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
DOT Vision Zero Ad Targets Drivers Who Speed and Fail to Yield
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DOT has released the first in another round of ads for its “Your Choices Matter” Vision Zero education campaign. It’s an effective and reality-based video spot that targets drivers who speed and fail to yield — leading causes of death and injury for people who walk and bike in NYC. The 30-second PSA depicts a driver adjusting […]
NYPD: Drivers Injured 945 Pedestrians and Cyclists in March, and Killed Six
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Twelve people died in New York City traffic in March, and 3,641 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. As of the end of March, 24 pedestrians and cyclists were reported killed by city motorists this year, and 2,778 injured, compared to 33 deaths and 3,246 injuries for the same period […]
Vance Upgrades Charges, Secures Manslaughter Indictment for LES Crash
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Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance secured a manslaughter indictment against a driver accused of killing a pedestrian in a high-speed crash on the Lower East Side. A Vance press release says that on the evening of November 24, 2014, Danny Lin was allegedly speeding northbound on the Bowery in a BMW when he drove into 57-year-old […]
NYC DOT Needs to Turn On the Rest of Its Speed Cameras ASAP
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Total traffic injuries and fatalities in NYC declined in the first three months of 2015 compared to the same period last year, according to NYPD crash data. While it’s too early to isolate the effect of the city’s speed camera program on street safety, the available evidence strongly suggests cameras are a factor in the city’s […]
Better Protection Slated for Vernon Boulevard Bike Lane, Tweets DOT
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Vernon Blvd in Queens needs #bikenyc barrier protection! This is ridiculous! @transalt @StreetsblogNYC @NYC_DOT pic.twitter.com/3PEuyxGgOm — Clarence Eckerson Jr (@PurpleClarence) April 21, 2015 On Tuesday, Clarence tweeted several photos of cars, including what looked like out-of-service cabs, parked in the Vernon Boulevard bikeway. “Vernon Boulevard needs barrier protection,” Clarence wrote. “This is ridiculous!” A few […]
A Bus Design Flaw Is No Reason to Gut the Right of Way Law
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As part of its campaign to make it legal for bus drivers to injure and kill people, the Transport Workers Union says flawed bus design is to blame for bus drivers hitting pedestrians while turning. According to WABC, the TWU claims “half of all recent bus accidents” in NYC and nationwide occurred because drivers were prevented from seeing […]
NYPD Tickets Driver After Blaming Staten Island Teen for Her Own Death
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After initially blaming the victim in the press, NYPD issued a careless driving summons to the monster truck driver who killed 15-year-old Jenna Daniels as she jogged along a Staten Island street last winter. The department refused to release the driver’s name or disclose how he was penalized, the Staten Island Advance reports. The driver hit Daniels with a pickup […]
Rangel: Let’s Allow Bus Drivers to Kill People With the Right of Way
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Congressman Charlie Rangel condemned the Right of Way Law earlier this week, joining the Transport Workers Union to argue that the law should allow MTA bus drivers to kill people who have the right of way. Speaking to bus drivers and TWU officials Monday at the Mother Clara Hale Depot in Harlem, Rangel said it was “stupid” to charge bus […]
Gale Brewer Reappoints Safe Streets Foes to Manhattan Community Boards
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Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer has reappointed a slate of community board members with a long history of opposing safer streets and better transit. Brewer announced her 2015 board appointments on Monday. Among those granted another two-year term was Community Board 7’s Dan Zweig. Zweig was recommended by Council Member Helen Rosenthal and reappointed by Brewer despite […]
Cab Driver Who Killed Cooper Stock Remains Eligible for TLC License
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The cab driver who killed Cooper Stock is still eligible to be licensed by the Taxi and Limousine Commission. Koffi Komlani struck 9-year-old Cooper and his father, Richard Stock, in an Upper West Side crosswalk in January 2014. This week, Komlani pled guilty to careless driving and was sentenced to a nominal fine and a six-month […]
Will de Blasio and Mark-Viverito Back Effort to Fully Fund Vision Zero?
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City Hall will have to double its commitment to street redesigns that prioritize safety in order to dramatically reduce traffic deaths on NYC’s most dangerous streets in our lifetimes, advocates say. That level of spending could be accomplished with a relatively small shift in resources in the city’s total capital budget. Transportation Alternatives has drafted a […]
Cy Vance: $580 Fine for Driver Who Killed 9-Year-Old Cooper Stock
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In separate stories published yesterday, family members of Marilyn Dershowitz and Cooper Stock, both lost to traffic violence, criticized Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance for his reluctance to file serious charges against motorists who kill people. Vance declined to apply criminal charges against Koffi Komlani, the cab driver who struck 9-year-old Cooper and his father as the two walked hand […]