Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.
Ben Fried
Recent Posts
City Council to Albany: NYC Wants Bus Lanes That Work
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Yesterday the New York City Council voted 46-4 to keep dedicated bus lanes free of traffic using camera enforcement. The measure, known as a home rule message, is a necessary step before state legislation can authorize a bus cam program. Attention now turns to Albany, where the bill faces critical votes in both the Assembly […]
Hayley and Diego’s Law Clears State Assembly
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A few minutes ago, Hayley and Diego’s Law cleared a vote in the full State Assembly. The next hurdle is the codes committee in the fractious State Senate, where it’s scheduled to come up for a vote tomorrow. The legislation would create a new category of traffic offense — "careless driving" — intended to make […]
Eighth Avenue Protected Bike Lane Slated for 11-Block Extension
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The Eighth Avenue protected bike lane is up for an 11-block extension from 23rd Street to 34th Street. Photo: BicyclesOnly/Flickr A reader sent along this item spied on the DOT events calendar for next week. On Wednesday the 16th, at Manhattan Community Board 4… DOT will present a proposal to extend the Eighth Avenue Bike […]
East Side Re-Design Moves Ahead, But Full Bike Corridor Is on Hold
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The re-design of First and Second Avenues has been a complex project to judge since the initial plans were unveiled earlier this year. From the beginning, it’s been the most ambitious re-envisioning of a major corridor we’ve seen in New York City to date: 250 blocks of faster bus service and safer traveling for cyclists […]
Got a Question for Albany?
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The august New York State Senate. Photo: AP For as long as Streetsblog has been covering the transportation reform beat, Albany has been a graveyard for progressive transportation legislation affecting New York City. Sheldon Silver and Assembly Democrats buried congestion pricing there in 2008. The State Senate poured cement shoes for bridge tolls last year, […]
A Farewell to Elana Schor, and a Note About Our National Coverage
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As regular readers of the Capitol Hill blog already know, yesterday marked Elana Schor’s last day covering the national transportation policy beat for Streetsblog. On behalf of the Streetsblog staff in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as the Streetsblog Network, I’d like to share my appreciation for Elana’s work over the […]
Eyes on the Street: Marcia Kramer’s Worst Nightmare
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Photo: Joanna Oltman Smith Via Brownstoner, here’s the freshly-striped buffer for the Prospect Park West bike lane. The two-way protected path is finally arriving, more than a year after the local community board voted for it. In the meantime, the project has met with loud protestations from the borough president, at least two withering TV […]
New York State Withholding a Fortune in Transit Taxes From MTA
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How many ways can New York state raid the MTA piggy bank? Here’s one to keep an eye on. As the state budget deadlock drags on into its third month, Albany is withholding hundreds of millions of dollars in dedicated transit tax revenue from the MTA. The state, which collects transit taxes before distributing the […]
Manhattan DA Cy Vance Unveils Strategy to Expand Traffic Safety Resources
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During last year’s campaign for Manhattan District Attorney, Cy Vance came out with a broad traffic safety platform, promising to beef up investigations into deaths caused by drivers. Many of those commitments turned into official policy today, as Vance announced a significant expansion of the DA’s vehicular crimes unit. Vance also pledged to support state […]
Albany Running Out of Time to Give NYC Bus Riders Faster Service
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Urgency is mounting in Albany to pass a bus lane enforcement bill, as the end of the legislative session draws near and the launch date of rapid bus service on the East Side of Manhattan approaches. Camera enforcement will help bus lanes work as advertised for hundreds of thousands of riders. Image: NYCDOT To give […]
Federal Transit Aid Bill Could Prevent MTA Service Cuts
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The $2 billion transit operating aid bill unveiled by Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd today could set the stage to stave off major MTA service cuts slated to take effect next month. Photo: cyclosity/Flickr If the bill becomes law and Congress appropriates the full $2 billion, about $275 million in operating aid would be distributed to […]
Major Test for Parking Reform Shaping Up on Manhattan’s West Side
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The site plan for Riverside Center includes a large ramp for motorists to access below-ground garages (bottom center). Image: Extell Development Are New York City’s planning commissioners serious about parking reform? An important test case is shaping up on Manhattan’s west side, where Extell Development is trying to build 1,800 parking spaces in an area […]