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
DOT’s Slow Zone Signs Now Just Another Sidewalk Obstacle [Updated]
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Launched in 2011, the DOT Neighborhood Slow Zone program is intended to keep drivers from exceeding 20 mph in residential areas. Strengthening and expanding the program should be a key aspect of Vision Zero, but instead, DOT has watered down some Slow Zone features, apparently in response to motorist complaints about curbside parking. This week […]
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie: Good on Street Safety, Iffy on Transit
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For the first time in two decades, the New York State Assembly has a new speaker. Assembly Democrats elected Carl Heastie of the Bronx to succeed longtime speaker Sheldon Silver, a week after Silver was indicted on federal corruption charges. Until a few days ago, Heastie wasn’t all that well-known outside the Bronx, where he […]
Ridiculous David Greenfield Parking Bills: A Timeline
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A few years back Streetsblog ran a post with the headline “Another Year, Another David Greenfield Parking Bill.” And it’s true! Except for 2014, Greenfield has introduced or sponsored legislation intended to somehow lessen the hassle of parking every year since 2010. While he’s a vocal proponent of Vision Zero, it still seems Greenfield has never […]
DMV Revoked License of Driver Who Killed Allison Liao for Just 30 Days
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The motorist who killed 3-year-old Allison Liao could be back behind the wheel before long, as the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles revoked his license for just 30 days. Following a hearing in early January, DMV administrative law judge Sidney Fuchs determined that Ahmad Abu-Zayedeh failed to yield the right of way when he ran over Allison […]
TLC Bolsters Cab Driver Safety Regs, Minus NYC Road Test Requirement
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The Taxi and Limousine Commission voted to revise some of its rules Thursday, strengthening safety requirements for drivers of for-hire vehicles as well as yellow and green cabs. But the TLC still does not require aspiring cabbies to pass a New York City road test before obtaining a hack license. There are 70,000 for-hire drivers […]
In Brooklyn, Another Alleged Unlicensed Driver Faces Wrist Tap for Killing
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An allegedly unlicensed driver who killed a pedestrian in a Brooklyn crosswalk last month was not charged with criminal negligence by NYPD or District Attorney Ken Thompson. Meanwhile, legislation to increase the penalty for causing a death while driving without a valid license continues to languish in Albany. Raul Leone-Vasquez was crossing Bay Parkway at […]
We’re Talkin’ Sneckdown
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New York City was spared the brunt of winter storm Juno, and with streets in better shape than expected, there are already enough photos out there for our inaugural #sneckdown round-up of the season. A portmanteau of “snow” and “neckdown,” a sneckdown occurs when driving patterns delineated in snow reveal excess street space that might be […]
NYPD: 1,399 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, 10 Killed in December
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Twelve people died in New York City traffic in December, and 4,116 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. Unofficial numbers from DOT indicate that 132 pedestrians and 20 cyclists were killed by city motorists in 2014. Drivers injured 14,922 pedestrians and cyclists last year, according to NYPD. Citywide, at least […]
Suffolk DA Stands With Traffic Violence Victims — Will NYC DAs Follow Suit?
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On Tuesday, New Yorkers tuned into the evening news might have seen a district attorney standing with victims of traffic violence. But the prosecutor wasn’t from one of the five boroughs. WCBS reports: The families of four victims killed in hit-and-run crashes in Suffolk County called on Albany on Tuesday to enact tougher sentences for […]
Lancman and Simanowitz: Let’s Keep Queens Bus Riders Stuck in Traffic
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Tonight, DOT and the MTA will hold an open house to solicit input for proposed Select Bus Service routes linking Flushing and Jamaica. The plan to reduce travel times for tens of thousands of Queens bus riders has broad support from advocates and local electeds, including Assembly Member Nily Rozic. But the Times Ledger reports that […]
Cuomo’s LaGuardia Train Would Be Slower Than Existing Transit
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The centerpiece of Governor Cuomo’s second-term transportation agenda for New York City isn’t closing the $15 billion gap in the MTA capital program or taking serious steps to relieve the city from suffocating traffic. Instead, Cuomo’s big idea is a new rail link to LaGuardia Airport. The idea captivated the Times and distracted from the meat […]
Rodriguez Revives Push for Truck Guards After First Cyclist Death of 2015
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A private garbage truck operator killed a cyclist, and a driver killed a pedestrian in separate incidents in Queens over the holiday weekend. NYPD and District Attorney Richard Brown filed no charges in either case. On Saturday evening the driver of a private trash hauler struck cyclist Hoyt Jacobs at Vernon Boulevard and 41st Avenue […]