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
NGOs Work to Fill Transit-Oriented Development Void
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Today the Tri-State Transportation Campaign joined the One Region Funders’ Group* and The Fund for New Jersey in announcing a grant program to foster metro area transit-oriented development. The program intends to encourage transit oriented development, or mixed use development within a fourth to half mile of a train or bus station, by offering financial […]
Cartoon Tuesday: “Drill Pickle”
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Okay, it’s not a cartoon. But this "Daily Show" segment is too good to pass up. Comedy Central via Grist
Cartoon Tuesday: Vote for Oil
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On this Election Day, here’s animator Mark Fiore on the importance of making your voice heard in uncertain times. Click through for this timely message.
Going Back-to-School in the Age of the $4 Gallon
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Today is the first day of class for New York City public school students, while other districts across the country have been in session for weeks. The Times reports that some are grappling with how to get kids to and from school in the face of $4-per-gallon gasoline. Schools in many states have cut bus […]
Rail Advocate: Biden Ascension Wouldn’t Necessarily Help Amtrak
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The Washington Post today has a piece summing up Joe Biden’s ties to Amtrak. There’s not a lot of new material in the story (Biden takes the train between Delaware and DC, he has a pro-rail record in the Senate, his son serves on the Amtrak board, etc.), but what caught our attention was a […]
How Do We Make Clean Transportation Part of the National Discussion?
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Like Joe Biden, Barack Obama also mentioned Amtrak in his acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention, but only in reference to his running mate’s preferred mode of transportation. There were many, many things to be excited about yesterday, but any livable streets advocate anticipating a call to rebuild and expand our nation’s transit infrastructure, […]
From Denver: Dems Discuss Funding Woes; Biden Says “Amtrak”
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Last night saw what might one day qualify as an historic moment in transportation circles, as vice presidential candidate Joe Biden used the "A"-word during his speech to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. From a transcript of Biden’s address, via CNN: You know, John McCain is my friend. And I know you hear that […]
Obama Builds Rail Cred With Biden Pick
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Barack Obama’s standing as an advocate for investment in US commuter rail looks to have gotten a boost with his selection of Joe Biden as his running mate. Whereas John McCain is the Senate’s sworn enemy of Amtrak, his colleague from Delaware is known as a "Champion of the Rails." Notes Daily Kos diarist MissLaura […]
Leaving Cars Behind, Seniors Find Streets Inhospitable
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A recent poll conducted by AARP finds that Americans over the age of 50 are cutting down on car trips due to rising gas prices, but are finding public infrastructure, or lack thereof, to be an obstacle. Almost one of every three people (29%) polled say they are now walking as a way to avoid […]
Cartoon Tuesday: No Pressure
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Signe Wilkinson of the Philadelphia Daily News has a different spin on the Obama-McCain tire inflation hulabaloo. Click through for the full strip.
McCain Impressed by US Trains, So Long as They Don’t Stay in US
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Our friend Sean Roche sent us a link to this brain-bending video of John McCain stumping in Pennsylvania. Just before the 1:00 mark, after McCain gives an ambiguous plug for electric cars, he unloads this doozy: "I was with Governor [Tom] Ridge yesterday, and we visited a General Electric plant in Erie that makes — […]
Cartoon Tuesday: In Which We Blog About the Other Paris
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Click through for this cartoon by Gary Varvel of The Indianapolis Star, referencing the now infamous tussle between John McCain and Paris Hilton. (And click here if you have no idea what we’re talking about.) While the ‘toon itself bears a ring of truth, the bigger irony may be that the presidential candidate who’s now […]