Biking Fun and Safety in South Hadley

I’ve lived in South Hadley, Massachusetts for my whole life. One of my favorite things to do here is to bike around. There are lots of good places to bike in South Hadley like to an ice cream shop. In road biking in South Hadley it will cover some good places to bike, safety, and how to use a crosswalk if you're new to around here. If you are into biking this is highly recommended for you.

What are some good places to bike in South Hadley? There are loads of good places to bike. My personal favorite is CC’s ice cream shop by the Whiskey Barrel on Lyman Street and Pittroff Ave. But it’s not open a lot. Some other good places to bike are the South Hadley Commons on College Street. There are lots of places to check out in the Commons like Odyssey Bookshop, Tower Theaters (movie theater), Board and Brush Creative Studio(painting), and much more. Another good place to bike is Dunkin’ on Newton Street. I went there with my family and we had some great donuts. I also love to go to tag sales and buy stuff. There are lots of tag sales in South Hadley with good deals. Columbus Day weekend is the best time for tag sales. One time I went on my bike looking for tag sales on Columbus Day weekend and I picked up a small trash can for only $1! I also picked up a bunch of hockey pucks and a catcher's helmet, which I thought was a hockey helmet, for only $5! I got some crazy deals that weekend.

Is South Hadley safe for biking? South Hadley has some good ways to stay safe. Two of them are sidewalks and bike lanes. South Hadley has lots of them all over town. Sidewalks are places where bikers and people walking can be safe around South Hadley. Bike lanes are also a place for people to be safe while biking. Bike lanes are not as safe as sidewalks. They are on the road with the cars but it's safer than nothing. South Hadley also has street lights for when it’s night time. (See image at bottom of article.) They provide light for cars, people walking, and bikers. It makes bike riding at night a lot safer. Massachusetts has a law that states people under 16 must wear a helmet. For more information visit(Massachusetts law about bicycles).

Lastly, as of November 22, 2024 there have been 1,290 bike crashes in Massachusetts so far.

Wait, what are these buttons on the poles? Those are for the crosswalks. Crosswalks are made so people can cross busy roads safely. There is a video at the end or I can tell you how to use one now. First, you start by going to a busy road that you want to cross, click on the arrow button on the pole, and look at the side you want to cross. There should be a pole that has a red hand lit up on the top in a rectangle that means don’t cross the road. Wait, and then when it shows a lit up person walking in the same rectangle walk across the road in the striped lines to the other side of the street. Warning! You have a limited time to cross the crosswalk so don’t take too long. Now you know how to cross a crosswalk. (See video below.)

In conclusion, I love biking in South Hadley. It is so fun. Now you know where some of the best places to bike are, safety, and how to use a crosswalk. You can enjoy biking in awesome South Hadley so ride around and have some fun here. Have a good day and happy riding. Bye.

Resources: Mass.gov, and Google Maps.