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
NYC Failing to Protect Seniors From Dangerous Streets and Drivers
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Of 21 pedestrians killed in traffic on NYC streets this year, 10 of them -- 48 percent -- were 65 or older. The toll during the first two months of 2017 highlights a longstanding fact: NYC seniors are especially vulnerable to traffic violence.
Motorist Kills Joseph Ranieri, 71, in Greenpoint
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Ranieri was crossing Meeker Avenue between Bridgewater Street and Gardner Avenue at around 6 a.m. when he was struck by a motorist driving a Jeep. NYPD withheld the driver’s name, identifying him only as a 30-year-old man. Police filed no charges and said the investigation is “ongoing.”
Uber Driver Injures Cyclist at Hudson River Greenway Crossing
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A for-hire driver in an Uber cab injured a young man riding a bike on the Hudson River Greenway last week. The driver blamed the victim, and indications are NYPD did not conduct a full-scale investigation. The Taxi and Limousine Commission declined comment.
DOT Proposes Painted Bike Lanes, Not Protection, for Amsterdam Above 110th
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DOT plans to put Amsterdam Avenue north of 110th Street on a road diet. But instead of extending the protected bike lane on Upper West Side north into Morningside Heights, the project calls for painted bike lanes.
Throwback Thursday: The Great NYC Commuter Race of 1990
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Via Streetfilms, here’s a blast from the past -- kind of. For a 1990 news segment called “Environment: In Your Own Backyard,” ABC staged a commuter race between Fred the motorist, Alvin the subway rider, and Judy the cyclist. The goal: be the first to get across the Brooklyn Bridge to Herald Square.
Cab Driver Who Challenged ROW Law Pleads Guilty in Pedestrian Death
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Livery driver Buddhi Gurung, who killed 77-year-old Carol Dauplaise on the East Side, pled guilty after a judge ruled against him. It was the second time Manhattan DA Cy Vance successfully fended off a constitutional challenge to the city's Right of Way Law.
NYPD Ticketing More Drivers for Harming People With the Right of Way
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NYPD began to apply the city's Right of Way Law more extensively in 2016. The department scaled up summonses issued to drivers who injured people walking or biking with the right of way. Misdemeanor charges, meanwhile, were still applied in just a few dozen cases.
On-Duty Police Involved in Nearly 4,000 Traffic Collisions Per Year
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To reduce collisions involving city fleet vehicles, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services began collecting and sharing data on such crashes in 2014. NYPD was the only agency not to comply, but in response to a FOIL request from Streetsblog, the department recently shared basic numbers on crashes involving department personnel.
NYC Drivers Injured 1,226 Pedestrians and Cyclists in January, and Killed 14
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Eighteen people died in New York City traffic in January, and 4,317 were injured, according to City Hall’s Vision Zero View crash data map. City Hall reported 14 pedestrians and cyclists killed by city motorists last month, and 1,226 injured, compared to 13 deaths and 1,099 injuries in January of 2016.
Cuomo Wants to Pay Less for Transit While Riders Pay More
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Andrew Cuomo is balancing the state's books on the backs of New York City straphangers. Under his draft budget, the MTA would receive $65 million less from the state’s general fund than it did in 2016, at the same time as riders chip in about $300 million more via the upcoming fare hike.
Turning Cab Driver Severely Injures Senior on Nostrand Avenue
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A livery cab driver was arrested after severely injuring a senior on Nostrand Avenue this morning, a few blocks from where a woman was fatally struck by motorists while crossing Nostrand last month. Nostrand is one of Brooklyn's most dangerous streets for walking, according to the borough’s DOT pedestrian safety action plan.
NYPD Makes National News for Cheating Tolls and Breaking Traffic Laws
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Last week Inside Edition went national with the story of NYPD personnel who use illegal license plate covers to evade toll readers and traffic enforcement cameras. Reporter Lisa Guerrero found scores of vehicles in Lower Manhattan that had some type of cover to obscure the plate, and all of them also bore law enforcement placards.