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
Cartoon Thursday: Traffic Sham
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This November ‘toon from Ward Sutton, who skewers conventional editorial cartooning for The Onion, hits all the notes — the myth of cyclist privilege, the disparity between the amount of space allotted to cars vs. other modes, and the waste and helplessness that comes with sitting in traffic. The coup de grâce of Sutton’s “Kelly” […]
James Vacca, Welcome to Sweeneyland
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With his skeptical reaction to the latest poll showing majority support for cycling infrastructure, James Vacca has established himself as the city’s most authoritative voice for anti-bike nonsense. This week Transportation Alternatives released the results of a telephone survey of 603 likely New York City voters, conducted by the firm Penn Schoen Berland. Along with […]
Do the Math: NYPD’s Blame-the-Victim Routine Doesn’t Add Up
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Time after time, when a person loses his or her life while walking or biking in the city, the narrative unfolds according to script. Pedestrian or cyclist killed. Driver remained at the scene. No charges filed. Not only is it rare to hear of a driver held to even the minimum standard of care by […]
80-Year-Old Pedestrian Killed in Sheepshead Bay; No Charges Filed
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An 80-year-old man was killed while walking in Sheepshead Bay on Tuesday. According to NYPD and online reports, Aron Dudkin was crossing East 7th Street at Avenue T at 6:45 a.m. when he was hit by the driver of a Nissan. Dudkin was taken to Coney Island Hospital, where he died from his injuries. The […]
How to Hold NYPD Accountable for Abuse of Traffic Violence Victims
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It isn’t often that stories of traffic justice denied make the pages of New York Times, but the case of Mathieu Lefevre got the attention of Jim Dwyer, whose article in today’s paper highlights NYPD ineptitude and provides further details of the inhumane treatment suffered by the Lefevre family at the hands of the 90th […]
The Negligent Driver’s Best Defense: “I Didn’t See Him”
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A 57-year-old Bronx man was struck and killed by a school bus driver on Tuesday. According to reports, at around 6:00 a.m. Milo Montivilla was crossing with the light at Broadway and Mosholu Avenue in North Riverdale when the bus driver, turning right, ran him over. The Daily News interviewed a witness at the scene: […]
In Lefevre Case, NYPD Press Statements Don’t Match NYPD Crash Report
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Speaking at yesterday’s Transportation Alternatives rally at 1 Police Plaza, Erika Lefevre pointed to inconsistencies between initial accounts of the hit-and-run collision that killed her son Mathieu and the version offered by the crash report, which her family obtained only after weeks of NYPD stonewalling. The case of Mathieu Lefevre is only the latest in […]
Eyes on the Street: What’s Wrong With This Picture?
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A few weeks ago muni-meters began popping up on the streets of Inwood. Naturally, this made me wonder if the city had considered turning the neighborhood’s defunct coin-op meters into bike racks. DOT has converted discarded meter poles into racks in other parts of the city, and livable streets advocates have long noted Inwood’s lack […]
Transportation Alternatives Launches Probe Into NYPD Crash Investigations
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Transportation Alternatives today delivered over 2,500 citizen letters to Ray Kelly demanding that NYPD crack down on dangerous driving, and announced a comprehensive probe into how the department handles traffic crash investigations. Flanked by dozens of supporters and victims of traffic violence at 1 Police Plaza, TA executive director Paul Steely White excoriated NYPD for […]
Unlicensed Driver Who Backed Over and Killed Yolanda Casal Fined $500
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For at least the second time this year, an unlicensed driver will be punished with no more than a token fine for killing a Manhattan pedestrian.On June 30, Yolanda Casal, 78, and her 41-year-old daughter Anais Emmanuel were crossing Amsterdam Avenue near West 98th Street when Edwin Carrasco, 38, of Paterson, New Jersey, drove his […]
West Side Greenway Cyclist Struck by Cab Driver Last Saturday
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Streetsblog regular Ken Coughlin alerted us to a Saturday afternoon collision between a yellow cab driver and a cyclist on the Hudson River Greenway at 43rd Street. Ken took this picture at 3:45 p.m. He said the cyclist appeared to be unconscious. The crash happened at the entrance to the Circle Line dock, which Coughlin […]
Is Car-Crushing Mayor Arturas Zuokas on the Prowl in New York?
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Think twice before blocking that bike lane. Arturas Zuokas, the Mercedes-crushing mayor of the Lithuanian city of Vilnius, has launched a new campaign to curb illegal parking. Here is Zuokas, as quoted from a press release: “Every single day, we go about our work and try to be good citizens. And we run into obstacles […]