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
Eyes on the Street, Midtown Redux: Crosstown Bike Lane Meets 6 1/2 Avenue
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More streetscape news from Midtown: In addition to the Eighth Avenue bike lane expansion and the installation of 6 1/2 Avenue, DOT is already at work on new crosstown lanes. Steve O., a.k.a. @eveostay, snapped this shot today at the brand new intersection of the E. 51st Street lane and 6 1/2 Ave. The lane […]
Why Must a Driver Be Drunk or Fleeing Cops to Be Prosecuted for Killing?
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On Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance announced the sentencing of Dyson Williams, the driver who killed Mary Celine Graham while attempting to evade police. On June 22, 2010, police investigating a string of gunpoint robberies stopped a minivan occupied by Williams and William Robbins near W. 142nd Street and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard, according to […]
Heads Up, NYC DOT: Walking While Listening to Music Is Still Not Illegal
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The new NYC DOT “Heads Up” PSA featuring New York Knicks point guard Baron Davis may get points for star power, but when it comes to messaging, it’s a brick. The spot features a dribbling Davis tossing a basketball at a texting pedestrian, directing a salmoning cyclist to reverse course and shouting at a motorist […]
Albany 2012: Lawmakers Strike Out on Safe Streets and Transit
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Albany lawmakers had several opportunities during the 2012 session to come through for transit riders, pedestrians, cyclists and drivers. They came up short on every count. A bill targeted at NYPD’s self-imposed ban on citing motorists for careless driving passed the State Senate transportation committee but did not come to a vote in the full […]
NYPD: 15 Pedestrians, One Cyclist Killed in New York City Traffic in May
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Sixteen vulnerable users were killed on city streets in May, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. City-wide, 15 pedestrians and one cyclist were fatally struck by drivers: seven pedestrians in Manhattan; five pedestrians in Brooklyn; and three pedestrians and one cyclist in Queens. Among the victims were Priscilla Wells, Lori Stevens, Maria […]
NYPD Rule Would Wipe Out NYC’s Premier Bike Education Program
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A new fee imposed by NYPD could decimate free bike education programs that serve thousands of New Yorkers, and would jeopardize the education component of the city’s bike-share program. Bike New York, organizer of the Five Boro Bike Tour, holds hundreds of cycling classes each year. Classes designed to teach kids and adults to ride […]
Ebrahim Kebe, 4, Killed by Driver in the Bronx, No Charges Filed
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A 4-year-old child was killed while playing outside his home on a residential street in the Bronx on Tuesday. Ebrahim Kebe was struck by the driver of a minivan on Topping Avenue in Mount Hope at approximately 6 p.m., according to reports. He was pronounced dead at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital. Like clockwork, the Post weighed in […]
Taxi Driver Rep Bhairavi Desai: Speed Enforcement Is a Government Scam
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The Times ran a story yesterday on the supposedly improving outlook for state speed camera legislation. The bills have failed to gain traction in Albany for several years running and have yet to clear either house this session, though the Senate version has picked up a sponsor in Staten Island Republican Andrew Lanza. Speeding-related crashes […]
Can East Side NIMBYs Thwart the UN Bike-Share Terror Threat?
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Ban Ki-moon may be pleased by the prospect of bike-share docks near the United Nations, but self-styled security advisors from the neighborhood are second-guessing the secretary general. DNAinfo reports: Dr. David Gootnik, who lives near East 43rd and Second Avenue, said the area is vulnerable because it is home to not only the United Nations […]
Memo to New York Post: Dooring Is Illegal, Not a “Freak Accident” [Updated]
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Update: The victim has been identified by NY1 as Tskaka Cooke, 39. The Times-Ledger also filed a report on the crash. The New York Post story on the crash that killed a cyclist in Fresh Meadows this weekend is a textbook example of press corps victim-blaming. Here are the facts of the crash, as related […]
CB 2 Committee Signs Off on Slate of SoHo Pedestrian Improvements
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The transportation committee of Manhattan Community Board 2 this week unanimously recommended that DOT implement two projects that would bring a menu of pedestrian safety improvements to SoHo, including a number of intersections near the Holland Tunnel. At the intersection of Canal Street and Hudson Street, DOT plans to add median islands and bump-outs to […]
Community Board 6 Gives Thumbs Up to Midtown Bike Lanes
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Manhattan Community Board 6 last night approved a DOT proposal for four new pairs of crosstown bike lanes from 39th to 55th Streets. Three pairs of lanes will run from First to Eighth Avenue, while a fourth set will be installed between Eighth Avenue and Grand Central Terminal. The lanes, planned ahead of this summer’s […]