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
Eyes on the Street: First DOT Makes Your Sign Official, Then Adds Bollards?
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Wow! After taking down our *unofficial* sign at 1st Ave & 59th St, @NYC_DOT put up an *official* one. #bikenyc pic.twitter.com/v8AK4uYOyr — Transformation Dept. (@NYC_DOTr) January 28, 2016 In December the guerrilla street designers at the Department of Transformation installed DIY signage and put down some cones to try to keep drivers out of the First […]
NYC Motorists Kill 2 Pedestrians and Critically Injure 2 Others in 3 Days
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In four separate crashes since Thursday, at least two people have been struck and killed while walking, and two others were critically injured. Last Thursday afternoon Giovani Romano hit 56-year-old Alfiya Djuraeva with a Buick while turning left at 20th Avenue and Bath Avenue in Bath Beach, according to the Daily News and WNBC. Djuraeva suffered […]
Cement Truck Driver Kills Nancy Ventura, 61, in College Point
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A cement truck driver killed a pedestrian in College Point last week. Accounts differ on how the crash occurred, and police have filed no charges. On Friday, January 22, at around 9:21 in the morning, 61-year-old Nancy Ventura was crossing College Point Boulevard at 15th Avenue, east to west, when she was struck by the […]
The DIY Sneckdown and Other Snow-Based Traffic Calming
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https://twitter.com/bdhowald/status/691847662992281600/video/1 The Department of Sanitation said yesterday that the city is finally working to clear bike lanes of snow and ice. But five days after Jonas moved on, there’s still plenty of slippery, slushy stuff where people walk and bike on New York City streets. On the upside, it’s a been a great week for sneckdowns. Here’s another […]
Here They Are: Your First Sneckdowns of Winter 2016
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#sneckdown on Court Street @StreetsblogNYC pic.twitter.com/sv09VYYqU2 — Bahij Chancey (@Bahij) January 25, 2016 Like much of the East Coast, New York got walloped on Saturday, so the next few days will be prime sneckdown time. Here’s the season’s first collection of photos from NYC, where “nature’s tracing paper” is outlining street redesign opportunities all over the city. […]
Who’s Up for Sneckdowns?
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With Blizzard Mania ’16 reaching a fever pitch up and down the Eastern Seaboard, it looks like we’re in for the first serious sneckdowns of the season. For the uninitiated, sneckdowns are neckdowns created by driving patterns in melting snow or slush. Sneckdowns highlight excess asphalt that could be repurposed for streetscape improvements to slow motor vehicle […]
Richard Brown: Probation for Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Kamil Gorski
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A driver charged with a felony for the hit-and-run death of a Queens pedestrian was sentenced to probation as a result of a plea deal from District Attorney Richard Brown. Raul Reyes and a second driver hit 36-year-old Navy veteran Kamil Gorski on Metropolitan Avenue on February 3, 2015, according to Brown’s office. Gorski died at Elmhurst Hospital. Brown did not […]
Eric Ulrich Flip-Flops on Woodhaven Boulevard Redesign
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After coming out strong for Select Bus Service on Woodhaven Boulevard, City Council Member Eric Ulrich has done a 180. “The plan that they proposed, it stinks,” Ulrich told the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association, according to the Queens Chronicle. “I don’t think it’s good. I think we have to go back to the drawing board.” The Woodhaven […]
Felony Hit-and-Run Charge for Driver Who Allegedly Killed Can Reng Ma
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A suspect was arrested and charged in the hit-and-run killing of cyclist Can Reng Ma in Sheepshead Bay, and NYPD is making exculpatory statements on the alleged driver’s behalf. Junior Hicks was charged with one count of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, a class D felony, according to court records. WABC reported that Hicks, 31, is […]
NYPD: Still Defending Hit-and-Run Drivers to the Press [Updated]
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Update: As of late Wednesday afternoon police have a suspect in custody and charges are pending, according to NYPD. A hit-and-run driver killed a cyclist in Sheepshead Bay yesterday, and NYPD made excuses for the driver to the media. Can Reng Ma, 54, was riding west on Avenue U near E. 9th Street at around 5 p.m. when […]
DOT: 1,445 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 16 Killed in December [Updated]
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Editors’ note: This post was edited after publication to include updated information pertaining to the crash that killed Brooklyn pedestrian Eleonora Shulkin. Twenty-three people died in New York City traffic in December, and 4,657 were injured, according to the DOT Vision Zero View crash data map. As of the end of December, DOT reported 149 […]
Looking to Join Your Community Board? TA Makes It Easy to Apply
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As Streetsblog readers know, too many community boards care more about on-street parking than street safety or housing affordability, even in districts where the majority of residents don’t own cars. DOT rarely implements safety measures over board objections (which Council Member Ritchie Torres would like to change). While a small number of boards are asking DOT to be more bold with street […]