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
Bill de Blasio Outlines His “Vision Zero” Plan
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As if on cue, Bill de Blasio today released a plan to reduce city traffic fatalities to zero within 10 years. The paper draws heavily on data and, while some facets would require concessions from Albany and cooperation from NYPD, it’s the most comprehensive and detailed street safety policy released by a mayoral candidate to […]
City Lays an Old Board Over Upper Manhattan Greenway Pit
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The Parks Department doesn’t know when a hole that opened up two months ago on the Hudson River Greenway will be repaired. A tipster sent us photos of the pit, located just north of 181st Street in Washington Heights, in June. These pictures were taken by the same reader about a week and a half […]
Gets It: Beyoncé Bikes to Barclays
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Per her Instagram, Beyoncé biked across the Brooklyn Bridge to her show at the Barclays Center last night. She’s almost certainly chauffeured most places, but it wouldn’t be the first time Beyoncé has been spotted on two wheels. From a 2009 Billboard interview: “I also started riding a bike on my days off with others like my […]
Eric Ulrich Won’t Say What He’s Doing About Vehicular Killings in His District
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After reiterating his opposition to speed cameras, and following the deaths of at least six pedestrians and cyclists in his district in the last 15 months, Queens City Council Member Eric Ulrich isn’t talking about street safety. At the end of June, an editorial from Alexander Blenkinsopp — an Ulrich constituent and member of Community Board […]
StreetsPAC Endorses for Public Advocate and Five Additional Council Seats
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StreetsPAC announced its pick for public advocate today, along with endorsements in five more City Council races. For its first endorsement for a citywide office, StreetsPAC is supporting Tish James for public advocate. “In her 10 years in the City Council, Tish James has established a reputation as an outspoken crusader unafraid of seemingly lopsided […]
New Map Presents NYPD Crash Data as It Was Meant to Be Seen
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There is a new mapping tool that presents NYPD crash data in a way that will be useful to advocates, electeds, and citizens who want to improve safety on neighborhood streets. A bit of background. For years, NYPD guarded traffic crash data like a state secret. After the City Council forced the department to make […]
StreetsPAC Is Sending Out Its Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire
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StreetsPAC has released its mayoral candidate questionnaire. The 10-page questionnaire is characteristically thorough. Among other topics, any candidate who submits a complete response will be on the record concerning safe streets policies, expanding the city’s bike lane network, road pricing, parking reform, car-free parks, transit expansion, bike-share and, yes, the Prospect Park West bike lane. […]
Hynes Brings Manslaughter Charge for Williamsburg Pedestrian Death
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A motorist who allegedly struck two pedestrians in a fatal 2012 hit-and-run crash in Williamsburg was charged with manslaughter by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes. Raul De La Cruz and an unidentified woman were crossing Borinquen Place near Keap Street in Williamsburg at approximately 5 a.m. last November 15 when they were struck by the […]
MTA Maps a Five-Borough Network for Select Bus Service
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At a press event yesterday to announce service restorations and upgrades, the MTA also went public with a citywide plan to expand Select Bus Service. With tunnel-boring mega-projects consuming billions of capital dollars apiece, the agency is featuring low-cost bus improvements more prominently in its strategy to increase transit capacity. Stephen Smith at the Observer reports: […]
NYPD: 1,464 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 14 Killed in Traffic in June
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Twenty-two people died in New York City traffic in June, and 5,046 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. This is the first crash report in which NYPD has used the term “collision” in place of “accident.” As of the end of June, 78 pedestrians and cyclists have been killed by […]
How NYPD Bike Enforcement Is Making Streets Less Safe
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Considering what happened to longtime street safety advocate Hilda Cohen last Friday afternoon, you have to wonder how many “scofflaw cyclists” are in actuality the victims of police harassment. The incident is also another example of wasted NYPD resources that could be used to make streets safer. Cohen says she rode through a yellow light […]
Vance Charges Vehicular Assault for Terrifying East Village Curb-Jump Crash
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A motorist who allegedly left a path of carnage and destruction in the East Village a month ago has been charged by Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance with vehicular assault, a felony. Shaun Martin, 32, of Bayside, was racing down Second Avenue in a Nissan sedan just before 7 a.m. on June 19 when he […]