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
MTA Wants to Take Payroll Tax Ruling Straight to State’s Top Court
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On Wednesday, a state Supreme Court judge ruled the Payroll Mobility Tax unconstitutional, saying that because the “budgetary crisis of the MTA is not a substantial state concern,” the law required a home rule message from the affected counties. Now, the MTA says it will appeal directly to New York’s top court. New York’s courts […]
70 Year-Old Man Crushed, Killed by Security Truck Driver in Financial District
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At least two pedestrians were pinned by a pickup truck used as a movable security barrier on Broad Street near the New York Stock Exchange at approximately 1:30 p.m. this afternoon. One of the pedestrians, an unidentified 70 year-old man, has died. NY1 is reporting that the victim was a NYSE security guard who was eating […]
The MTA Payroll Tax Ruling: What’s Next?
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Saying that the “budgetary crisis of the MTA is not a substantial state concern,” a state Supreme Court judge ruled yesterday that the MTA Payroll Mobility Tax is unconstitutional. Although taxes will continue to be collected as the MTA appeals the case to a higher court, yesterday’s decision puts $1.5 billion, or approximately 12 percent of the MTA’s annual […]
Eyes on the Street: First Signs of the New Corona Plaza
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A pedestrian plaza that garnered support from local business, a unanimous vote at Queens Community Board 4 in June, and the backing of City Council Member Julissa Ferreras is being installed in Corona. The project is on the site of a service road that functioned as a parking lot for moving trucks. Now the space is host to […]
Detailed Times Poll Numbers Show Broad Bike Lane, Bike-Share Support
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More complete numbers are available from the New York Times poll on bicycle lanes and bike-share, and despite what Times reporters might have you believe, they show that bicycling is very much in New York City’s mainstream. (In an earlier version of the online article, reporters Michael Grynbaum and Marjorie Connolly said that “cycling remains […]
Eyes on the Street: The Not-So-Barren Jackson Heights Plaza
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Business owners in Jackson Heights have done more than just take over maintenance of the plaza on 37th Road. They’ve rechristened it “Diversity Plaza,” and they staged a community celebration that concluded on Monday to mark Eid-ul-Fitr, the breaking of fast at the end of Muslim holy month Ramadan. It seems the plaza was anything […]
Times Poll Confirms: 66 Percent of New Yorkers Like Bike Lanes
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Poll numbers released by the New York Times today show that 66 percent of adult New Yorkers think bike lanes are a good idea, joining a growing body of public opinion data that indicates strong local support for bike infrastructure. Just two years ago, the Times noted that “there have been no independent polls of New Yorkers’ attitudes […]
2011 DOT Scorecard: More Jobs, More Subway Riders, Traffic Stays Flat
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While the number of employed New Yorkers has recovered from the lows of the recession, motor vehicle traffic in the city remained flat last year, with increased demand for travel being met by the city’s increasingly stretched subways, according to NYC DOT’s annual Sustainable Streets Index update. The report, released Monday, collects data from a […]
Eyes on the Street: Safety Upgrades Come to Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd.
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Although the project covers only half to the distance initially proposed thanks to foot-dragging by the local community board (the other half may be implemented next year), safety enhancements along 19 blocks of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard are in place and giving pedestrians more room to cross the street. When complete, the boulevard between 134th and […]
Jackson Heights Turnaround: Business Owners Will Help Maintain Plaza
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A group of business owners who decried the 37th Road pedestrian plaza in Jackson Heights after it opened have come around and launched a group to act as stewards of the new public space. This turn of events comes after persistent work by Council Member Danny Dromm’s office and local merchants, who are now working together […]
County Execs Support Cuomo’s TZB in Exchange for Study Groups
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County executives from Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties announced their support for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Tappan Zee Bridge project yesterday, clearing the way for the project to seek federal funding. The executives, who had withheld support until now, received two concessions: A guarantee of rush hour bus lanes on the new bridge, and the creation of […]
Markowitz: Loosen Downtown BK Parking Regs for Older Buildings Too
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Borough President Marty Markowitz wants to reduce parking minimums in Downtown Brooklyn, and he thinks developers should be able to convert existing parking spots to other uses. This spring the Department of City Planning unveiled a plan to cut Downtown Brooklyn’s onerous parking requirements in half, and Markowitz’s recommendations [PDF] are the latest step on […]