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
De Blasio Talks Planning and Housing But Not Transpo at RPA Assembly
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Planning and transportation leaders from across the tri-state area met at the Waldorf Astoria today for the Regional Plan Association’s annual gathering, featuring panel discussions and a keynote by Mayor Bill de Blasio that was noticeably light on transportation issues. The mayor’s speech was a bit of a coming-out to the city’s planning community. “Planning […]
At First Vision Zero Workshop, Brooklynites Help Shape Boro Ped Safety Plan
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Last night in Brooklyn Heights, at the first of nine Vision Zero pedestrian safety workshops, dozens of Brooklynites came to tell NYPD and DOT staff about dangerous streets in need of safety fixes in their borough. These events, where groups of residents discuss traffic safety issues, are different than the Vision Zero town halls, which […]
Trottenberg: The Goal Is to Roll Out 13 New SBS Routes in Four Years
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It’s been a big week for buses. Public meetings kicked off for Select Bus Service on Woodhaven Boulevard, signs of SBS are starting to crop up on 125th Street, and news broke that bus lanes are coming to Utica Avenue. After Wednesday’s infrastructure forum, I caught up with Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg to discuss the de […]
As SBS Sprouts on 125th, Levine Says Bus Lanes Could Extend West This Fall
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After an on-again, off-again struggle, Select Bus Service on 125th Street is now close to launching. Off-board fare payment machines have been installed, but not yet turned on, for M60 riders. Next up is striping for dedicated bus lanes, which were scaled back after opposition from elected officials. Now, a glimmer of hope: Council Member Mark […]
Transportation Tidbits in This Year’s PlaNYC Check-In
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To mark Earth Day on Monday, the de Blasio administration released its first PlaNYC progress report [PDF], the latest annual check-in on the citywide sustainability plan released in 2007. The report includes a few facts about the city’s progress on its transportation goals: DOT’s PARK Smart program, which sets the price of on-street parking in response […]
Panel: NYC Electeds Need to Get Serious About Funding Infrastructure
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This morning, the Association for a Better New York, a business group, hosted a discussion on the city’s infrastructure. The focus was squarely on transportation, and the message wasn’t pretty. Panelists warned of dire consequences if elected officials don’t act on the precarious state of transportation funding. Calling himself “the ghost of infrastructure past,” former traffic commissioner […]
Tonight: Big Changes Proposed for Intersection Where Ella Bandes Was Killed
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Last year, 23-year-old Ella Bandes was killed by a turning MTA bus driver at a complex intersection on the Queens-Brooklyn border. On the anniversary of her death in January, her parents called on DOT to implement more aggressive street safety measures. Tonight, DOT is scheduled to present a plan to Queens Community Board 5’s transportation […]
McGuinness Boulevard Is NYC’s Third 25 MPH Arterial Slow Zone
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Ask a Greenpoint resident to name the neighborhood’s most dangerous street, and they’ll likely point to McGuinness Boulevard, an infamous speedway that splits the neighborhood in half. Today, it became the city’s third “arterial slow zone” to receive a 25 mph speed limit, retimed traffic signals to discourage speeding, and focused enforcement. The arterial slow […]
What’s the Status of Car-Free Central Park and Prospect Park in 2014?
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Last year, the city announced that much of Central Park’s loop drives would go car-free all summer long. With temperatures warming, the park is again filling with people walking, jogging, and biking — all sharing space with car commuters looking for a rush-hour shortcut. Will it happen again — or expand — this year? Negotiations are […]
After CB 4 Committee Signs on, DOT Will Study Safer Fifth and Sixth Avenues
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After a unanimous vote of support from Community Board 5, a request for DOT to study protected bike lanes and pedestrian improvements on Fifth and Sixth Avenues in Manhattan got another boost from the CB 4 transportation committee last Wednesday. After the committee’s unanimous 6-0 vote, a DOT representative said the agency intends to begin […]
Local BID and CB 2 Ask DOT for More Safety Upgrades on Atlantic Avenue
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Last week, Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn became the city’s first “arterial slow zone” with a 25 mph speed limit. Now, a business improvement district on the avenue’s western end is asking for pedestrian safety upgrades, and Community Board 2’s transportation committee has signed on. “Pedestrian improvements are customer improvements,” said Atlantic Avenue BID Executive Director […]
Grand Concourse Will Be the Next Arterial With 25 MPH Limit
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Local elected officials and advocates joined NYC DOT and NYPD this morning to unveil the city’s second “arterial slow zone” on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, where speed limits will be dropped to 25 mph and traffic signals will be retimed to discourage speeding. The lower speed limit will apply to 5.2 miles of […]