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
Rory Lancman Will Introduce Bill to Hamstring NYPD Crash Investigators
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City Council Member Rory Lancman thinks NYPD is playing fast and loose with the Right of Way Law, and he’ll soon introduce a bill that would make it more difficult for police to apply it. A key facet of Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative, the Right of Way Law allows NYPD to file misdemeanor […]
NYPD: No Charges for Collision That Killed Man on Hell’s Kitchen Sidewalk
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NYPD filed no charges after a vehicle collision that resulted in the death of a man who was walking on a sidewalk in Hell’s Kitchen. Last Friday at approximately 9:45 p.m., 56-year-old Victor Grant was walking on 11th Avenue just south of W. 42nd Street when the drivers of a GMC SUV and a FedEx Freightliner truck collided […]
How Much Does DOT Use Daylighting to Reduce Dangerous Turns?
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Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg told the City Council there’s only so much DOT can do to prevent drivers from hitting people while turning, but there’s a relatively simple safety measure the agency could put to widespread use: keeping parked cars away from intersections. Last week, Kate Hinds at WNYC reported on the problem of motorists fatally striking people while turning left. According to crash data compiled […]
Turning Driver Kills 89-Year-Old on Upper East Side, NYPD Blames Victim
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For the second time in a week, a turning driver has killed a senior on the Upper East Side. Police blamed the victim in the press. John Torson, 89, was crossing E. 61st Street north to south at around 7:19 p.m. Thursday when a 56-year-old woman drove a Lexus SUV into him while turning left from First Avenue, […]
Will NYPD Charge Driver Who Rammed Woman on Sidewalk and Left Scene?
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A motorist who deliberately drove down a Manhattan sidewalk, rammed a pedestrian, left the scene and reportedly hit a second person in Brooklyn might not be charged with a crime, according to one of the victims. Heather Hensl was walking on Beekman Street near William Street on April 13 when a motorist struck her, knocking her to the ground, lacerating her head and fracturing […]
No Felony Charge From Queens DA for Repeat Reckless Driver Who Hit Senior
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Queens District Attorney Richard Brown agreed to drop felony charges against an unlicensed and allegedly impaired driver who ran over a senior and tried to flee the scene. Brown allowed the motorist to plead to a misdemeanor. On October 21, 2014, William Stafford “plowed his 2005 BMW into an 89-year-old man” at the intersection of 25th Avenue and […]
Why Is Queens BP Melinda Katz Refusing to Divulge 2015 CB Appointments?
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Streetsblog has filed a freedom of information request after Queens Borough President Melinda Katz refused to provide us a list of 2015 community board appointments. Community boards play an outsized role in determining how safe New York City streets are for walking, biking, and driving. Though their votes are supposed to be advisory, DOT rarely […]
No Right-of-Way Charge for Cab Driver Who Killed Senior in UES Crosswalk
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A yellow cab driver fatally struck a senior in an Upper East Side crosswalk Saturday, and no charges were filed by NYPD or Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. The crash occurred in the 19th Precinct, where as of March officers had issued just 10 speeding tickets in 2015. At around 2:43 p.m. Amelia Sterental, 76, was walking […]
Parents of Lucian Merryweather: Our Son’s Killer Should Never Drive Again
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This week, Anthony Byrd was formally sentenced for fatally striking 9-year-old Lucian Merryweather on a Brooklyn sidewalk. On November 2, 2013, Byrd drove a Ford SUV into two cars and a building after swerving to avoid two people in a crosswalk at DeKalb and Clermont Avenues. He then made a U-turn and drove against traffic […]
DOH: Motorist Crashes, Again the Top Killer of NYC Kids, Are Preventable
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Each year the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reports on the top causes of injury-related death for children in New York City, and traffic crashes consistently top the list. That remains true in the newest report [PDF]. The DOH report draws on crash data from the medical examiner’s office and DOT. From 2003 to 2012, an […]
Driver “Flying” Through Harlem School Zone Kills Child — Tabs Blame Victim
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A driver operating a TLC-licensed vehicle killed a 12-year-old boy outside a school in Harlem Wednesday. The crash occurred in the 32nd Precinct, where officers issue an average of between one and two speeding tickets per day. Ervi Secundino was hit at approximately 3:15 p.m. in front of Frederick Douglass Academy, where he was in the sixth grade, […]
Someone Show Governor Cuomo This Animated Move NY Explainer
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Not sure why you should support the Move NY toll reform plan? This animation is for you. Move NY has picked up endorsements from city and state electeds, press outlets including the Times and Daily News, and scores of public interest groups. Yet despite the enormous $15 billion gap in the MTA capital program, Governor Andrew Cuomo, who runs the authority, has […]