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
Daniel Rosado Latest Victim of Deadly Traffic Violence in 71st Precinct
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Charges have yet to be filed after a high-speed hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian and injured three others in Prospect Lefferts Gardens last week. Witnesses said Daniel Rosado, 40, was hit as two dollar van drivers raced north on Flatbush Avenue near Hawthorne Street just before midnight on Wednesday, September 5, and was thrown […]
Vacca Lectures DOT on NYPD Delivery Cyclist Enforcement
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The City Council Transportation Committee is on a mission to bring bike delivery workers into compliance with traffic laws, but council members appear unsure as to how to go about it. Concern over sidewalk riding, red-light running and other behaviors by restaurant workers led to the creation of a DOT commercial cycling unit, which is […]
NYPD Issues More Tickets to Drinking Pedestrians Than Speeding Drivers
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NYPD issued more summonses for open container violations than for speeding in 2011, one of a number of law enforcement oddities revealed through data issued by police and compiled from court records. Drawing on data obtained from city criminal courts, the New York World, a project of the Columbia Journalism School, analyzed summonses issued by NYPD […]
Eyes on the Street: Jackson Heights Work Zone Redux
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Clarence snapped a photo of the construction sign at Northern Boulevard and 82nd Street in Jackson Heights, which earlier this week displayed the wrong speed limit. Motorists should no longer be under the impression that they should drive faster through the work zone. We’d love to know what spurred the correction. Any guesses?
Yankee Stadium Parking Garages “Almost Certainly” Coming Down
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How long now before the Yankee Stadium parking fiasco becomes an unpleasant memory? In a brief Crain’s item published last Friday (hat tip to Tri-State), Marlene Cintron, president of the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, said that occupancy rates at the taxpayer-financed stadium garages are down from last year, and now stand below 50 percent. […]
Trucker Who Killed Jessica Dworkin Cited for Careless Driving
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The truck driver who killed Jessica Dworkin in the West Village Monday morning was summonsed for failure to yield and failure to exercise due care, according to NYPD, but was not cited for possible violations related to truck size and safety mirrors. Dworkin, 58, was riding a foot-propelled scooter west on Houston Street just before […]
Eyes on the Street: Good News and Bad News for Midtown Bike Commuters
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Hats off to @J_uptown, who spotted this bit of temporary bike infrastructure in Midtown. He writes: Unfinished 9th Ave protected #bikenyc lane gets protected detour at 50th! Thx @NYC_DOT Nice to see DOT taking a page from cities like Copenhagen, where construction crews take care to keep cyclists safe. The extension of protected bike lanes […]
NYPD: 1,301 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, Nine Killed in Traffic in July
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Nine people were killed by motorists while walking and riding bicycles on city streets in July, and 1,301 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. Citywide, six pedestrians and three cyclists were fatally struck by drivers: one pedestrian and one cyclist in Manhattan; one pedestrian and one cyclist in the Bronx; three […]
Eyes on the Street: What’s Wrong With This Picture?
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Here’s a screenshot from a snippet of video taken by an eagle-eyed reader at Northern Boulevard and 82nd Street in Queens. The construction workers who programmed this display look to be unknowingly putting themselves in danger by allowing motorists an extra five miles per hour. They have company at the top: None other than NYPD […]
Woman Killed by Truck Driver in West Village This Morning [Second Update]
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A pedestrian was struck and killed by the driver of a tractor trailer in the West Village this morning. The victim, a 58-year-old woman, was riding a foot scooter at Sixth Avenue and Houston Street when she was struck at approximately 8:55 a.m., according to NYPD, FDNY and published reports. NBC cited a crossing guard […]
Video: NYPD Also Ignores Left Turn Ban at Delancey and Essex
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After Gothamist posted a video of motorists ignoring the new left-turn ban at Delancey and Essex, we contacted NYPD to ask about traffic enforcement at one of Manhattan’s most notorious intersections. We’re still waiting to hear back. In the meantime, judging from this video by ANIMAL New York, it looks like police are not only […]
Jermaine Elliot Killed by Hit-and-Run Truck Driver in the Bronx
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A 26-year-old man was killed by a hit-and-run truck driver in the Bronx early Tuesday. At around 4:43 a.m., Jermaine Elliot was crossing Barnes Avenue at E. 233rd Street in Wakefield, a short distance from his home, when the driver of a white box truck traveling north on Barnes struck him while turning left, according […]