Harbor Ring: the journey to bike and pedestrian access over the Verrazano Bridge

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to the Harbor Ring!  We have brought in almost $5000 in online and offline donations from over 60 generous supporters.  Time is running out--please contribute to the cause and help us go that extra mile by sharing our campaign with your friends!  If you would like to make a 100% tax-deductible donation after the time has elapsed, you can mail a check (with "Harbor Ring" written in the memo line) to:

Transportation Alternatives

127 W 26th St #1002

New York, NY 10001

Thanks again for your generous support!

Our Story

Support the Harbor Ring: an ambitious project serving bicyclists and pedestrians in the greater New York metropolitan area. 

Encircling the New York Bay, the Harbor Ring will facilitate 50 miles of waterfront recreational opportunity, bicycle transportation routes, and increased local tourism, integrating more than 28 miles of existing shared use paths and bikeways.  Connecting New York City’s Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island with the New Jersey cities of Bayonne, Jersey City, and Hoboken, the Harbor Ring will also garner support for its last missing link: bicycle and pedestrian access over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. 

Our team needs YOUR help to produce a fold-out print map illustrating the Harbor Ring.  While our website harborring.org features the on-street route for everyone’s immediate use, the print map will showcase much, much more!  From transit connections, water sources, and restrooms to bike shops, cultural attractions, and restaurants, the official Harbor Ring map will allow visitors to make the most of their trip around the New York Bay and experience the charm of the local sights and tastes. 

Once produced and printed, we can distribute complimentary maps to bike shops, local businesses, tourist destinations, and at events, so that visitors and locals alike can experience their city in a whole new way—for free.  The more people who use and enjoy the route, the more support can grow for a bicycle and pedestrian path over the Verrazano.

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to Staten Island, is restricted to those traveling on foot or by bicycle and is the “missing link” to a complete Harbor Ring.  Built in 1964, the Verrazano Bridge was initially designed with a pedestrian and bicycle path. While the path was never constructed, the bridge was ultimately engineered to accommodate one. In honor of the Verrazano’s upcoming 50^th anniversary in 2014, we’re advocating for the completion of the bridge, which will also allow for the completion the Harbor Ring.

The Harbor Ring is an advocacy project of Transportation Alternatives, New York City’s leading transportation advocacy organization.  All donations will be channeled through Transportation Alternatives, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt non profit, and will be tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. 

The Impact

When finished, the Harbor Ring will not only offer unprecedented recreational opportunities, it will also continue to establish the region as one of the nation’s most bike-friendly, an honor now deeply coveted by cities around the world, and make it safer and easier than ever to get around the neighborhood and to work by bicycle.  

A recent survey showed that 84% of over 700 respondents believed that the presence of a bicycle/pedestrian path over the Verrazano Bridge would “strongly encourage” them to use a bicycle as transportation between Brooklyn and Staten Island, potentially easing congestion and facilitating access to a community with one of the longest commute times in the nation.

The Harbor Ring will also spur tourism in underserved neighborhoods around the region and will make the metropolitan area an even more attractive destination.  The Harbor Ring provides stunning views of the Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Jersey City Skyline, Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano Bridge, and Ellis Island, while reconnecting residents and visitors to New York and New Jersey’s spectacular waterfront and offering access to enjoy some of the region’s most historic landmarks, 48 parks, and regional destinations.

The route also includes numerous vibrant business districts, including DUMBO, the Columbia Street Waterfront, Bay Street, Ocean Avenue, and downtown Jersey City, downtown Hoboken, and Battery Park City. The route is also rich with rail, bus, and ferry transit connections. So whether you ride the whole route, or smaller sections, there is always a way back home.

What will your contribution do?

Your contributions will go directly towards the production and printing of the map.  Each donation of $10 or more will receive an official Harbor Ring map—so please make a contribution and claim your perk today!

If we exceed our fundraising goal, any additional funds will go towards our next steps:

1. Designing and producing official Harbor Ring street signs to officially mark the route
2. A supported bicycle ride in 2013 for participants to bike the entire ring, with a shuttle bus to take them and their bicycles across the Verrazano Bridge at the end.
3. Website expansion and maintenance, promotional materials, mailing and postage

Other Ways You Can Help

1. Learn about the Harbor Ring on HarborRing.org—and email us with your ideas, suggestions, feedback at info@HarborRing.org
2. If you live or work in the NYC/NJ area or are planning on visiting—ride the Harbor Ring!  See the route here.
3. If you live in the NYC/NJ area, write to your local elected official and tell them that you support a bicycle/pedestrian path over the Verrazano Bridge
4. Visit and 'Like' us on Facebook
5. Send us a tweet at @TheHarborRing
6. Share this campaign and spread the word!