Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Streetsblog

Brad Aaron: An Appreciation

6:02 PM EDT on July 19, 2010

brad_waves.jpgIf you read Streetsblog regularly, you know something's been missing the last few weeks. Our most tenacious voice for a rational, effective legal system to keep city streets safe from dangerous drivers has been absent.

Brad Aaron stepped down as deputy editor earlier this month, but you'll be seeing his byline here again before long. After decompressing down South for July and August (note: it's hotter in NYC right now than Georgia), Brad will be back as a contributor, covering stories for Streetsblog while following a few other journalistic pursuits.

So this is no time for a eulogy, but I would like to submit a few words of appreciation for Brad and his service as a Streetsblog editor.

Brad has written about every type of transportation story under the sun for Streetsblog. When I came on at the beginning of 2008, he was adept at pulling out the weak points in legislators' excuses for opposing congestion pricing. As our eyes and ears in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, he stayed on top of the Yankee Stadium parking scandal and was there for the launch of Select Bus Service on Fordham Road.

But Brad's also got an undeniable specialty -- the traffic justice beat. His inner sense of how the rules of the road should be enforced and applied is unswerving and incredibly strong. I can't think of a better term for it than "moral clarity," though I know he'll object to the connotations. Brad writes about the preventable loss of life on our streets as an ongoing transgression against human dignity and ethical standards of behavior. A lot of his best work has helped explain why our legal system consistently fails to protect or provide justice for victims of traffic violence.

Before Brad came to Streetsblog, he founded and ran a weekly paper in Athens, Georgia. Now that he won't be with us every day, I'm going to miss his editorial eye and knack for sharp headlines. A little bit of background on how the blog operates: Almost all the content we post runs through more than one set of eyes before we publish it. Headlines, in many cases, aren't written by the person with the byline. My favorite headline penned by Brad, attached to a post with my name on it, has to be this one from 2008, about a lowpoint in Anthony Weiner's posturing on transit policy.

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this vintage Ad Nauseam post. Something about the kicker made me laugh until I had tears streaming down my face. Thanks Brad.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Why Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Long COVID

Covid-19 transformed many U.S. cities' approach to sustainable transportation forever. But how did it transform the lives of sustainable transportation advocates who developed lasting symptoms from the disease?

September 24, 2023

Analysis: ‘Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program’ is a Failure By All Measures

The Department of Transportation wants the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program to simply expire in part because it did not dramatically improve safety among these worst-of-the-worst drivers and led to a tiny number of vehicle seizures.

September 22, 2023

School Bus Driver Kills Cyclist in Boro Park, 24th Bike Death of 2023

Luis Perez-Ramirez, 44, was biking south on Fort Hamilton Parkway just before 3:15 p.m. when he was struck a by school bus driver making a right turn.

September 22, 2023

‘Betrayal’: Adams Caves to Opposition, Abandons Bus Improvement Plan on Fordham Road

The capitulation on Fordham Road is the latest episode in which the mayor has delayed or watered down a transportation project in deference to powerful interests.

September 22, 2023

Friday’s Headlines: Yes He Said Yes He Will Yes Edition

That headline above is a reference to the last line of James Joyce's Ulysses, which we won't pretend to have read. But we have that ... and other news.

September 22, 2023
See all posts