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
Upgrades to LaGuardia Bus Service Will Speed Local Trips Too
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Mayor Bloomberg, NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota this morning announced a long-anticipated plan for Select Bus Service to LaGuardia Airport, which should speed travel times to and from neighborhoods in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens while improving service for local transit users. On the table are three routes: a Select Bus […]
Margaret King, 81, Killed by Staten Island Driver Making a Left Turn
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An 81-year-old woman was fatally struck by a driver while crossing a Staten Island street last week. Margaret King was in a crosswalk at the intersection of Forest and Livermore Avenues in Port Richmond Center at around noon on Wednesday, October 3, when the driver of a Nissan crashed into her while attempting a left turn, […]
Few Answers From Vance About Traffic Crime Investigations
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Safe streets advocates got a rare chance today to ask questions directly of a sitting city district attorney, even if they didn’t get the answers they were looking for. Speaking to a packed room at New York Law School in Tribeca this morning, Cy Vance highlighted successes by Manhattan prosecutors in fighting local and international […]
To Queens Community Board 1, Some Businesses More Worthy Than Others
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Are small businesses that cater to cyclists less desirable than those who look to draw motorists? That seems to be the position of Queens Community Board 1. DNAinfo reported yesterday on the board’s refusal to endorse a bike corral proposed by The Queens Kickshaw, located on Broadway between Steinway and 41st Streets in Astoria. Owners Jennifer […]
Eyes on the Street: Bike, Pedestrian and Bus Upgrades Coming to East Harlem
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Streetsblog regular @J_uptown snapped these shots of developing infrastructure on First and Second Avenues in East Harlem, where DOT is installing a protected bike lane, shortening crossing distances for pedestrians, and speeding bus travel. Writes Jacob: It’s well underway, and nearly all of the ped islands are completed, and most of the striping is done […]
Tomorrow: Speak Up for Safer Streets on the Upper West Side
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Tomorrow night, the transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 7 will take public input on the possible expansion of protected bike lanes on the Upper West Side. On the agenda is a request from the board that DOT complete a proposal for protected lanes and other changes to the streetscape, including pedestrian islands, turning lanes […]
City Launches New “LUCK!” Traffic Safety Campaign
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Helpless to explain or address a recent rise in traffic deaths, city leaders today unveiled a new campaign that touts the prevailing factor in keeping New Yorkers safe from reckless and negligent drivers. Effective immediately, “LUCK!” print ads will adorn city buses, school buses, yellow cabs, livery cabs, garbage trucks, dump trucks, crane trucks, tractor-trailer […]
Will Cuomo Spend Bike-Ped Funds on Bike-Ped Projects?
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With MAP-21 taking effect today, city and state transportation advocates are calling on Governor Cuomo and the New York State Department of Transportation to devote all of its federal bike-ped funds to walking and cycling infrastructure. The coalition of just over 100 groups is also asking that the state make available millions of dollars, allocated as part […]
Three Pedestrians and One Cyclist Dead in Weekend of Vehicular Violence
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Three pedestrians and one cyclist have been killed in the city since Friday night. Two drivers fled the scene, and two were reportedly exonerated by NYPD. At approximately 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Mary Gater was on the sidewalk on Jamaica Avenue near Sutphin Boulevard when an 85-year-old motorist, eastbound on Jamaica, “lost control” of a Chrysler […]
NYPD: 1,355 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 15 Killed in Traffic in August
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Twenty-six people were killed in New York City traffic in August, and 4,743 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. Citywide, 14 pedestrians and 1 cyclist were fatally struck by drivers: four pedestrians in Manhattan; three pedestrians in the Bronx; three pedestrians and one cyclist in Brooklyn; three pedestrians in Queens; […]
Garodnick Wants NYPD Investigation Into Death of Pedestrian Rubin Baum
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City Council Member Dan Garodnick is asking NYPD for a “full investigation” into the weekend crash that killed Upper East Side pedestrian Rubin Baum. The news went out on Garodnick’s Twitter feed earlier today. Baum and his wife Denise were struck at Park Avenue and E. 59th Street on Saturday, September 22, as the couple attempted […]
Eyes on the Street: Summer Space Revisited
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Jeff Prant sent in this photo from last Sunday’s Summer Space, which just wrapped another season, on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. Click here for Jeff’s photos from the first day of the inaugural Summer Space, back in the summer of 2008. Were we ever so young?