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
Brooklyn DA’s Office Reviewing Mathieu Lefevre Hit-and-Run
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The office of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes will conduct a review into the death of cyclist Mathieu Lefevre, according to the borough’s top prosecutor for vehicular crimes. Craig Esswein, chief of the vehicular crimes bureau, told Streetsblog that reviewing deadly traffic crashes is standard procedure. “Any time there’s a fatality the NYPD does their […]
Will Vance Victory Translate to Tougher Stance on Traffic Crime?
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The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance scored a significant victory last week, earning a homicide conviction in the case of a driver who killed a pedestrian in East Harlem nine years ago. But the circumstances of the crash, and their striking similarity to a 2011 fatality that resulted in a slap-on-the-wrist plea bargain, […]
Dear Media Lemmings: Headphones Don’t Kill People, Drivers Do
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There’s a University of Maryland study making the rounds today that links pedestrian fatalities with the wearing of headphones — a three-fold increase over the last seven years. Judging from the breathless headlines, the causation is clear. “Study Shows Sharp Rise in Accidents Involving Tuned-Out Pedestrians,” reads the Chicago Tribune. “Fatal Distraction,” says MSNBC. “Music […]
SOTC: Bloomberg Touts Bike-Share, Bike Lanes, Street Safety [Updated]
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Mayor Bloomberg is presenting his penultimate State of the City address at this hour. His prepared remarks, which we’ve excerpted below, include more regarding livable streets than we’ve seen since 2008, and the most any mayor has said about bike policy in a State of the City address. The big transportation issue last year was “Five […]
Another Year, Another David Greenfield Parking Bill
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The City Council is again looking to placate scofflaw drivers. This time, Council Member David Greenfield of Brooklyn wants to limit cases in which the city can tow vehicles belonging to drivers who have racked up hundreds of dollars in unpaid parking fines. DNAinfo has the story: “Any driver who has been towed knows that […]
Will Peter Vallone Go Where James Vacca Fears to Tread?
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The Village Voice reports that Peter Vallone, chair of the City Council’s public safety committee, is planning a hearing on traffic enforcement. Responding to the Transportation Alternatives probe into how NYPD handles crash investigations, announced after a year that saw reckless motorists face little to no repercussions for taking lives, Vallone said, “They have some […]
First Impressions of the Cuomo Convention Center Plan
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While congratulating Andrew Cuomo on his first-year achievements, Nicole Gelinas of the Manhattan Institute thinks yesterday’s State of the State address was pretty weak. In her Post column, Gelinas derides two of Cuomo’s signature economic initiatives — conventions and casinos — as strikingly out of touch. On the governor’s plan to develop the largest convention […]
Reminder: The MTA Chair Is Not an Omnipotent Transit God
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Jay Walder may have exaggerated when he claimed this week to have put the city transit system “back on firm financial footing” during his stint as MTA chairman, but he did show remarkable reserve in not letting loose on Albany for undercutting rail and bus service at every turn. Unfortunately the media failed to fill […]
Family of Mathieu Lefevre Sues NYPD for Withholding Crash Information
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The family of Mathieu Lefevre has filed a lawsuit against the NYPD for refusing to release information related to the hit-and-run collision that killed the 30-year-old Brooklyn cyclist last October. According to the complaint, filed in New York State Supreme Court on December 30 [PDF], NYPD denied a freedom of information request from Lefevre’s parents seeking […]
In Memoriam
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By many measures, 2011 was a bleak year for advocates of traffic safety. Where 2010 offered hope with the passage of new laws designed to hold reckless drivers accountable for harming vulnerable street users and the seating of a district attorney who pledged to do the same, this year saw those same laws go all […]
Eyes on the Street: Curb-Jumping Cab Driver Hits Pedestrians on UWS
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Streetsblog reader Liz Patek sent in these photos of the aftermath of a Tuesday afternoon crash at 68th Street and Broadway, in front of the Loews Lincoln Square movie theater. Liz writes: Police were still on the scene. From talking to people, it appears that the cab backed up at a high speed around the […]
NYPD Reportedly Lost Evidence Related to Crash That Killed Mathieu Lefevre
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The attorney representing the family of Mathieu Lefevre has sent a letter to NYPD that raises serious questions about the investigation of the hit-and-run crash that took the 30-year-old artist’s life. The five-page letter from attorney Steve Vaccaro indicates that the NYPD Accident Investigation Squad has all but concluded that crane truck driver Leonardo Degianni […]