A special kind of magic happens when you combine 500 people of all ages with a car-free coastal road. That’s how Elliot’s Ride for Everyone on the Ocean Drive became such a beloved annual event in Newport, and now the Sakonnet Coastal Bike & Stroll through Island Park and The Hummocks is fast-becoming a family-friendly favorite in Portsmouth.
The 500 people biking and walking together on the morning of September 14th hailed from at least 25 different zip codes, making this free community event a chance for people from all around our area to witness the beauty and charm of coastal Portsmouth and discover the array of restaurants and other businesses along the route. The event is co-hosted by Bike Newport and the Island Park Preservation Society.
Among the memorable highlights of this 2nd annual event was the growing number of local residents who participated either by walking or riding the route, or by sharing a kindness with passers-by. One popular restaurant opened early, staff from another set up a pirate-themed table in their lot to entertain families, and another family hosted the Art Zone chalk-art space nearby. Residents came out onto their porches and spent the warm morning with participants, often providing buckets of ice-cooled drinks, water for pets, and otherwise creating a palpable sense of community. It was beautiful to behold. Below are some of our favorite photos from the day:
The car-free route encompassed a two-mile stretch of Park Ave and the Hummocks, featured not one but two bridges including the separated shared use path crossing the Sakonnet River Bridge to Tiverton, and connected through to the entrance to Common Fence Point (see route map below).
The event was conceived to showcase what it’s like to have a connected network of bike and pedestrian-safe infrastructure that’s separated from cars, and to demonstrate the public demand for more safe places to ride and walk away from motor vehicle traffic.
We are deeply grateful to our lead sponsor BankNewport for making this event possible. A special thank you also to Sunset Cove for hosting the Event Hub, and for their sponsorship support including donated design and print services. We appreciate all of our additional event sponsors, including Rail Explorers Rhode Island, Ocean State Air Solutions, The Green Grocer, Whipple Tree Experts, and The Bow Bar.
The Event Hub featured our Bike Newport and Ride Island tent, a tent by Rhode Island Safe Streets for All, The Bow Bar distributing cold water and craft lemonade, Mathnasium Portsmouth hosting kids’ math games, and our Bike Newport volunteer mechanic offering donation-based bike repair.
Bike Newport takes pride in designing sustainable events. Our thanks to Clements’ Marketplace for supplying our no-waste watering station, and to both Clements’ and our lead sponsor BankNewport for supplying reusable water bottles.
Ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all required some 35 volunteers deployed throughout the route, supplemented by volunteers with Portsmouth EMA who provided radio communications and incident response. Portsmouth Police managed the road closure and traffic diversion, with equipment swiftly deployed by Portsmouth DPW. Bike Newport and IPPS are grateful to all who contributed to making the 2nd Annual Sakonnet Coastal Bike & Stroll such a fabulous success. We’re already excited for next year!
Bike Newport