Brad Aaron
Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.
Recent Posts
StreetsPAC Announces Second Round of City Council Endorsements
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StreetsPAC announced its second round of City Council endorsements today. Endorsees include a council newcomer in the Bronx, and incumbents in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. StreetsPAC likes Assembly Member Vanessa Gibson to succeed termed-out Bronx rep Helen Foster in District 16. Gibson backed legislation to bring speed cameras to NYC, according to StreetsPAC, and supports […]
Robert Johnson Charges Reckless Endangerment for Bronx Pedestrian Death
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A motorist accused of killing a pedestrian in the Bronx has been charged with reckless endangerment by District Attorney Robert Johnson. Though the driver was allegedly breaking multiple laws at the time of the crash, he was not charged with a more serious offense under the so-called “rule of two.” The 55-year-old male victim, the […]
NYC’s Top Parking Subsidizer, Seth Pinsky, Moves On
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Seth Pinsky, whose legacy as head of the New York City Economic Development Corporation will be years of parking-induced traffic in city neighborhoods, with taxpayers footing the bill, is headed to the private sector. The news came this morning, via announcements from City Hall and RXR Realty, which hired Pinsky. During Pinsky’s five-year tenure, NYCEDC incentivized […]
Cab Crash Injures Pedestrian in Precinct Where Speeding Is All But Legal
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A man standing with his wife and kids on a Midtown sidewalk was hit by a cab driver yesterday in a precinct where speeding is practically unenforced by NYPD. The victim was hit at approximately 4 p.m. after two cab drivers collided at Seventh Avenue and 52nd Street, a pedestrian-packed area teeming with summer tourists. […]
Motorists Take the Lives of Human Rights Worker and Senior in Brooklyn
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A senior was killed by a motorist in Bensonhurst this weekend, and a Prospect Heights pedestrian who was struck by an alleged drunk driver earlier this month has died from her injuries. On July 5 at around 12:25 a.m., Roxana Gomez was walking at Flatbush Avenue and St. Marks Avenue when she was hit by a BMW […]
Anybody Interested in Tearing Down a Couple of Yankee Stadium Garages?
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Another attempt to salvage something positive from the Yankee Stadium parking boondoggle is underway. The company that operates the garages, having defaulted on hundreds of millions in triple-tax exempt bonds, has issued a request for proposals for the sublease and redevelopment of two lots. Even back in 2007 and 2008, when the NYC Economic Development Corporation […]
Liu’s Office Outlines Benefits of Investigating All Serious NYC Traffic Crashes
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John Liu’s office recently published a brief analysis of the newly-expanded NYPD Collision Investigation Squad. Liu has already proposed increasing the number of NYPD crash investigators, and now Doug Giuliano, senior policy analyst for the comptroller’s office, has put up some more numbers that illustrate how woefully inadequate CIS staffing is. With 19 investigators, in 2011 […]
Tri-State: Older New Yorkers More Vulnerable to Traffic Violence
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The Bronx is the most dangerous place for pedestrians age 60 and older in New York City, and Bronx County has the third highest fatality rate for older pedestrians in the region, according to a study by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The report found that people age 60 and up throughout the region are significantly […]
All State Senators From NYC, Plus Skelos, Voted for Speed Cameras
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You can thank Marty Golden for speed cameras now. The State Senate passed NYC’s first speed camera demonstration program by a margin of 56-7, with the entire city delegation voting in favor. Senate Republican Co-Leader Dean Skelos was also among the “aye” votes. Sources say Skelos was opposed to speed cameras pretty late in the […]
Will the “Rule of Two” Trigger Hynes Probe Into the Death of Felix Coss?
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While the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau looks into the death of Felix Coss, the school teacher who was struck and killed by an officer driving a police vehicle in Williamsburg, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has yet to launch his own investigation. Coss, 61, was crossing Broadway at Hooper Street at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, in […]
NYPD Issues More Tickets for Sidewalk Riding Than Speeding on Local Streets
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NYPD issued more tickets for riding a bike on a sidewalk than for speeding on surface streets last year, according to summons data and court records. The Criminal Court of the City of New York 2012 Annual Report [PDF] ranks sidewalk riding as the third most frequently charged summons, with around 25,000 issued. According to data scraped […]
Felix Coss, of Brooklyn, Third Pedestrian Killed By NYPD in Last 15 Months
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A pedestrian crossing the street in a crosswalk with the signal in broad daylight was struck and killed by an on-duty NYPD officer in Williamsburg this weekend, and the department says no traffic laws were broken. Felix Coss, 61, was crossing Broadway at Hooper Street at 4:30 p.m. Saturday when he was hit by an […]