By Will Gardner, Special to the Neighb News
In the wake of three serious crashes on Route 6 across Pope’s Island this year, at least two of them fatal, dozens of concerned citizens from across Fairhaven and New Bedford gathered September 16 for a walk audit of the corridor.
Organized by SouthCoast Places for People with staff support from the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD), participants included members of the Fairhaven Select, Planning and School Boards, Fairhaven Fire, Fairhaven Police, New Bedford Police, Fairhaven BPW, and Fairhaven Livable Streets, as well as concerned neighbors.
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- Will Gardner (2nd from right) speaks during the walking tour of Route 6 on 9/16/25 between New Bedford at Pope’s Island and Fairhaven High School. Submitted photo.
Participants met at the Noah’s Place playground and walked from the Pope’s Island Marina east to Fairhaven High School, documenting conditions for people walking, biking, and driving. Among the key findings:
• Despite posted speed limits of 30-40 miles per hour, participants measured average vehicle speeds of 52 mph. A law enforcement official reported that vehicles are regularly clocked above 50 mph along Pope’s Island and that police often only pull over drivers traveling at least double the speed limit.
• No congestion was observed on Route 6 during the weekday peak hour (5-6pm). The only slowdown occurred when the swing bridge closed to through traffic at the quarter hour. Westbound queuing for the bridge is further exacerbated by left-turning vehicles into the commercial plaza.
• Even with more people crossing between the marina and playground to the south and businesses to the north, there is no crosswalk at all on the nearly mile-long stretch of Route 6 across the harbor connecting the marina/playground to the retail businesses on the north side, despite this being a common crossing point and the site of a serious pedestrian injury last July. Audit participants observed several people attempting to cross with considerable difficulty.
• Despite most businesses being on the north side, limited access to New Bedford from the north side and no bike infrastructure means most people walking and biking share the south sidewalk, too narrow in multiple locations to accommodate two-way traffic.
• The crosswalk on the west side of the Main Street intersection is 71 feet long and signal timing for pedestrians crossing from Fairhaven High was too short for even a group of able-bodied adults to cross safely on time.
Recommendations from the audit include:
• Immediate safety fixes (lighting, trimming hedges, clearing obstructions, signage corrections).
• A near-term pilot project to get vehicle speeds to better match limits on the bridge and the commercial stretch.
• Longer-term redesign recommendations to better reflect the values of safety, freedom to move, and community connection along this important gateway between Fairhaven and New Bedford.
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- Concerned citizens and local officials take a walking tour of Route 6 on 9/16/25 between New Bedford at Pope’s Island and Fairhaven High School. Submitted photo.
SouthCoast Places for People and SRPEDD will continue working with MassDOT, elected officials, local committees, businesses, and nonprofits to keep people informed and gather feedback.
The public is welcome to review the audit findings and recommendations at https://bit.ly/Route6WalkAudit.
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Click here to download the 9/25/25 issue: 09-25-25 Medieval
Click here to download the Planning Board texts: KevinGrantDocs
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