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
De Blasio Signs 11 Traffic Safety Bills
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Mayor Bill de Blasio signed 11 bills today intended to make it safer to walk, bike, and drive in New York City. De Blasio was joined by in Queens this morning by Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg, NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, council transportation chair Ydanis Rodriguez, and other council members. Bills signed […]
Tell Marty Golden and Andrew Lanza the Lifesaving 25 MPH Bill Can’t Wait
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If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to urge key Senate lawmakers to get behind the bill to lower New York City’s default speed limit from 30 to 25 miles per hour. With just hours remaining in the current legislative session, it’s up to NYC’s two Senate Republicans, Marty Golden and Andrew Lanza, […]
Thanks to Albany and NYPD, Careless Driving Law Will Keep Gathering Dust
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For the second year in a row, a bill to bring an end to NYPD’s self-imposed ban on penalizing motorists for careless driving has passed the State Senate, but apparently won’t clear the Assembly. Sponsored by Senator Dan Squadron, the bill would amend the state “vulnerable user” law by explicitly stating that officers may ticket or arrest […]
NYPD Is Ticketing More Drivers for Speeding on Neighborhood Streets
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NYPD is issuing more speeding summonses this year than in 2013, and data show a substantial jump in the number of drivers ticketed for speeding on neighborhood streets. While the numbers represent an increase from the baseline, it will take a lot more summonses for enforcement to be commensurate with the scale of NYC’s reckless driving […]
NYPD: 1,160 Pedestrians and Cyclists Injured, Nine Killed in Traffic in April
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Twenty-one people died in New York City traffic in April, and 4,007 were injured, according to the latest NYPD crash data report [PDF]. As of the end of April, 42 pedestrians and cyclists were reported killed by city motorists this year, and 4,406 injured, compared to 56 deaths and 4,793 injuries for the same period […]
The Move NY Fair Tolling Plan Is Polling Better Than Congestion Pricing
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Toll reform is polling better in New York City than congestion pricing did, even when pollsters don’t mention that the Move NY plan would mean billions in transit revenue. Capital New York’s Dana Rubinstein reports: “Would you support or oppose a plan to charge tolls on the East River bridges, which go into Manhattan, and […]
Mother of Cooper Stock: NYPD Must Hold Reckless Cab Drivers Accountable
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Update: According to a spokesperson for Mayor de Blasio, today’s scheduled bill signing was postponed. After a Wednesday hearing where he was joined by council members and department heads, Mayor de Blasio is scheduled to sign a package of bills today aimed at improving traffic safety. Though its signing will come later due to a […]
Bronx Hit-and-Run Driver Who Killed Abigail Lino Gets Six Months in Jail
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A hit-and-run driver who killed a woman in the Bronx in 2013 will serve six months in jail. Harlem resident Abigail Lino, 24, was crossing Bruckner Avenue near a Longwood club at around 3 a.m. last August 31 when Leroy Forest hit her with “a speeding silver SUV,” according to the Daily News: Witnesses said Lino’s […]
Anonymous NYPD Sources Blame Another Victim of Motorist Violence
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A motorist killed a cyclist near Citi Field Tuesday afternoon. The driver was ticketed for speeding, but true to form, anonymous police sources and the media blamed the victim for his own death. The crash happened on Roosevelt Avenue near 126th Street, under the elevated 7 train on the perimeter of the stadium, at around […]
311 Is a Joke: NYPD Ignores Bike Lane-Blocking Big Rigs in Red Hook
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In the space of a few hours this afternoon, one cyclist’s experience, chronicled in real time on Twitter, summed up NYPD’s indifference to keeping bike lanes clear of motor vehicles. At 8:00 this morning, Anna Zivarts encountered a flatbed tractor-trailer parked in the two-way Imlay/Summit Street bike lane in Red Hook. When that truck and a […]
Sidewalk-Jumping Driver Kills One Pedestrian, Injures Another in Great Kills
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Update: The victim who died in this crash was identified as Christal Aliotta, 31. As of Tuesday the driver, 23-year-old Michael Fox, was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation and drug possession, according to the Advance. Police say charges are pending after a curb-jumping driver killed one pedestrian and injured another in Staten Island this afternoon. At […]
How a DOT Parking Rule Change Made NYC Streets Less Safe
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I violated a traffic rule on the day I moved to New York City. I parked a minivan, rented for the move, in this spot on Seaman Avenue. I locked up the van and was headed to my apartment when a passerby informed me that I would get ticketed, if not towed, if I left […]