Stephen Miller
In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation.
From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.
Recent Posts
Trump Budget Threats and the Local Anti-Transit Brigade Spike Lansing BRT
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Eight years in the making, the project was undone by suburban opposition. Now, transit advocates in Michigan's capital are figuring out what can be done to improve transit while their opponents take a victory lap.
Life-Saving Truck Design Fix Sidelined By Federal Inaction
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This is the second post in a Streetsblog NYC series about safety features for large vehicles. Part one examined the case for truck side guards and New York City’s attempt to require them for its fleet. American cities are beginning to take the lead on requiring side guards on large trucks in municipal fleets. That’s […]
Peak Sprawl? The Fringes of the New York Region Are Shrinking
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A new report out of Rutgers University [PDF] reveals that since 2010, the fringes of the New York region have lost population as the core has grown, a reversal of the sprawling pattern that predominated starting in 1950, when the suburbs grew and the city shrank. The report compares regional growth between 1950 and 1980 […]
EPA Rejects New York’s Clean Water Money Grab for Highway Bridge
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This morning, the Environmental Protection Agency rejected the $510.9 million federal loan New York state had requested from a clean water program to pay for the Tappan Zee Bridge replacement project. Only $29 million worth of TZB work is eligible for clean water money, the EPA’s regional office ruled, averting a dangerous precedent that could have […]
After the Addition of Bike Lanes and Plazas, Manhattan Traffic Moves Faster
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After several blocks in the heart of Times Square were pedestrianized and protected bike lanes were added to five avenues in the middle of Manhattan, motor vehicle traffic is actually moving more smoothly than before, according to the latest release of NYC DOT’s annual Sustainable Streets Index [PDF]. The report, which gathers data from the […]
Will the Feds Step Up for Ped Safety and Close the Crossover Mirror Loophole?
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In February, 7-year-old Amar Diarrassouba was killed while crossing the street in East Harlem. Truck driver Robert Carroll ran him over while turning from East 117th Street to First Avenue. Because Carroll was driving a truck registered out-of-state, the vehicle wasn’t covered by the state law requiring crossover mirrors for large trucks on New York City […]
Meet Streetmix, the Website Where You Can Design Your Own Street
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Last fall, Lou Huang was at a community meeting for the initiative to redesign Second Street in San Francisco. Planners handed out paper cutouts, allowing participants to mix and match to create their ideal street. Huang, an urban designer himself, thought the exercise would make for a great website. Now, after months of work beginning at a January […]
Freight Panel Chair Says House Will “Balance Out” Transportation Modes
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This article was adapted from an earlier report on Streetsblog NYC. A Congressional road show on freight arrived in New York last Friday afternoon, bringing together air, trucking, and rail industry representatives to testify before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s freight panel. While the House is holding hearings like this one, U.S. DOT is working toward […]
The Livable Streets Leader You’ve Never Heard Of: Leicester, England
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Leicester is a city of about 330,000 in England’s East Midlands region. Like many other cities, it developed big mid-century plans to drive highways through its city center and paved over much of its historic core. In some cases, it even paved over its history: the bones of King Richard III, killed in battle nearby, […]
New Black Box Rule Isn’t Enough to Hold Drivers Accountable For Ped Crashes
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Earlier this month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a new rule requiring automakers to install event data recorders, known as EDRs or black boxes, in all light passenger vehicles. While the rule would expand the number of vehicles equipped to record critical information in the moments preceding a crash, that alone won’t aid […]
It’s Not the Economy, Stupid: Americans Really Are Driving Less
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Since 2005, Americans have been driving fewer miles each year. While the shift predated the onset of the Great Recession, the question of whether the decline in driving marked a sea change in the way we get around or simply reflected a drop in economic activity has been a matter of considerable debate. Enter economist Joe Cortright, who […]