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
Video: Rampaging Sidewalk Driver Injures Child in Williamsburg
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A hit-and-run motorist sped down sidewalks in Williamsburg Thursday, injuring a child as pedestrians scrambled to get out of harm’s way. Yeshiva World reports that the driver and at least one other man were suspected of trying to pass counterfeit money at stores in the vicinity of Bedford Avenue and Lee Avenue, in the 90th […]
Happy Bike Month! Cyclists Must Dismount on Greenway, No One Knows Why
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3/3 Closing essential, safe #bikenyc infrastructure midday NOT an option anymore, @HudsonRiverPark. #visionzero pic.twitter.com/h8uZnYrh6Q — Joanna Oltman Smith (@jooltman) May 26, 2016 Update: The Parks Department sent us this statement Thursday evening: “Ensuring the safety of all during the holiday weekend, in preparation of increased pedestrian traffic during Fleet Week, NYC Parks has posted signs […]
Health Department: Car Crashes Remain Leading Injury Killer of NYC Kids
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Fewer New York City children are dying in traffic, but car crashes continue to be the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among kids ages 1 to 12, according to an annual child mortality report issued by the Department of Health [PDF]. New York City motorists killed 44 children between 2009 and 2013, according to the […]
Driver Who Killed Xiali Yue Pleads Guilty to Violating Victim’s Right of Way
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A driver who struck and killed a woman in a Brooklyn crosswalk pled guilty to a Right of Way Law violation. The crash happened at around 8:13 on the morning of March 16, 2015. Xiali Yue, 61, was crossing Cropsey Avenue at 21st Avenue in Bensonhurst, in a crosswalk with the walk signal, when Alexander Smotritsky hit […]
It Shouldn’t Take This Much Effort to Count Bike Trips in NYC [Updated]
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8PM at the #NYbikeTotem: 5589 #bikenyc trips across the #ManhattanBridge today https://t.co/mPt1yEk0GK. And I’m calling it. — Bahij Chancey (@Bahij) May 23, 2016 Update: We added a short Q&A with Chancey to the end of this post. In case you missed it, at 6:30 a.m. yesterday Bahij Chancey set up a table on the DUMBO […]
After a Car Wreck, Dutch Kills Civic Association Flips Out Over Bike Corral
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After a speeding motorist collided with a motorist who failed to stop at a stop sign, the Dutch Kills Civic Association in Long Island City is telling the powers that be how unhappy they are — with a nearby bike corral. The corral was installed in April at the intersection of 29th Street and 39th Avenue following a […]
NYPD Still Keeps Crash Reports Under Lock and Key
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Two years into the de Blasio administration’s Vision Zero initiative, NYPD still refuses to release crash investigations to the public. The most recent case: NYPD denied a freedom of information request from a New York Times reporter who asked for documents related to the crash that killed cyclist James Gregg in Park Slope last month. […]
TLC: Cab Driver Blocking the Bike Lane? We’ll Allow It
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Got an email from @nyctaxi today saying this is NOT a violation of their rules. WTH? #CyclistsWithCameras pic.twitter.com/HMy28IDdQa — d00Rz0NE (@D00RZ0NE) May 18, 2016 The Taxi and Limousine Commission is telling cyclists the agency is no longer penalizing cab drivers for blocking bike lanes. It is against city traffic rules to drive or stop a motor vehicle […]
No Right of Way Charge for Driver Who Killed Toddler in Bronx Crosswalk
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Update: Darcel Clark’s office sent us this statement: “Our office is investigating the incident with the NYPD Accident Investigation Squad, as we do with any fatality or serious injury when a pedestrian is struck.” NYPD and Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark have not charged the driver who struck and killed 3-year-old Mariam Dansoko in a […]
SI Driver Charged With Manslaughter for Killing Cyclist With Boat Trailer
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A motorist was charged with manslaughter for the death of a Staten Island cyclist who was struck by a boat trailer that detached from a truck. Alexa Cioffi and her friend Briana Emanuele were riding on Hylan Boulevard at Redgrave Avenue on the afternoon of September 14, 2015, when the driver of an SUV, who was […]
Driver Kills Toddler in the Bronx as NYPD and the Press Declare “Accident”
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Update: WPIX identified the victim as Mariam Dansoko. WPIX and other outlets are reporting that the driver, a 21-year-old man, was turning left from Gerard Avenue onto E. 164th Street when he hit her. A driver killed a 3-year-old girl in the Bronx this morning. NYPD filed no charges and almost immediately told the press […]
City Hall Announces NYPD Crackdown on Drivers Who Endanger Cyclists
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NYPD will crack down this week on motorists who put cyclists at risk. The “Bicycle Safe Passage Initiative,” which coincides with Bike to Work Week, will last through Friday. Officers in precincts citywide will focus enforcement on motorists who commit traffic violations that “endanger bicyclists,” according to a City Hall press release. Traffic enforcement agents will concentrate […]