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
Construction Has Begun on the Pulaski Bridge Bikeway
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DOT has started work on the much-anticipated Pulaski Bridge bikeway, which will more than double the space for people walking and biking on the bridge. The Pulaski Bridge spans Newtown Creek, linking Greenpoint and Long Island City. Right now people who cross the bridge on foot and by bike are crammed into one eight-foot lane next to […]
No Charges for Cab Driver Who Killed Two People on Bronx Sidewalk
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No charges have been filed against a cab driver who drove onto a sidewalk in the Bronx and killed a man and a young girl. The crash happened at around 6:30 p.m. Friday. Reports say the 44-year-old driver, whose name is being withheld by NYPD and the Taxi and Limousine Commission, hit a parked car on a Grand […]
Crash Victim Lawsuit: App Use by Uber Drivers Is Negligent and Illegal
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Erin Sauchelli, who was seriously injured by an Uber driver while walking in Manhattan, has filed a lawsuit claiming the app Uber drivers use to respond to hails causes driver distraction in violation of New York State law. The driver, Aliou Diallo, killed Sauchelli’s boyfriend, Wesley Manning, in the collision, but he remains in good standing with […]
Working Families Party: Let’s Allow Bus Drivers to Run Over Working Families
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The Working Families Party says it supports the City Council bill to exempt MTA bus drivers from the Right of Way Law, but its position is based on a misreading of the law and the premise that bus drivers, in the course of doing their jobs, should be allowed to strike people who have the right of way. […]
Ben Kallos Won’t Talk About Why He Wants to Gut the Right of Way Law
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On October 8, 2014, the driver of a Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation bus hit cyclist Anna Maria Moström while making a left turn. Moström was mortally injured. Two days later, a Coca-Cola truck driver hit an unidentified 86-year-old man in a crosswalk while turning from E. 96th Street onto Third Avenue. The senior died from his injuries. Both drivers […]
DMV Suspends License of Driver Who Killed Mathieu Lefevre for Six Months
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The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles found the truck driver who killed Brooklyn cyclist Mathieu Lefevre responsible for the collision and suspended his driver’s license for six months. Leonardo Degianni’s DMV safety hearing took place on March 2, three-and-a-half years after he hit Lefevre at the intersection of Morgan Avenue and Meserole Street. At […]
Another Day, Another Daily News Potshot at Vision Zero
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Today’s Daily News swipe at Vision Zero is the tabloid’s lamest yet. An editorial published this morning clocked in at all of four sentences. Citing a study that counted the number of pedestrians listening to headphones and using cell phones while crossing at four Manhattan intersections, the Daily News editorial board concluded: If Mayor de […]
With Traffic Deaths Trending Downward, Lancman Attacks Right of Way Law
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Police Commissioner Bill Bratton told the City Council today that NYC traffic fatalities have continued to drop in 2015, but not every council member is pleased with the city’s recent steps to deter dangerous driving. In testimony to the public safety committee, Bratton said traffic deaths were down 43 percent as of mid-February, though he […]
Alleged Unlicensed Driver Kills Brooklyn Pedestrian While Fleeing Police
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@Naparstek @ascottfalk Thanks, we’re on it. — Bill de Blasio (@BilldeBlasio) June 23, 2010 An unlicensed driver fleeing police crashed into another vehicle and killed 21-year-old Dave Jones on a Brooklyn sidewalk Monday, raising questions about whether the officers adhered to NYPD policy on vehicular pursuits. Police pulled over 18-year-old Raymond Ramos near Schenectady Avenue […]
NYPD: Drivers Killed 7 Pedestrians and Cyclists in January, and Injured 1,017
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Thirteen people died in New York City traffic in January, and 3,449 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. Seven pedestrians and cyclists were reported killed by city motorists in January, and 1,017 injured, compared to 13 deaths and 1,191 injuries in January 2014. Citywide, at least six pedestrians and one […]
Let’s Raise Standards for Cab Drivers, Not Race to the Bottom
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As cab medallion owners complain of competition from Uber and Lyft, the Taxi and Limousine Commission appears to be making it easier for applicants to acquire a hack license. On Sunday the Times reported that the TLC hack license exam will have fewer questions on geography, since drivers can use GPS to navigate the city. […]
Will Rodriguez and Brewer Reappoint CB 12 Crank Jim “Honey Child” Berlin?
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City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer can remove a barrier to safer streets in Upper Manhattan by relieving Jim Berlin of his spot on Community Board 12, which covers Washington Heights and Inwood. As Stephen Miller reported Thursday, Berlin and fellow CB 12 member Anita Barberis voted against a DOT […]