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
Modernizing How People Pay to Park in Downtown DC
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Washington, DC, is poised for big improvements to its performance parking program. Michael Perkins at Greater Greater Washington reports that ParkDC is set to expand “on some of downtown’s most in-demand blocks” in Gallery Place. By resetting meter prices every few months based on the rate of occupied curbside parking spaces, the new ParkDC zone could match […]
Ride With Clarence on the Tour de Staten Island
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Close to 2,000 people turned out Sunday for Transportation Alternatives’ 2015 Tour de Staten Island. For the event’s fifth year, riders were treated to areas of the new Fresh Kills Park that aren’t yet open to the public. Other highlights included oceanside riding and views of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, where the Harbor Ring Committee continues to advocate for bike and pedestrian […]
Eyes on the Street: Upper Manhattan’s First Protected Bike Lane in Progress
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Reader Jonathan Rabinowitz sent this photo of Upper Manhattan’s first protected bike lane, now under construction on Fort George Hill, a one-way street that connects Dyckman Street in Inwood with Fairview Avenue to the south, along the western border of Harlem River Park. This project will give cyclists a north-south route between Inwood and Washington Heights by allotting 11 feet of […]
NYPD: Drivers Injured 816 Pedestrians and Cyclists in February, and Killed 11
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Fifteen people died in New York City traffic in February, and 2,979 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. As of the end of February, 18 pedestrians and cyclists were reported killed by city motorists this year, and 1,833 injured, compared to 22 deaths and 2,105 injuries for the same period […]
Why Was New York State DMV Live-Tweeting the New York Auto Show?
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First-ever CT6 Cadillac. The brand will leverage its NYC base to market this prestige class auto to some 50 countries pic.twitter.com/IhKOKvX1l6 — NYS DMV (@nysdmv) April 1, 2015 The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles was live-tweeting the New York International Auto Show yesterday. Why would staffers at the government agency charged with regulating motor vehicles and their […]
Powerful Driver Training Video Adopted by TLC, MTA, and NYC DOT
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A new video from the Taxi and Limousine Commission and Families For Safe Streets is now required viewing for drivers in training programs at TLC, DOT, and the MTA. In the 15-minute video, “Drive Like Your Family Lives Here,” people talk about losing loved ones to traffic violence. The video features interviews with family members of Allison Liao, Renee […]
Two People Were Killed in This Crash and the Bronx DA Hasn’t Filed Charges
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Warning: Graphic video Update: DNAinfo reported that the victim in the video is Manuel Quiñones, who was hospitalized in critical condition. The Post reported that the victim is Kadeem Brown. This post has been edited to reflect uncertainty of the victim’s identity. The green cab driver was identified by the Post and the Daily News […]
Cy Vance: Senior’s Crosswalk Death Remains Unsolved After Seven Months
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No charges were filed by NYPD or Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance against the driver who fatally struck 82-year-old Sui Leung in a Manhattan crosswalk last fall. Though Council Member Margaret Chin said the NYPD crash report indicated Leung was walking with the right of way, Vance’s office says the investigation has yet to conclude seven months after the […]
Daily News Inadvertently Reveals the Extent of NYC’s Speeding Epidemic
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If you’re a Daily News reader, today is your lucky day. The paper that is not afraid to oppose safer streets for walking, biking, and driving has a major exclusive, and it is this: New York City has a small number of speed cameras, and they are catching more speeding drivers than NYPD. It’s actually a good […]
Bus Driver Hits Woman at Intersection Where CB 9 Opposes Safety Fixes
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Yesterday, a bus driver hit a woman walking across W. 135th Street at Riverside Drive, an intersection in a crash-prone area where DOT has proposed a slate of safety improvements that are opposed by Manhattan Community Board 9. The West Side Rag reports that the woman was in the crosswalk when the driver of a double-decker […]
Joan McDonald: New York State DOT’s Top Safety Priority Is Fixing Bridges
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Pedestrians and cyclists account for a higher share of traffic deaths in New York than in any other state, according to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, making up 29 percent of all traffic fatalities. Every year, TSTC releases a report on the most dangerous roads for walking in the New York City metro region, and suggests steps […]
Albany Bill Would Bar Police From Cuffing Bus Drivers Who Hit People
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State lawmakers have introduced legislation that would prohibit police from detaining, but not charging, bus drivers who hit pedestrians and cyclists. The bill appears intended to spare bus drivers from being handcuffed and taken into custody for violating the Right of Way Law without exempting them from the law altogether, as a City Council bill would do. The council bill, which currently has […]