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
Widow of Manhattan Pedestrian Rubin Baum Not Likely to See Justice Done
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Another innocent bystander was killed by an outlaw motorist in Manhattan last weekend, and indications are that another perpetrator will go unpunished by police and prosecutors. On Saturday night at around 10:30 p.m., Rubin and Denise Baum were attempting to hail a cab at Park Avenue and E. 59th Street when, according to reports, the […]
Happy Park(ing) Day
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A shout out to our colleague Philip Winn for this parking-to-park animation, starring the OpenPlans Park(ing) Day installation at Crosby and Howard Streets, near Streetsblog headquarters. If you haven’t seen Angie’s Capitol Hill post from this afternoon — featuring curbside parks from Phoenix, Arizona, to Portland, Maine — don’t miss it. And all those photos don’t […]
NYPD Cruiser Hits Cyclist in Fort Greene
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Streetsblog reader Chad Kellogg, a cyclist who lives and works in Fort Greene, came upon this scene earlier today. He writes: A police car hit a cyclist (who had the right of way) at the corner of Myrtle and Vanderbilt at around 11:40 a.m. this morning. The cyclist was knocked to the ground and injured […]
Driver Cleared by Manhattan Jury in Hit-and-Run Death of Marilyn Dershowitz
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Ian Clement, the U.S. Postal Service employee who drove a truck over cyclist Marilyn Dershowitz, then left the scene, has been found not guilty of hit-and-run by a Manhattan jury. The crash occurred on July 2, 2011, as Dershowitz and her husband Nathan rode their bikes on W. 29th Street, near Ninth Avenue, in Chelsea. Video […]
James Neverson Killed by Motorist in East New York; No Charges Filed
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An MTA bus driver was struck and killed on his way to work in East New York Tuesday morning. James Neverson, 63, of Canarsie, had parked his car and was crossing at the intersection of East New York Avenue and Alabama Avenue, near a bus depot, when he was hit by the driver of a […]
No Charges for Drivers Who Killed Seniors in Manhattan and Brooklyn
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Two seniors have been killed by motorists in Manhattan and Brooklyn since Saturday. Both crashes were apparently precipitated by careless driving or negligence, according to reports, and both drivers were exonerated by NYPD. Yesterday afternoon, 65-year-old Pelagia Zingatan was struck by a yellow cab driver at 69th Street and First Avenue. From the Post: Zingtapan had […]
The New Corona Plaza, One Frame at a Time
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In existence for just a few weeks now, the pedestrianized Corona Plaza has the makings of a livable streets success story. Check out this time-lapse video from DOT depicting the evolution of a new community space.
Bike-Lane Litigant Norman Steisel Is Totally Jazzed About NYC Bike-Share
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If you haven’t seen Norman Steisel’s column in today’s Daily News, take a gander. Presumably, News readers are to believe that a lead player in the effort to erase safety gains for his cycling neighbors in Brooklyn, the man who to this day is involved in a protracted legal battle that has had a chilling effect on […]
Is This the Best Transit Ad Ever?
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The idea of investing in transit is popular with Americans, even among those who don’t depend on it. But trains and buses, buses in particular, have always had an image problem. U.S. transit providers could take a cue from this Danish ad, which makes light of the mundane nature of bus travel (free handles!) in […]
NYPD’s Embarrassing “Safety Tips” for Cycling
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Jen Chung filed a Gothamist story this week on the latest meeting of the Central Park Precinct community council, where commanding officer Captain Jessica Corey explained the precinct’s zero tolerance approach to cyclist traffic infractions. Chung also posted a copy of the department’s “Bicycle Safety Tips” brochure, a deflating compendium of misleading information and copied-and-pasted traffic rules. […]
How Prosecutors and Police Set the Table for a Hit-and-Run Killer’s Defense
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The general public will probably never know if Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance was pressured into pursuing a case against the hit-and-run driver who killed Marilyn Dershowitz. But given the number of traffic death and injury cases that never see the inside of a courtroom, Ian Clement’s attorney can viably employ such a seemingly irrelevant […]
Tonight: CB 2 Seeks Changes to Sixth and Houston Following Deadly Crash
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The transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 2 is looking for input on how to improve safety at Sixth Avenue and Houston Street, the intersection where Jessica Dworkin was killed by a truck driver two weeks ago. “Everything’s open,” says committee chair Shirley Secunda, “from street geometry to police enforcement and investigation to current regulations […]