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
No Charges for Driver Who Killed Dorothy Heimann, 90, in Whitestone
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NYPD and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown filed no charges against a driver who hit a 90-year-old woman last month, causing fatal injuries. The victim was struck in the 109th Precinct, which made news last year for initiating a crackdown on walking in response to a series of pedestrian deaths at the hands of motorists. Dorothy Heimann was […]
What Mister Rogers Can Teach Us About Cities and NIMBYism
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If you spend much time at community meetings, or you’re a Leslie Knope fan, you know that public forums are often where open-mindedness goes to die. Bill Lindeke of Twin City Sidewalks has been thinking about the contrast between urban NIMBYism and the ideals espoused by Fred Rogers, host of the legendary Pittsburgh-based public television show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” […]
Attention Cities: To Encourage Walking, Don’t Overlook the Basics
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When it comes to making it easier and safer for people to get around on foot, is your city covering the basics? If you live in the U.S., odds are the answer is “Not by a long shot.” Tim Kovach writes that his hometown, Cleveland, is getting good press for a zoning update intended to make parts of […]
DOT to Unveil Plans for Chrystie Street Bike Lane Upgrade Next Week [Updated]
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On Tuesday the Manhattan Community Board 3 transportation committee will get the first look at a plan for a two-way protected bike lane on Chrystie Street from Canal to Houston. Chrystie is a key connection to the Manhattan Bridge but biking on it always involves dodging double-parked cars, trucks, and buses. Last year several local elected officials signed […]
Next Week Is the 2016 Vision Zero Conference — Get Tickets While You Can
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Tickets are going fast for the Vision Zero Cities 2016 Conference, hosted by Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets. Next Thursday and Friday, March 10 and 11, attendees will hear from livable streets luminaries and public officials including Janette Sadik-Khan, Jon Orcutt, Polly Trottenberg, Ryan Russo, Ydanis Rodriguez, Antonio Reynoso, Meera Joshi, Rohit Aggarwala, Steve […]
De Blasio DOT Budget Fails to Meet de Blasio Vision Zero Timetable [Updated]
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#VisionZero FY17 funding includes $115M for street capital construction projects, $59M for #SafeRoutestoSchools, pic.twitter.com/32I5cgBYbJ — NYC DOT (@NYC_DOT) March 2, 2016 Update below Mayor de Blasio’s proposed DOT budget again falls well short of what’s needed to implement life-saving street redesigns within the time frame prescribed by Vision Zero. The mayor’s preliminary FY 2017 budget allocates $115 million […]
Broadway Ticket Sales Are Through the Roof. Damned Plazas!
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In case you missed it, the Broadway theater business is booming. According to the Broadway League, the 2014-2015 season saw the highest attendance in at least 30 years. In 2009-2010, gross ticket sales topped the billion-dollar mark for the first time in history, and have only gone up since. Something else happened in 2009. It’s when New York City […]
Hit-and-Run Drivers Killed Three Victims in Four Hours on Sunday [Updated]
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Fatal Park Slope hit and run by Gothamist Correction: Park Slope Stoop reports that the Park Slope victim was walking, not riding a bike. The copy in this post has been altered accordingly. Hit-and-run drivers killed three New York City pedestrians within a few hours on Sunday. Jose Contreras, 63, was struck by the driver of a […]
DOT Adds Welcome Chunk of Pedestrian Space to Bronx Broadway Hellscape
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DOT reclaimed a nice chunk of space for pedestrians on a corner of Broadway in the Bronx, bringing some relief to an area that’s otherwise deplorable for New Yorkers who walk and bike. The curb on the northwest corner of Broadway at W. 231st Street in Kingsbridge, beneath the elevated 1 train, was once lined with parked […]
TLC Won’t Say If Any Cab Drivers Have Lost Licenses Under Cooper’s Law
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Streetsblog has filed a freedom of information request for data on how many times the Taxi and Limousine Commission has permanently revoked TLC licenses of cab drivers for injuring and killing people since the adoption of Cooper’s Law. The request follows several unsuccessful attempts to obtain the data from the TLC. Cooper’s Law gives the […]
Epileptic Cab Driver on Trial for Murder for Bronx Sidewalk Killings
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The driver of a green cab who killed a child and a man on a Bronx sidewalk last year was charged with murder. The Bronx district attorney’s office said Emilio Garcia was not taking his epilepsy medication when he fatally struck 5-year-old Tierre Clark and 25-year-old Kadeem Brown on the Grand Concourse at E. 170th Street on March 20, […]
Donovan Richards Wants Safer Conditions at Deadly Rosedale Intersection
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City Council Member Donovan Richards wants DOT to put speed cameras at the Rosedale intersection where a hit-and-run driver killed a teenage girl earlier this month — a request the city may not be able to fulfill due to restrictions imposed by Albany. Richards also urged DOT to make physical improvements to protect people from speeding drivers. […]