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
NYPD: 1,111 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 13 Killed in Traffic in February
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Twenty people were killed in New York City traffic in February, and 3,531 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. As of the end of February, 33 pedestrians and cyclists have been killed by city motorists this year, and 2,408 injured, compared to 23 deaths and 2,392 injuries for the same […]
Vance to Albany Obstructionists: Stop Blocking Speed Cams
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Pretty much every line of Cy Vance’s op-ed on the value of speed cameras is worthy of an excerpt. But the takeaway should be this: Every relevant sector of city government has endorsed the proposed NYC speed camera demonstration program. As Manhattan’s top law enforcer, whose office is separate from the Bloomberg administration, Vance’s support carries […]
Stringer Gives Safe Streets Foe Dan Zweig Two More Years on Manhattan CB 7
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Borough President Scott Stringer considers community boards “the first line of defense for Manhattan neighborhoods.” But one name among his final round of appointments, announced yesterday, makes you wonder if Stringer believes Manhattan neighborhoods should be protected from reckless drivers. Stringer re-upped CB 7’s Daniel Zweig, who along with transportation committee co-chair Andrew Albert opposed […]
NYPD: No Charges for Driver Who Hit 10 People, Leaving Boy Brain Dead
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A motorist jumped the curb and slammed into a bus stop and scaffolding in East Flatbush on Saturday, striking up to 10 pedestrians. Four people were hospitalized in critical condition, including a woman and her young son. According to the Post, Denim McLean, whose age has been reported as 2 and 3, is brain dead. […]
Senate Co-Leader Jeff Klein Wants NYC Speed Cameras Approved This Year
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It’s no joke — Jeff Klein is taking up the cause of NYC speed cameras in the State Senate. The Daily News reports that Klein, the Bronx Democrat who leads the Senate along with Republican Dean Skelos, will make the proposed speed camera demonstration program a priority in the remaining weeks of the current legislative […]
Why the Brooklyn Crash That Killed a Family of Three Will Happen Again
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Julio Acevedo, accused of the high-speed hit-and-run crash that killed Nachman and Raizel Glauber and their unborn child, was convicted in the court of opinion well before he was charged with manslaughter. But the failure of New York’s traffic justice system to keep Acevedo off the roads also allowed this tragedy to happen. The Daily News has reported that […]
London Cycling Group Proposes a Safer Urban Truck
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In the last few weeks, truck drivers have taken the lives of at least two NYC pedestrians: a 6-year-old child and a 60-year-old woman. Though the physics of the crashes were different — one driver was turning, the other accelerating into a crosswalk — in both cases the driver was said to have hit a […]
Thanks to Marty Golden, Life-Saving Speed Cameras Not in State Budget
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Electeds and advocates have until June to push speed camera legislation through Albany, as the proposed NYC demonstration program was not part of this year’s state budget deal. Speed cameras were included in the State Assembly budget. The program has the endorsement of Mayor Bloomberg, the City Council, and NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. But despite overwhelming […]
Sook-Ja Kim Killed by Motorist in Mosholu Parkway Median; No Charges Filed
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A woman was struck and killed by a driver who jumped the curb and drove across a field near the Bronx Botanical Garden last weekend. Sook-Ja Kim, 63, was in a wide grassy median that serves as a park area on Mosholu Parkway near Bainbridge Avenue when she was hit from behind by a motorist […]
Speed Camera Foe Eric Ulrich Says He Cares About Street Safety
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Does Eric Ulrich really believe that motorists who drive at up to 45 mph on neighborhood streets “pose no threat to anybody else on the road,” as he said at a City Council hearing Monday? You be the judge. We contacted Ulrich’s office yesterday to see if he was aware that motorists have killed at […]
Council Transpo Committee Approves Speed Camera Resolution
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The City Council transportation committee has overwhelmingly passed a resolution in support of NYC’s first-ever speed camera program. The vote was 10-1, with Vincent Ignizio voting against. Darlene Mealy and Eric Ulrich were absent. Here’s the roll call: James Vacca: Y Gale Brewer: Y Dan Garodnick: Y David Greenfield: Y Vincent Ignizio: N Peter Koo: […]
Another Case for Speed Cameras: Young Kids Can’t Hear Oncoming Cars
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The Wall Street Journal yesterday published the results of a study on how sensitive kids and adults are to the sounds of oncoming vehicles. The findings should be a wake-up call to parents of young children in NYC, where speeding in the vicinity of schools is rampant. Using headphones to listen to the sounds of […]