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
Another Pedestrian Killed on Nightmarish Bronx Broadway Stretch
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A hit-and-run driver killed a pedestrian last night on a stretch of Broadway in the Bronx with a history of fatalities, and where motorists injured one person walking per week last year. Daniel Cabrera was attempting to cross Broadway at W. 225th Street in Marble Hill at around 7 p.m. yesterday when he was struck by […]
NYPD: No Charges for Driver Who Killed Man in Brooklyn Crosswalk
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NYPD said charges probably won’t be filed against the driver of a private bus who ran over and killed a man in a Brooklyn crosswalk, though it appears the victim was crossing with the right of way. Police said Martin Hernandez Tufino, 64, was crossing Avenue M north to south at around 2:11 p.m. Friday […]
If You Walk in Brooklyn, Chances Are You’ll Cross a Street That Needs Fixing
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DOT released its Vision Zero pedestrian safety plan for Brooklyn today. As with analyses issued earlier this week of Queens, Manhattan, and the Bronx, the Brooklyn report [PDF] singles out streets, intersections, and swaths of neighborhoods where motorists make it especially dangerous to walk. Judging by the “priority map,” most major streets in Brooklyn are in need […]
DOT Queens Safety Plan Zeroes in on Problems, Light on Specific Fixes
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DOT is releasing a Vision Zero pedestrian safety plan for each borough. The first one was unveiled Monday in Jamaica, and a Manhattan event is underway this morning. The Queens report is a detailed analysis of where motorists are doing the most harm, and it provides a general strategy to prioritize street redesigns and traffic […]
City May Turn Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel Ramp Into Pedestrian Space
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A nice-sized pedestrian space is shaping up in the Financial District, thanks to the Downtown Alliance, City Council Member Margaret Chin, and Community Board 1. Elizabeth H. Berger Plaza is separated from Trinity Plaza by a redundant exit ramp for the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. The Broadsheet Daily reports that the Alliance wants the city to close […]
MTA Bus Driver Runs Over 15-Year-Old Girl in Brooklyn Crosswalk [Updated]
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Update: NYPD told Streetsblog the bus driver involved in this crash was arrested and charges are pending. Transportation Alternatives tweeted that, according to police, he was charged under the Right of Way law. An MTA bus driver ran over a teenage girl in a Brooklyn crosswalk this morning. The 15-year-old victim was walking north across […]
Margaret Chin: Toll Reform Will Protect New Yorkers From Truck Traffic
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City Council Member Margaret Chin today introduced legislation to require the city to examine the effects of New York City’s dysfunctional bridge toll system on traffic safety. The bill would also mandate regular DOT safety audits for all city truck routes. Trucks account for 3.6 percent of vehicles on city streets but are involved in 32 […]
Michael DenDekker: Slowing NYC Drivers Is a Pointless Waste
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Assembly Member Michael DenDekker, the Queens rep who once proposed legislation to register cyclists and monitor them with bike lane cameras, says efforts to slow city drivers under Vision Zero are pointless. DenDekker wants an audit of Vision Zero spending, which he reportedly believes is wasted unless it’s going toward traffic signals to eliminate motorist-pedestrian conflicts […]
De Blasio: Albany Failing to Meet Its Obligation to NYC Transit Riders
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Mayor de Blasio unveiled his preliminary budget proposal this afternoon. In an address outlining the broad strokes of the budget, de Blasio called out Albany for neglecting the MTA and warned that inaction on federal transportation funding could undercut the Vision Zero program. During his address, de Blasio alluded to the failure of state lawmakers […]
What It’s Like to Bike in the Snow Where Cycling Is a Priority
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Hertogenbosch, in the Netherlands, is a town of 140,000 about mid-way between Amsterdam and Antwerp, just north of the Belgian border. Hertogenbosch doesn’t get a lot of snow, but when it does the city does a good job keeping cycle paths clear, according to Mark Wagenbuur, a local who blogs at Bicycle Dutch. Of its […]
What Slow Zone Gateways Could Look Like
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We reported yesterday that NYC DOT has moved “gateway signage” at the entrances to 20 mph Slow Zones from the roadbed to the sidewalk because motorists were running over the signs at what the agency calls an “unsustainable rate.” With some more resources for traffic calming, the agency could take a different approach: upgrading the […]
David Gantt Remains Transportation Chair, But It’s Carl Heastie’s Assembly
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Surprising no one, the leadership of Carl Heastie’s Assembly looks just about identical to Sheldon Silver’s. After publicly voting in Heastie to succeed Silver as speaker on Tuesday, Assembly Dems announced top posts and committee chair positions yesterday. There were few changes to speak of, and as expected Rochester rep David Gantt will remain chair of the Assembly […]