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
Another Ambulette Driver Runs Over a Child; Second in Four Days
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Another child has been struck by an ambulette driver, this time in Manhattan. At approximately 3:04 p.m. Tuesday, a 12-year-old boy was hit by a westbound Ford van, driven by a 24-year-old, on W. 165th Street at Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights, according to NYPD. The victim was taken to Columbia Presbyterian in serious condition. […]
Tonight: Voices of Support Needed for Midtown Bike Lanes
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Anyone who rides a bike in Midtown Manhattan, or plans to once bike-share comes online this summer, should be interested in tonight’s Community Board 6 meeting. A full board vote is scheduled this evening on four new pairs of crosstown bike lanes planned for 39th to 55th Streets. Though the lanes would consist of no […]
Cyclist Emma Blumstein Killed by Truck Driver in Brooklyn, No Charges Filed
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The cyclist killed Tuesday by a truck driver on Bedford Avenue has been identified by NYPD as Emma Blumstein, 24. Based on NYPD’s description of the crash, Blumstein was the victim of a left cross. According to police, Blumstein was traveling south on Bedford, while the driver was northbound on Bedford and turning left onto […]
Sadik-Khan Announces Summer Streets 2012
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Summer Streets will return this August. NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today announced dates for the fifth iteration of the city’s premier car-free event. Seven miles of Manhattan streets, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, will be open to pedestrians from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on August 4, 11 and 18. “For three […]
Kevin Rodriguez, 3, Killed by Ambulette Driver in Brooklyn, No Charges Filed
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A 3-year-old child was killed by an ambulette driver in Coney Island Friday evening. Kevin Rodriguez was walking with his father on Neptune Avenue toward West 15th Street when he broke away and ran for his mother, Feizy Marcos, who was at a laundry on the opposite corner, according to reports. Seeing the ambulette approaching, […]
Lawsuit: AIS Rebuffed Calls From Officers at Scene of Fatal Heyworth Crash
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The lawsuit filed today by Jacob Stevens renders in detail how NYPD destroyed the case against the driver who killed his wife, Clara Heyworth, by failing to investigate the crash. It’s as enraging as it is heartbreaking, all the more so considering the number of times this scenario may have played out in other fatality cases. Per […]
Husband Sues NYPD for Botched Investigation Into Death of Clara Heyworth
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The husband of Clara Heyworth, the woman killed by a suspected drunk driver in Fort Greene last summer, filed a lawsuit today against NYPD and called on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take responsibility for the department’s failure to investigate traffic crashes. “I’m here because we have a right to know what happens in our city,” said […]
Times’ Ped Plaza-Bashing Queens Reporter Enjoys Using Queens Ped Plaza
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What is it with the New York Times and the Jackson Heights pedestrian plaza? Yesterday, the paper published a piece by Sarah Maslin Nir on a mugger in the plaza who was tackled to the ground by witnesses. It’s a good story — two of the good Samaritans were missionaries up from North Carolina, another […]
Parks Dept: Timeline and Detour Route Uncertain for Greenway Bridge Rehab
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A city Parks Department official says plans are not yet finalized for work on a bridge that connects the Hudson River Greenway to Washington Heights and the George Washington Bridge. “The bridge is being reconstructed,” wrote Jennifer Hoppa, administrator of parks for Northern Manhattan, in an email. According to Hoppa, the department is still hammering […]
Reader Report: Parks to Close Upper Manhattan Greenway Link for Two Years
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We have word that a major bike-ped link to the Hudson River Greenway in Northern Manhattan will be out of commission later this year. Long-time Streetsblog reader (and sometime contributor) Lars Klove was at a meeting this week where NYC Parks Department officials informed Community Board 12 that a bridge over the Amtrak tracks connecting […]
Monday: Rally for Victims of Traffic Violence Failed by Ray Kelly’s NYPD
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A Transportation Alternatives event on Monday will again call attention to NYPD’s shoddy crash investigation protocols. On July 10, 2011, at approximately 1:50 a.m., 28-year-old Clara Heyworth was crossing Vanderbilt Avenue in Fort Greene when she was hit by driver Anthony Webb. She died the following day. Webb, 43, was charged with a number of […]
Bid to Lift NYPD Ban on Careless Driving Tickets Clears Senate Committee
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Legislation targeted at NYPD’s self-imposed ban on citing motorists for careless driving has passed the State Senate transportation committee. The bill, introduced by Brooklyn Democrat Dan Squadron, would amend Hayley and Diego’s Law by explicitly stating that officers may issue tickets to drivers who harm pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable street users whether or not […]