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
Rukhsana Khan, 41, Third Pedestrian Killed by MTA Bus Driver in November
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New York City motorists killed three people walking over the holiday break. At around 6 p.m. last Wednesday, November 25, an MTA express bus driver hit 41-year-old Rukhsana Khan on Ocean Avenue between Avenue J and Avenue K. From the Daily News: “The lady was in the middle of the street crossing,” said William Bizaldi, 64, […]
Tell Cornell — and Electeds — How You Want to Fix NYC Congestion
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Want to tell elected officials what you think should be done about New York City traffic? Here’s a way to pool your policy suggestions with other New Yorkers and reach elected officials beyond your district. The Cornell eRulemaking Initiative, or CeRI, hosts a moderated forum called “SmartParticipation,” developed to make it easier for people to weigh in on obscure […]
Eyes on the Street: Safer Crossing Shaping Up at Broadway and Sherman
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Earlier this year DOT put Inwood’s Sherman Avenue on a road diet, reducing the number of lanes for motor vehicles and adding bike lanes along the length of the street, from Broadway to 10th Avenue. That plan included a redesign of the intersection of Sherman at Broadway that now looks close to complete. The most significant change is at […]
Trottenberg Announces Plaza Equity Program at Plaza de Las Americas Reveal
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Just eight months after the groundbreaking ceremony, officials held a ribbon-cutting this morning at Plaza de Las Americas, an impressive new public space in Washington Heights. Also today, Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg announced a City Hall initiative to assist plazas in neighborhoods without the resources of a major business improvement district. Plaza de Las Americas reclaims one block of […]
After $11M in Repairs, Is Borough Hall Plaza a Plaza, or a Parking Lot?
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Bklyn. Borough Hall plaza almost redone. Now it returns to its intended purpose: parking. @StreetsblogNYC pic.twitter.com/rYE6pgpGxF — Brian Howald (@bdhowald) November 20, 2015 This year, contractors hired by the Parks Department got to work replacing the bluestone in the plaza outside Brooklyn Borough Hall, which was busted up due in part to people — including […]
Richard Brown: Homicide Conviction for Driver Who Killed Betty DiBiaso
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Queens District Attorney Richard Brown won a homicide conviction against a hit-and-run driver who killed a woman near Astoria Park last summer. Betty Jean DiBiaso was leaving the park at around 12:26 a.m. on June 27 when Nicholas Colleran, 24, ran a stop sign and hit her with a Chevrolet sedan as she crossed Ditmars Boulevard […]
DOT: Drivers Injured 1,536 Pedestrians and Cyclists in October, and Killed 19
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Twenty-five people died in New York City traffic in October, and 5,009 were injured, according to DOT’s Vision Zero View crash data map. As of the end of October, DOT reported 113 pedestrians and cyclists killed by city motorists this year, and 12,042 injured, compared to 132 deaths and 12,267 injuries for the same period […]
Video Shows Driver Hitting Pedestrian in Brooklyn Crosswalk. Does NYPD Care?
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A driver hit a pedestrian who was crossing with the right of way in Brooklyn on Saturday, but it’s unclear if NYPD filed charges or is pursuing an investigation. The crash happened at the intersection of Marlborough Road and Beverley Road, a signalized crossing. As shown in the above video, sent to us by reader […]
Cy Vance: Homicide Conviction for Driver Who Killed Pedestrian in Crosswalk
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Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance has secured a homicide conviction against the driver who killed a pedestrian in an Upper West Side crosswalk. Jean Chambers was crossing West End Avenue at W. 95th Street at around 11 a.m. on July 10, 2014, when Roberto Mercado hit her with an SUV as he made a left […]
Tonight: DOT Workshop on Atlantic Ave Segment Where Driver Killed Senior
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Yesterday a motorist killed a senior who was trying to cross Atlantic Avenue at an intersection that has no crosswalks. Tonight DOT will host a public workshop to solicit input on a safer design for Atlantic between Georgia Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard, which includes the site of Monday’s collision. Helen Marszalek, 70, was walking across Atlantic at Grant Avenue […]
Richard Brown: Probation for Accused Unlicensed Hit-and-Run Killer
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A driver charged with felony hit-and-run and unlicensed driving got probation and a few days of community service for a crash that killed a pedestrian, as a result of a plea deal with Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. On the evening of February 22, the unidentified victim was crossing at 76th Street and Woodside Avenue, […]
De Blasio to Stand With Traffic Violence Victims Sunday, and So Can You
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Sunday is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. In New York City, Transportation Alternatives and Families for Safe Streets will mark the occasion with a memorial walk from City Hall to the United Nations. NYC has seen an unusual string of pedestrian fatalities concentrated in the last two weeks, but the carnage is steady year-round. City drivers […]