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
Council Passes New Delivery Cyclist Rules; Vacca to Target E-Bikes Next
| | 33 Comments
Today the City Council passed four bills to tighten regulations on delivery cyclists. The bills, debated last month by the transportation committee, now go to the mayor for his expected signature. Together, the legislative package would create civil penalties for what had until now been criminal offenses, extend enforcement authority to DOT in an effort to ensure […]
Hudson Square BID Sets Out to Reclaim Streets From Holland Tunnel Traffic
| | 4 Comments
Every day, thousands of drivers, including trucks too large for city roadways, cross from the Manhattan or Williamsburg bridges, through the streets of Lower Manhattan, to the Holland Tunnel – all for a free ride (often to avoid the westbound toll on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge). The result is congestion, pollution, noise and dangerous conditions for […]
Eyes on the Street: Safer Crossings on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn
| | 16 Comments
Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park, from 65th Street to 15th Street, is getting its road diet after Brooklyn Community Board 7 overwhelmingly approved changes to the street in May. Seven pedestrians were killed in traffic along the corridor between 2006 and 2011. To make it safer, DOT is reducing Fourth Avenue from three lanes in each direction […]
It’s Time for More Space for Bike Riders and Walkers on the Pulaski Bridge
| | 23 Comments
The Pulaski Bridge, which connects Greenpoint and Long Island City across Newtown Creek, provides a narrow path for pedestrians and cyclists to share, next to six lanes of fast-moving motor vehicle traffic. As volumes have picked up on the path, minor tweaks made years ago may not be sufficient to provide space for interborough walkers […]
AAA New York’s Red-Light Camera “Study”: Bogus, Flimsy and Dangerous
| | 10 Comments
For an organization that claims to be in favor of red light cameras, AAA New York has a funny way of showing its support. “In concept, we believe in red light cameras,” said spokesperson Robert Sinclair. But over the weekend, backed only by scant anecdotal evidence, the group claimed that traffic signals with red light […]
Upper West Side Residents Fed Up With CB 7 Inaction on Complete Streets
| | 55 Comments
Last night, Manhattan Community Board 7’s transportation committee debated the merits of bringing protected bike lanes and pedestrian refuges to Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues between 59th and 110th Streets. This would be a big gain for the Upper West Side, which currently only has one mile of protected bike lane on Columbus Avenue. After years of […]
The Long-Missing Link: New Push for Verrazano Bridge Bike-Ped Path
| | 15 Comments
Before the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge opened in 1964, New Yorkers on foot or bike could travel between Staten Island and Brooklyn by taking a ferry from 69th Street in Bay Ridge to St. George. Since the bridge opened, there are only two times each year when people are allowed to cross it under their own power: […]
Straphangers Will Be Asked to Shoulder MTA’s Growing Debt and Labor Costs
| | No Comments
A new report [PDF] from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says that the MTA budget picture is slowly improving as tax collections and ridership increase with a recovering economy, but that won’t protect straphangers from big fare hikes. Revenues from the Payroll Mobility Tax and the more volatile tax on real estate transactions are […]
TA Survey: Customers on Foot Bring Big Business to East Village Retailers
| | 9 Comments
On the heels of launching New York’s first “Bike Friendly Business District” in the East Village and Lower East Side, Transportation Alternatives has released a new study [PDF] showing that people who walk, bike and take transit to the East Village are local retailers’ best customers. In a random survey of 420 East Village pedestrians, 95 […]
Eyes on the Street: Filling the Void Left By Astoria’s Missing Plaza
| | 7 Comments
Last month, Queens Community Board 1 voted down DOT’s proposal for a pedestrian plaza at the intersection of 30th Avenue, 33rd Street and Newtown Avenue, opting instead for curb extensions that will keep the block open to vehicle traffic. The curb extensions are set to be installed next year. In the meantime, as shown in this photo sent […]
Barclays Center Opening Weekend Traffic: Not a Total Disaster
| | 10 Comments
Many residents and elected leaders from the neighborhoods near the Barclays Center in Prospect Heights are letting out a sigh of relief after steeling for gridlock this weekend. Sellout crowds for the arena’s first events — three Jay-Z concerts — did not completely overwhelm nearby neighborhoods with traffic, but the strain on local streets was still clear. […]
Central Park Roadways Will Get More Room for Cyclists and Pedestrians
| | 38 Comments
This evening, DOT, the Parks Department and the Central Park Conservancy announced a change to road configurations in Central Park similar to recent changes in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. The plan [PDF] would double available pedestrian space and bring the installation of plastic posts to separate cyclists from walkers and joggers. DOT said that it has notified local […]