Streetfilms Flashback: The 2 AM Ride Across the Verrazano Bridge

Clarence has been rifling through the vault for old footage as he prepares a montage for Transportation Alternatives’ 40th birthday bash. He’s turned up some classic clips going back to the mid-90s, and we’ll be sharing some of them this summer on Friday afternoons.

Some background: Before there was Streetfilms, Clarence made a cable access program called bikeTV. Maybe you already knew that. But here’s something I just learned today — bikeTV had its own predecessor, The Bike Show, which ran from 1995 to 2001.

This video of a ride over the Verrazano Bridge in the wee hours, organized by the 5 Boro Bike Club with the MTA’s cooperation, originally aired on The Bike Show in 1999. Sadly, ride organizer Danny Lieberman, who appears in the beginning of the clip, died last fall after battling leukemia.

There are still only two times a year when people can walk or bike over the Verrazano: The New York City Marathon and the Five Boro Bike Tour. But advocates have been ramping up the campaign to finally add a bike/ped path over the bridge, which would form the final link in a 50-mile waterfront path they call the Harbor Ring. You can sign their petition to Governor Andrew Cuomo here.