Stephen Miller
In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation.
From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.
Recent Posts
Car Dealers Turn Northern Boulevard’s Sidewalks Into Vehicle Showrooms
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As a matter of practice, car dealerships along Northern Boulevard, one of the most dangerous streets in Queens, illegally use its sidewalks and curb lanes as a showroom for vehicles. NYPD doesn’t enforce against the appropriation of sidewalks and won’t answer questions about it. Streetfilms’ Clarence Eckerson recently walked down Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights and found cars […]
NYC’s New Budget Fails to Fund More Low-Cost Vision Zero Street Redesigns
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It’s July, which means the city’s new fiscal year 2016 budget is in effect. This spring, the de Blasio administration touted early funding for street repaving and reconstruction of four arterial streets under the “Vision Zero Great Streets” program. But the final budget the mayor’s office negotiated with the City Council fails to beef up the city’s […]
Prospect Park’s West Drive Is Now Permanently Car-Free
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A week after Central Park went mostly car-free, today marked the beginning of the permanent car-free zone on the west side of Prospect Park [PDF]. Leading up to today, the traffic shortcuts through Prospect Park had been gradually winnowed down to one lane on the west side during the evening rush and one lane on the […]
Eyes on the Street: Red Paint for “Queue-Jump” Bus Lanes on the M86
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Select Bus Service on 86th Street in Manhattan won’t be getting full bus-only lanes, but riders will benefit from short bus lanes at busy intersections. DOT has added two “queue-jump” lanes where 86th Street and 84th Street meet Fifth Avenue, to keep buses from getting stuck behind traffic waiting at lights. The most important component of the M86 SBS upgrade is off-board fare collection. The sidewalk fare […]
DOT Opens Greenpoint Ave Bridge Bike Lanes — Now With Flex-Posts
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DOT staff led a celebratory ride on the Greenpoint Avenue Bridge over Newtown Creek this morning to mark the completion of new bike lanes between Brooklyn and Queens. The lanes provide safer passage on what had been a nerve-wracking crossing next to fast-moving traffic and lots of trucks. The project was first proposed in 2010 and revived earlier […]
Ferreras: “My Focus Is to Make 111th Street One Hundred Percent Safe”
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A grassroots effort to improve safety on extra-wide 111th Street in Corona yielded a DOT plan for a road diet, better pedestrian crossings, and a protected bike lane this spring. Then two members of Queens Community Board 4 stymied the proposal, at least for the time being. To keep the project moving forward, Council Member Julissa Ferreras has organized two neighborhood […]
Team de Blasio Makes Its Case for a One-Year “Uber Cap”
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The de Blasio administration made its case for temporarily restricting the growth of licenses for ride-hailing services like Uber at a City Council hearing this morning. With congestion in Manhattan getting worse, City Hall’s plan is to cap the number of new for-hire vehicles on city streets for the next year while it studies the impact of […]
Four Transportation and Street Safety Bills That Albany Failed to Pass
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Every year, several worthy street safety and transportation bills make it through either the State Senate or the Assembly but not the other house. This year, bills on four key issues made it through the Senate before dying in the Assembly. A bill to legalize electric-assist bicycles came very close to passing both chambers. Currently the federal government permits the sale of these […]
Central Park Above 72nd Street Is Now Car-Free Forever
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Last week, people walking and biking on the Central Park loop had to worry about taxi drivers and car commuters motoring through the park as a rush hour shortcut. This morning was different: Above 72nd Street, you could ride your bike, walk your dog, or go for a run on a safer, quieter path with a lot […]
Hunter Students Offer a Multi-Modal Vision for Queens Boulevard
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About a year ago, the Transportation Alternatives Queens activist committee approached the Hunter College urban planning program about Queens Boulevard. The advocates wanted help jumpstarting real-world changes on the street known as the Boulevard of Death. It was just a few months after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced his Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths. If […]
Next Stop for Bill to Expand Bus Lane Cameras: Andrew Cuomo’s Desk
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Last night, the State Senate followed the Assembly’s lead and passed a bill to continue New York City’s bus lane camera enforcement program and expand it to an additional 10 bus routes. The bill now awaits Governor Andrew Cuomo’s signature. The Senate voted 48 in favor and 11 opposed. The day before, the bill squeaked through the Assembly, 79-60, […]
Dilan, Espinal Oppose Plan to Eliminate Deadly Turn From MTA Bus Routes
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After turning bus drivers twice struck and killed pedestrians at a complex intersection on the border of Bushwick and Ridgewood, the MTA proposed a change that eliminates a deadly turn from two bus routes. The plan has been under consideration for months and is set to go into effect Sunday. But Council Member Rafael Espinal and State Senator Martin Malave Dilan are trying […]