Pop-up Traffic Garden coming to Fall River as expansion of Alfred Lima Quequechan Rail Trail on the horizon

The Massachusetts Safe Routes to School Program, in partnership with the Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District, the City of Fall River’s Health Department – Mass in Motion, and the Community Development Agency’s Love Your Block initiative, has announced an engaging and educational “Pop-up Traffic Garden” event on Saturday, October 18, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Father Travassos Park. The rain date for this event will be Sunday, October 19, 2025.

A traffic garden is a scaled-down street network designed to provide youth and new cyclists with a safe, car-free environment to practice biking skills and learn the rules of the road. Unlike most public traffic gardens, the Fall River event will provide bikes for children to use during the event. The bike fleet being provided for use during the event is courtesy of MassBike, in partnership with the MassDOT Safe Routes to School Program. In addition, several bicycles—generously supplied by Mass Bikes for All—will be raffled off, offering children the chance to take a bike home. Free bike helmets will be distributed, courtesy of the Truesdale Health Foundation Inc. Every family attending will also receive a goodie bag, donated by Tufts Health Insurance, filled with valuable resources and goodies.

The event is open to all members of the public. The event is wheelchair-accessible and welcomes children of all abilities. Volunteers will be available on-site to assist participants as needed.

The traffic garden announcement is on the heels of the Quequechan Rail Trail Phase IVA project involving the development of a bike and walking path extending from Quequechan Street easterly to Father Travassos Park. This phase will connect existing residents, as well as new residents in the recently developed and renovated mills, to the broader trail system and bring them closer to the edge of the downtown core. The completion timeframe is currently December of 2026.

The Quequechan Rail Trail Phase IVB, which extends from Quequechan Street westerly to Britland Park, will be paused due to time constraints associated with the ARPA funding and the complexity of permitting and land acquisitions required for the project.