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 72-Year-Old Cyclist in Sunset Park
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A motorist killed a senior on a bike under the Gowanus Expressway on a Sunset Park street where drivers are routinely involved in high-speed crashes. The crash happened Wednesday at around 5:30 p.m. Rigoberto Diaz, 72, was traveling westbound against traffic on 48th Street and attempting to turn left onto Third Avenue when a driver traveling northbound […]
Metro Goes Off the Rails, and DC Streets Grind to a Halt
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No one was hurt when a Metro train derailed in downtown DC yesterday, but the incident wreaked havoc on the morning commute — for transit users and motorists. David Alpert of Greater Greater Washington said the derailment and ensuing Metro service interruption “surely contributed” to gridlock throughout the downtown area, as people who would normally […]
NYPD: Drivers Injured 1,228 Pedestrians and Cyclists in June, and Killed 10
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Twenty people died in New York City traffic in June, and 4,795 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. As of the end of June, 62 pedestrians and cyclists were reported killed by city motorists this year, and 6,277 injured, compared to 62 deaths and 7,080 injuries for the same period […]
Before “Accident,” Deadly Driving Was “Homicide By Automobile”
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In the early 20th century “chauffeur” was synonymous with “motorist,” and by 1906 Life Magazine had had enough of them. Doug Gordon at Brooklyn Spoke dug up a column titled “Get After the Chauffeurs,” in which Life reported on a two-vehicle crash in Central Park that killed several people, including the driver who caused the collision. “That one got […]
NYPD: Driver Error Caused Crash That Killed Mike Rogalle
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NYPD determined that a driver pinballing down a Manhattan street caused a curb-jump crash that killed a pedestrian, but police and District Attorney Cy Vance filed no charges. UPS delivery man Mike Rogalle, 58, was working his Financial District route on April 17, 2012, when an SUV driver ran him over on the sidewalk outside 15 Beekman […]
Pennsylvania Rep Wants to Mandate Reflective Clothes for Biking at Night
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Today in bad ideas, Bike Pittsburgh reports that Pennsylvania State Representative Anthony DeLuca wants state traffic code to mandate that anyone riding a bike at night wear reflective clothing. Bike Pittsburgh points out that this type of law opens the door to selective enforcement and harassment by police. Requiring people to purchase and carry special apparel […]
The Dutch Have a Strong Car Culture — and Stronger Bike Infrastructure
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We wrote a couple of months back about how Amsterdam prioritized people over cars only after ceding city streets to motor vehicles. Today, David Hembrow at A View From the Cycle Path has more on that subject. As in the U.S. and other European countries, people race cars in The Netherlands. “Dutch people like cars […]
From Heroes to Lapdogs, TA Grades the “Class of Vision Zero”
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On Wednesday Transportation Alternatives released its “Class of Vision Zero” report, the first in a planned series of biannual “performance reviews” of officials and agencies who have the power to make New York City streets safer for walking, biking, and driving. Traffic injuries and fatalities were down through June 2015 compared to the first six […]
Falling Behind on Protected Bike Lanes? Blame Canada
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“Something big is definitely brewing in Canada.” That’s the word from Michael Andersen at People for Bikes, which monitors Twitter for news on protected bike lanes around the English-speaking world. Vancouver’s investment in bike infrastructure paid off with a 64 percent spike in bike traffic from 2013 to this year. And Andersen says Canada as a whole has […]
Washington Governor Jay Inslee Preserves Transit and Street Safety Funding
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Washington Governor Jay Inslee isn’t taking the pill. Last week Inslee signaled he would go ahead with a low-carbon fuel standard for the state, which would have triggered a legislative “poison pill” — a concession to Republican lawmakers — to eliminate billions in funds for transit and street safety initiatives. It was a Faustian bargain […]
Levine to DOT: The Time Is Now for Amsterdam Avenue Protected Bike Lane
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City Council Member Mark Levine sent a letter today urging Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg to put a protected bike lane on Amsterdam Avenue. Levine’s district encompasses much of the Upper West Side north of W. 95th Street. Calling on DOT to act, he pointed to unsafe conditions on Amsterdam, attendant wrong-way cycling on the Columbus Avenue southbound protected […]
DA Richard Brown: $500 Fine for Hit-and-Run Driver Who Injured Senior
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Pursuant to a plea deal with Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, an allegedly unlicensed and impaired motorist who reportedly has a history of reckless driving arrests was sentenced to a small fine and probation for running over a senior and trying to flee the scene. William Stafford “plowed his 2005 BMW into an 89-year-old man” at […]