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
Richard Brown: Misdemeanor Plea for Accused Unlicensed Hit-and-Run Killer
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In a deal with District Attorney Richard Brown, a driver charged with felony hit-and-run and driving without a license after fatally striking a Queens pedestrian has pled guilty to violating the city’s Right of Way Law. Last February Valentine Gonzalez hit an unidentified woman with a box truck while turning left at Woodside Avenue and […]
NYPD: “No Criminality” as Cab Driver Runs Over Kids on Bronx Sidewalk
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Several people, including a number of children, were seriously injured when a livery cab driver drove onto a sidewalk in the Bronx this morning. At around 7:45 the driver, a man whose name was not released, “lost control” of a Toyota Camry at 229 E. Kingsbridge Road, according to NYPD. A police spokesperson said the driver hit one woman and […]
Was Alexa Cioffi’s Death Caused by Negligence? Still No Word From NYPD
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Update: NYPD said as of today no charges have been filed against the driver who killed Alexa Cioffi. Reporter and Streetsblog reader Joe Enoch produced this “Inside Edition” piece on the prevalence of improperly secured trailers on U.S. roads. It features an interview with Kristi Cox, a Minnesota woman whose husband and child were killed by a negligent driver […]
Andrew Cuomo Could (Still) Save Thousands of Lives With One Phone Call
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On Monday Andrew Cuomo hailed DMV rule changes that have resulted in license sanctions for recidivist drunk drivers. The governor, who spearheaded the reforms himself, could also use the power of his office to take driving privileges from motorists who habitually commit other deadly violations, like speeding, which kill and injure thousands of New Yorkers every year. In 2012 Cuomo oversaw an […]
34th Precinct Cracks Down on Drivers Double-Parked in Inwood Bike Lanes
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When DOT installed new bike lanes on Sherman Avenue in Inwood a few weeks back, it didn’t take long before they were blocked by double-parked drivers. Sherman is one of many Inwood streets that effectively has four parking lanes. This isn’t good for anyone, as it makes it dangerous to walk and bike, and creates aggravation for drivers — which, […]
Repeat Drunk Driver Pleads to Low-Level Felony for Killing Queens Pedestrian
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A recidivist drunk driver who was charged with 10 felonies for killing a Queens pedestrian pled guilty to two low-level felony counts in a deal with District Attorney Richard Brown. At around 4:30 a.m. on July 5, 2014, Romulo Mejia drove a Ford compact into a man who was walking at Roosevelt Avenue and 92nd Street in Jackson Heights, according to the […]
Eyes on the Street: Instant Bike Lane, Courtesy of NYPD and the Pope
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Update: From reader Joe Enoch: “I got in that ‘lane’ this morning and a cop nearly knocked me off my bike a few feet later. He jumped in front of me and screamed at me to get out of the lane. There were no emergency vehicles, UN convoys or popes in sight.” The papal visit […]
DOT: Drivers Injured 1,323 Pedestrians and Cyclists in August, and Killed 14
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Twenty-one people died in New York City traffic in August, and 4,891 were injured, according to DOT’s Vision Zero View crash data map. As of the end of August, DOT reported 88 pedestrians and cyclists killed by city motorists this year, and 9,150 injured, compared to 96 deaths and 9,628 injuries for the same period […]
Bronx DA Johnson Files Manslaughter Charge for Cyclist’s Hit-and-Run Death
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Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson filed homicide charges against the man who allegedly killed cyclist Gabriela Aguilar-Vallinos in a hit-and-run crash earlier this month. Aguilar-Vallinos, 27, was on her way home from work at around 11:45 on the night of September 11 when a driver hit her with a Hyundai sedan on the City Island […]
Bill Bratton Rolls Back Internal NYPD Parking Reform
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On Monday the Times published an in-depth piece on how Police Commissioner Bill Bratton is aiming to boost NYPD morale, in part by giving officers more latitude to skirt departmental rules. The Times said such infractions might include “misplacing a memo book or being late for court.” According to the story, Bratton is also lightening up […]
DOT Secures Federal Grant to Add More Sidewalk Seating
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A federal grant will bring more public benches to NYC sidewalks, DOT announced yesterday. The CityBench program, a PlanNYC initiative launched in 2011, has brought hundreds of steel benches to streets across the boroughs. DOT marked the installation of the 1,500th bench yesterday, at MS 22 in the Bronx, and said the Federal Transit Authority has awarded the […]
Will NYPD Charge Truck Driver Who Hit Cyclist in Corona Bike Lane?
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A truck driver hit a cyclist in a bike lane in Queens yesterday, causing serious injuries. Though the police account of the crash indicates the cyclist had the right of way, NYPD has not charged the driver with violating the Right of Way Law. The 19-year-old cyclist was traveling eastbound in the marked bike lane […]