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
Biofuels, Bus Lanes and Beer
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Beer good, ethanol bad Pledging support for alternate fuel sources may make for feel-good politicking, but "simply" developing a substitute for gasoline could do more harm than good. Instead, a panel of experts said last week, Americans must seriously address their addiction to fossil fuels, along with the built environment that enables it. Moderated by […]
What $13 Billion Looks Like
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With the above chart and these comments in mind, here’s some food for thought from the PlaNYC Transportation chapter: Only 4.6% of working New Yorkers commute to Manhattan by car. The vast majority of trips made in New York are not to Manhattan; even among commuters, nearly twice as many outer borough residents work […]
Council Overrides Pedicab Veto
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NY1 is reporting that the City Council has voted to override Mayor Bloomberg’s veto of its pedicab bill. The pedicab bill caps the number of cabs at 325 and also adds new safety and insurance requirements. The mayor vetoed the bill after meeting with pedicab drivers who were concerned about losing their jobs.
City Pitches in for Yankee Stadium Parking
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What could be worse than replacing neighborhood parks with private parking decks, built with the specific intent of increasing car trips by the tens of thousands through a community already suffering from so much disease-causing pollution that its nickname is "Asthma Alley"? How about forcing afflicted residents to help foot the bill? That’s what could […]
Auto Worship Still a Sign of the Times
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When the Supreme Court held this week that the Environmental Protection Agency does, in fact, possess the latitude to protect the environment, the New York Times called it "a victory for a world whose environment seems increasingly threatened by climate change." "It is a vindication for states like California that chose not to wait for […]
An English Plan in New York
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The once traffic-filled street between Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery is now a thriving plaza. Climate change is a greater threat to London than terrorism, one of the city’s top planners said yesterday. Debbie McMullen (right), a one-time New Yorker who heads implementation of the "London Plan," made this matter-of-fact announcement at a Tuesday […]