Most Kings lawyers know Bob Howe as one of the borough's top real estate practitioners or as the chair of the executive committee of the county Republican Party. In his home community of Bay Ridge, he has acquired a reputation as a business leader and heads the Merchants of Third Avenue. He is also an avid bicyclist.

It is in this last capacity that Barrister Bob can often be seen speeding along the Shore Promenade Greenway -- which was just refurbished at a cost of $16 million. So it is no wonder that Barrister Howe has been a champion of the Verrazano Lifeway, a popular proposal that would continue the Shore Bikeway, as some call it, right up to and across the beautiful span that connects this borough with Staten Island.

For years, Bob has worked with this writer -- who in the interest of full disclosure, is the coordinator of the Verrazano Lifeway Committee -- and many others in an effort to open the 44-year-old span to daily use by pedestrians, bikers and anyone else who might want to enjoy its rarefied heights and spectacular views.

"The Lifeway is an idea whose time as come," he says. "It's backed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Marty Golden, and we've recently had some supportive comments by Congressman Vito Fossella, whose district includes neighborhoods on both sides of the bridge." "Over ten thousand local residents have signed Lifeway petitions -- circulated by the Merchants of Third Avenue -- in past drives," he adds. "The Lifeway is seen as a win-win by residents and businesspeople alike. Linking historic Fort Hamilton with Fort Wadsworth in Staten Island, it would create a stunning clean-air recreational area."

Thousands of Brooklyn residents -- from Brooklyn Heights through South Brooklyn, Sunset Park through Bay Ridge and Bensonhurst -- had their lives disrupted when builder Robert Moses decided to locate the Verrazano Bridge approaches in heavily populated neighborhoods instead of using a less destructive route along the waterfront.

When Bloomberg and Golden, a few years back, spurred a big push for the Verrazano Lifeway, they were recognizing that times have changed since the days of Robert Moses, and that most Americans are seeking non-polluting alternatives to the automobile. And, as the powerful senate Republican-Conservative stated this week, "the Lifeway would complete a ‘green system' that would be a boon to all those who seek a healthier way of life, on foot and on bicycles."

Broad NYC Area SupportFor Verrazano LifewayThe Verrazano Lifeway has also won the support of the Staten Island Advance, a number of community boards on both sides of the Narrows (including Brooklyn Community Board 10), the Brooklyn Road Runner's Club, the Sierra Club (NYC), Transportation Alternatives, Friends of Gateway and the East Coast Greenway Alliance.

Also on record is the Metropolitan Greenways Council, which suggested that there is a ready market for a Lifeway when it opens. "It is [no] surprise that two of this city's most successful annual ‘events' include a pedestrian access to this bridge. We are certain that the New York Marathon and Bike NY: The 5 Boro Bike Ride will only be enhanced by allowing walkers, runners, tourists, commuters and cyclers daily access to one of New York's Wonders of the World," the Greenways Council has pointed out in a supportive statement.

Meanwhile, Barrister Howe and other leaders are moving ahead with a petition drive. "We got 10,000 signatures very quickly when the concept was quite new to many and years before the current crises in gasoline supply and health care became so painfully apparent," he says. "We will enlist broad support in getting thousands more and are confident they will help us achieve the goal of financing for a study which, we are confident, will lead to the ultimate construction of the Verrazano Lifeway."