution, stopping where necessary.

Bonne Desousa,

President, Friends of the Mattapoisett Bike Path