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
Brooklyn DA Secures Rare Manslaughter Conviction for Pedestrian Death
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In a rare case of an apparently sober motorist facing serious penalties for a fatal crash, an unlicensed hit-and-run driver who killed one Brooklyn pedestrian and seriously injured another pled guilty to manslaughter this week. Raul De La Cruz and an unidentified woman were crossing Borinquen Place near Keap Street in Williamsburg at around 5 […]
What If NYPD Did a Month of Consistent Enforcement Instead of a 2-Day Blitz?
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NYPD launched a 48-hour crackdown on speeding drivers last night, following a “blitz” a week ago that focused on failure to yield and cell phone violations. A ticketing event always gets media attention — that’s the point — but are short bursts of high-profile traffic enforcement better than elevated rates of consistent enforcement that become an […]
Accused Unlicensed Hit-and-Run Killer on Trial in Brooklyn
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A motorist who authorities say had a history of driving offenses and was driving without a license when he fatally struck a Brooklyn senior and fled the scene two years ago is on trial this week. Isabel Rodriguez, 88, was walking with her 79-year-old sister on July 22, 2012, when Wayne Stokeling drove into her at […]
Curb-Jumping Drivers in Three Crashes Injured 15 People This Morning
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Curb-jumping motorists were involved in at least three crashes this morning, resulting in 15 injuries, including a pedestrian who was hit on a Queens sidewalk. The driver of a Honda pickup truck crashed into the front yard of a house at 49-33 Utopia Parkway at around 5:40 this morning, critically injuring a pedestrian, according to FDNY […]
No Mention of Cab Safety Tech as TLC Commish Outlines Vision Zero Budget
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Mayor de Blasio’s Vision Zero Action Plan contains a number of initiatives to improve cab driver safety, including “black box” technology to monitor cabbie behavior. TLC Commissioner Meera Joshi told the City Council in early May that the agency has issued RFIs for a telematics pilot program, but she didn’t mention the program during testimony at Thursday’s council […]
Parks Department Repairs Hudson River Greenway Sinkhole
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Happy Bike to Work Day: The Parks Department has repaired the Hudson River Greenway sinkhole. Streetsblog first reported on the sinkhole, located just north of 181st Street in Washington Heights, almost a year ago. Temporary fixes didn’t keep it from widening. As the problem got worse, the Parks Department said the agency was trying to […]
DOT Breaks Down Street Safety Spending for City Council
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At a City Council budget hearing today, Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg outlined in detail how DOT plans to allocate funds for street safety over the next year. DOT will spend $23 million to acquire the 120 additional speed cameras that were authorized by the state legislature this session, Trottenberg said, and will begin the procurement […]
As CB 10 Dithers, Espaillat and Levine Urge DOT to Act on Morningside Ave.
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While Manhattan Community Board 10 refuses to endorse pedestrian safety improvements for Morningside Avenue in Harlem, two lawmakers are urging DOT to move forward. After sending a similar letter in January, State Senator Adriano Espaillat and City Council Member Mark Levine wrote DOT again this week [PDF] to praise the agency’s plan for a Morningside […]
DA Ken Thompson Won’t Say When DWI Killer Might Drive Again [Updated]
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The office of Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson won’t talk about reported developments in the case of a defendant who avoided a homicide charge after killing a pedestrian while driving drunk. Eric Nesmith hit Roxana Gomez at Flatbush Avenue and St. Marks Avenue with a BMW sedan just after midnight on July 5, 2013, according to witness accounts and the Post. Gomez, 27, suffered […]
Forget Alec Baldwin. How About Some Celebrity Failure-to-Yield Tickets?
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Well that was fast. About an hour after Alec Baldwin was arrested after reportedly biking in the wrong direction on Fifth Avenue this morning, the story was all over the place. From the Wall Street Journal: Actor Alec Baldwin was arrested in Manhattan for riding his bike the wrong way down a street and for disorderly […]
Key State Senator Tony Avella Opposed to 20 MPH Speed Limit Bill
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State Senator Tony Avella is opposed to legislation that would lower the default speed limit in NYC to 20 miles per hour. He’s also against lowering the speed limit to 25 mph on Northern Boulevard — where drivers have killed at least seven pedestrians, including two young kids, since 2010. That’s supposed to happen this […]
Hit-and-Run Drivers Killed Two People in NYC This Weekend
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Hit-and-run drivers killed a pedestrian and a cyclist in Brooklyn and Queens this weekend. Sunday night at around 9:30, a 40-year-old man riding a bike on Rockaway Boulevard near 90th Street was struck by the driver of a Mercedes van, according to reports. NYPD told the media the driver sideswiped the cyclist from behind and […]